Unofficial The Real Ghostbusters Lightweight Blanket Review

I celebrated my birthday this past Friday, June 25th. Among the presents I received from my sister was an Unofficial The Real Ghostbusters 80"x60" Lightweight Blanket. Read on to find out more about it...


I helped my sister order this item from Amazon Marketplace seller "yongshunwuzi", so I know the details behind it. The seller currently has it listed for the price of $45.32 plus $4.88 for shipping, plus applicable sales tax ($4.33 in New York). It's listed as being a "Wonderwon" brand, but there are no company markings/tags on the blanket, so I have my doubts as to the existence of that "company". The blanket is clearly NOT officially-licensed (read: bootleg), but we knew that when we ordered it. As of this writing, there aren't any official Ghostbusters, much less Real Ghostbusters, full-size blankets. There was a Real Ghostbusters kid's comforter (a "winter blanket" as we'd call it in my family) back in the 1980s, but it hasn't been in production in over 30 years! The only official Ghostbusters blankets still in production, that I'm aware of, are four really gaudy 50"x60" fleece throw blankets which are entirely too small for an adult-sized bed.

We knew from the seller's name ("yongshunwuzi") that this blanket would ship from China. It took three weeks (from June 9th to June 25th) to go from Quanzhou, China to New York via SF Express. The blanket came in a vacuum-packed sealed clear plastic bag, sent inside a small polybag mailer. I was actually expecting a much larger package because I had no idea they would vacuum-pack it. I didn't think to take a photo of it before I opened it, so just look at the image below and imagine that the blanket is neatly folded inside that clear bag and vacuum-packed into one hard thing.


The image used on the blanket is a later season promo photo, which I also have on Spook Central's Real Ghostbusters Multimedia page. Even more specific, the image, complete with No Ghost logo behind it and title above it, came from this wallpaper image that's been floating around the Internet since 2007.


When taken out of the bag and unfolded, it looks like this (minus the folds from it being larger than the width of my bed). You'll also notice a slime trail under Slimer, which doesn't seem to be in the original image. That's a very nice touch.


I believe that the blanket is made of "micro fleece" material, but I could be wrong about that. I'm not a garment or textile expert, and it's not like the blanket came in official, detailed packaging to give me these details to pass on to you. The Amazon listing says that it's "flannel", but from my experience with garments that I know are flannel, this blanket is not that. It's a really soft and light material, made of little hairs, that feels silky smooth. It's also a bit shiny, as you can tell in my photos. Here's what the listing says about the material, but I can't guarantee that it actually applies to the item itself:

Premium Material: It is made from premium flannel fabric that won't fade, wrinkle. This Comfy and fluffy blanket will make you feel amazing on your skin and it never itch or irritate you. It's perfect for children and adult with sensitive skin. Try roll yourself up and you will feel cozy all day!

I have to admit, the quality is a LOT better than I was expecting from a bootleg item. That's not to say that it's perfect. I would imagine that the source image isn't extremely high-resolution. When coupled with printing on soft hair-like material, the image is a tad on the soft side. If this were an official product, I would expect for the artwork to be razor-sharp. Some finer details of the design were either lost in translation, or enlarging the image reveals that some details may not have been there in the first place. Case in point: Slimer's pupils.


Winston and Peter have pupils, though the No Ghost logo on Peter's shoulder does not.


Here's the lovely couple, Egon and Janine. Yeah, this isn't my favorite Janine, but there were no blankets featuring the first season model. At least she's present, and not joining Winston in their usual in absentia. I do wonder what's going on with her right eye and the eyeglasses on that side.


Ray is really happy, looking right up at Slimer floating above him. I'm not sure why he's so happy since slime would be dripping into his eyes. Different strokes for different folks, I guess.


Maybe Ray is happy because he's gonna trap Slimer.


The reverse side of the blanket is all white with black sewn edges. I would imagine that the company that is making these has a huge inventory of blank white blankets - in sizes 50"x40", 60"x50", and 80"x60" - and prints their various unlicensed designs onto them as needed.


You'll notice a bunch of wrinkles on the blanket in all of my photos. This is a result of being folded and vacuum-packed. I hope that they will go away after the blanket is washed for the first time. Below are the washing instructions that the Amazon listing states, which I assume applies to this specific blanket. I also hope that the colors don't run or fade when I wash it.

Wash: We suggest machine wash on gentle cycle with cold water, tumble dry at very low temperature that holds wonderfully.

All things considered, I'm quite happy with this Unofficial The Real Ghostbusters 80"x60" Lightweight Blanket. Would I have preferred an officially-licensed blanket with a razor-sharp design? Sure, but none exist. I don't know if Sony is to blame for not seeking out blanket manufacturers, or if the blanket manufacturers are to blame for not reaching out to Sony to get the license. Either way, looking at the HUGE amount of other unofficial Ghostbusters blankets on Amazon, there is clearly an untapped market that Sony is missing out on.

[UPDATE - 7/1/2021]
It does figure that the day after I write this review, an official Ghostbusters Afterlife Ecto-1 62"x90" Soft Plush Blanket becomes available for pre-order. It's a little bit bigger than the blanket I just reviewed (which is 60"x80", as a reminder), and with a price tag of only $29.60, it's much cheaper, too. Of course, it's based on Afterlife, and not Real Ghostbusters, so it's not entirely comparable. I much prefer the design on my blanket, but at least this new Afterlife blanket isn't gaudy like the ones on Ghostbusters.com. So, if you prefer the Afterlife Ecto-1 and the Mini Pufts to the Real Ghostbusters team, go place a pre-order on this new Afterlife blanket.