Ghostbusters Training Manual

[Spengs]

It began as a tie-in to our blockbuster movie, Ghostbusters. A little book most likely meant for children. Or for an older fan (circa 1984) a nice piece of Ghostbusters merchandise which would become a collectible. The book we're talking about, The Official Ghostbusters™ Training Manual: A Guide To Catching Ghosts. Little did Dr. Venkman realize that this book would continue to inspire young people as they grew up wanting to be ghostbusters. Or adults thinking of changing careers without having to go to ITT Technical Institute. Sure today Ghostbusters International® has extensive tech manuals and training manuals on the fine art of 'busting. What we haven't had to sell or give out in over two decades is one of the greatest promotional materials for starting a franchise ever. Until now, sorta.

Last week we dug through the archives and found a rare copy of O.G.T.M, complete with a sheet of stickers which is still sealed. What does this mean? For our company, our franchises, field agents, and potential franchises you'll be able to see this rare piece of movie franchise history/promotional materials on our site. Once we're able to scan the covers, sheet of stickers, and the rest of O.G.T.M that is. We're hoping while enjoying this book it may inspire as it has had for years. And for our company, franchises, and field agents, that they might make some copies and hand them out at events and conventions.

[GBVA]

That would be a great addition!

[Spengs]

I'm glad you think so and we hope others will too.

Here's the update that I haven't had time to post on the site yet. Wednesday and Thursday I was able to hook up this 6 1/2-7 year old scanner (which might have been possessed) and after lots of trial and error, I got the entire book scanned.

Their is still a problem. Its most likely from how old my scanner is and how long it hadn't been used. Their is something wrong with it and produced some kind of "streaking" in the lesson pictures that are in the book.

Not to worry, I can get screen caps from our blockbuster movie. In the meantime using Photo Shop I cleaned up the aged booklet and made it like new. Plus adding one of GBI's logos in it towards the end. What's the point of giving it out if no one knows how they can register there franchise?

I'll get the screen caps when I'm able to and put O.G.T.M on the site not long after.

[Chace]

I have one of those as well! Though mine no longer has the stickers....I used it to build my first proton pack (non functioning but hey, I was a kid) Gret Find!

[Spengs]

I had this book as a kid too, no idea what happened to it. I'm sure I used the stickers, probably put them in the book. In the right areas? I'm not sure.

One of the reasons GBI bought O.G.T.M was because it had the stickers, still sealed. They're scanned and will make a nice addition for our franchises and site, a throw back to our old skool days.

[Spengs]

It was finished yesterday, by the time we could have put The Official Ghostbusters™ Training Manual: A Guide To Catching Ghosts on-line, it was time for bed. Hopefully all the hard work and no extra pay will er pay off. More about the training manual and our work on it can be found on its pages.

[tampabuster1]

Can't wait to read it Spengs!

[GBNJ-Bill]

wow, that's one of the few pieces of gb merch I have never seen before. Now I can die a happy ghostbuster!

[tampabuster1]

You mean, just BEING a Ghostbuster wasnt enough to make u happy? Guess there's just NO pleasing you is there?

[GBNJ-Bill]

sure being a ghostbuster is cool for the first few months, or when something unique comes along, but how often to mammoth food related mascots trample cities? Do janitors get excited everytime a kid blows chunks at the local elementary school?

You guys are new, give it time and the awesomeness will wear off.

This training manual is cool because it captures some of the wonderment i experienced as a child pretending to be Dr. Ray Stantz.

[tampabuster1]

Maybe for the rest of you, but I've been on the job two years and driving that beautiful car is enough to keep me happy till I die.

[Spengs]

wow, that's one of the few pieces of gb merch I have never seen before. Now I can die a happy ghostbuster!

Bill: I'm kinda surprised you hadn't seen this before now. I could have sworn as a kid between 1984-1986 (if I push it) that this book could have been found a plenty. Then again we were kids and my world was northern NJ or wherever my parents dragged me to.

Never the less you can read it now and have your own copy, courtesy of Ghostbusters International®.

[Dr. Fritz V. Baugh]

Holy cow...

I thought something looked familiar about this one. I don't have this exact book, but I have what must have been it's companion piece: by the same writer, publisher, and a similar format (including movie stills and stickers!): an adaptation of the Gozer case. (Technically, it adapts the first movie, but we know what it was based on...)

The copy I have belonged to one of my little brothers, and the stickers were taken off the sticker sheet and stuck into the back page, but other than that it's in pretty good shape.

A couple of other interesting notes:

The title page features a line art drawing based in part on one of the movie posters. The signature appears to be "Ploog"; comic book artist Mike Ploog?

One of the pictures is a nice shot of Ray and Winston arriving at Fort Detmerring. You can even see part of the sign "Fort Detme" (the rest is obscured by trees)

Slimer is mentioned on the cover, but is only referred to as The Ugly Little Spud. Venkman must have suggested that.

I guess if anybody's interested I may try and sit down and scan this.

[Kevin K]

sounds great!

[Spengs]

Holy cow...

I thought something looked familiar about this one. I don't have this exact book, but I have what must have been it's companion piece: by the same writer, publisher, and a similar format (including movie stills and stickers!): an adaptation of the Gozer case. (Technically, it adapts the first movie, but we know what it was based on...)

I guess if anybody's interested I may try and sit down and scan this.

Slimer is mentioned on the cover, but is only referred to as The Ugly Little Spud. Venkman must have suggested that.

I'd be interested. Not sure if I ever saw that. If you can get it scanned, with your permission we could probably put it on the site. Not surprising I found the GB II adaptation which also looked a lot like the training manual (had stickers too. whoo! ) and from the sounds of it, the GB kids adaptation. I wasn't going to buy it, maybe I should.

Oh and I believe Dr. V wanted to call one the novel adaptations The Ugly Little Spud. The writers didn't care for the title and his publishers told him it wouldn't sell. One writer said, "We're not writing a sequel for The Ugly Little Duckling." No crap.