Joseph Ricciardelli, a member of the Atlanta Ghostbusters, remembers the first time a custom proton pack really made an impression. He and a few members of his crew, dressed in full-body flight suits, got onto an elevator. A 40-pound proton pack bulged from his friend Michael’s back, replete with electronics, gadgets, lights and a built-in subwoofer. Two families stood awkwardly inside, peering at the grown men in costumes. Ricciardelli had an idea to push things one step further.
“It suddenly occurs to me that we’ve never actually had a completely successful test of this equipment,” he said, quoting Dan Aykroyd’s character Dr. Raymond Stantz from the 1984 film and looking mischievously at Michael who picked up his cue immediately.
“I blame myself,” said Michael, also quoting the film. “Switch me on!”
Joseph pressed a button on Michael’s proton back and it roared. Sounds reverberated through the small, enclosed space.
“It shook the elevator,” Ricciardelli remembered laughing. “One of the families moved up against the wall away from us, and the other family — the dad was grinning like a maniac. He’s like ‘This is the greatest thing I’ve ever experienced in my life.’”
Ricciardelli was hooked.
“That was so much fun,” he said exiting the elevator. “We’ve got to do this more.”
Credit: Jenni Girtman
Credit: Jenni Girtman
Ricciardelli did do more. A lot more. As one of the founding members of the Atlanta Ghostbusters in 2015, he has dressed up to attend roughly 100 events with the hobby group. This year alone, the Atlanta Ghostbusters scheduled a dozen events, including the Little 5 Points Halloween Parade, Boo at the Zoo, DragonCon and soon, “Ghostbusters in Concert.” On Nov. 1 and 2, the Atlanta Ghostbusters will gather in full gear by a giant Stay-Puft marshmallow man in the foyer of the Atlanta Symphony Hall to greet concertgoers before the show. The movie-in-concert will showcase the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra playing Elmer Bernstein’s Grammy-nominated “Ghostbusters” musical score and Ray Parker Jr.’s chart-topping theme song as Ivan Reitman’s cult-classic 1984 film plays above.
While the Atlanta Ghostbusters attend mostly local events, the network of Ghostbusters groups reaches far beyond Georgia. The network is so large, in fact, Ricciardelli has been collaborating with Ghostbusters from California, Chicago, Indianapolis and New York on a worldwide directory of groups. While the groups have mainly connected online since the ’90s and largely been stamped for approval by Ghost Corps Inc., recent social media blocks from copyright issues have interrupted organizing efforts. The directory — at whoyagonnacall.org — allows both fans to find groups to join and the general public to find groups willing to attend events in costume and, if the group has one like Atlanta does, bring an Ectomobile (the Ghostbusters car).
Credit: Jenni Girtman for the AJC
Credit: Jenni Girtman for the AJC
“Ghostbusters (hobby groups) is larger than people might think it is,” said Ricciardelli.
Some of the Atlanta Ghostbusters have linked up with groups in the U.K., Ireland, Italy, Germany and France. One member danced the film’s final number with an international group of Ghostbusters at a park in Paris. Others met for an annual convention in New York City.
“The group in Germany are hard core prop makers,” said Dustin Grau, one of the Atlanta Ghostbusters. “They have very dedicated makers. I think one of them works in the film industry over there.”
The German group is known, in particular, because it created a shared library of high-quality sounds isolated from the “Ghostbusters” movies so that hobby prop builders like Grau can add audio effects to their customized proton packs.
The DIY aspect of making props is one of the things that first drew Grau to become an Atlanta Ghostbuster.
“I’m a former theater kid. … I love doing the electronics. I love 3D printing. I love making things,” he said while showing off his basement collection of “Ghostbusters” gear. “I started with a flight suit. I started with one, and I’ve now got an assortment. … It just becomes an all-consuming hobby. … I went from no proton packs, to two proton packs, one based on the movie and one completely different.”
In the past, hobbyists made proton packs from scratch using fiberglass shells and expensive electronics. But a few years ago, Hasbro introduced the market to a proton pack starter kit via a Kickstarter campaign. Fans could buy the base for a proton pack with a wand for roughly $600, then modify it to their heart’s content.
“It sort of lowered that barrier to entry. Every single one of these people decorate them differently. See, mine’s got the yellow bumpers on it,” he said showing The Atlanta Journal-Constitution his pack. “This is from the newer movie. … I’ve completely gutted all the electronics. It’s got some beefy speakers in it. When it came shipped from the factory, it had only this tiny little factory speaker.”
Building the gear has taught 19-year-old TJ Scheitler new skills like soldering, he said.
Beyond the creative tinkering involved in being an Atlanta Ghostbusters, members said the community has given them a place to belong.
When Marcus Jones, who has been in Ghostbuster groups for 15 years in Texas, Colorado and New York, first moved to Atlanta with his wife, Chelsea Ritter Jones, they said they found a built-in family with the Ghostbusters. The couple (who shared how they fell in love when he was wearing a Ghostbusters costume and she was wearing a Batman and Ramen noodles costume) have even made their 8-month-old son, Logan, a member of the Atlanta Ghostbusters group. Logan has a lime green Slimer outfit.
Credit: Jenni Girtman
Credit: Jenni Girtman
“I actually think it’s the community more than the movie for me,” said Ritter Jones.
Scheitler agreed.
“This entire community has been kind of life-changing for me personally,” Scheitler said. “I was always quiet in school, so I had a really hard time making friends. The best friends that I’ve made in my entire life have been through this community.”
Plus, “if you’re going to dress up with a costume like a weirdo, it’s better to do it as a group,” Ricciardelli added. “One Ghostbuster getting onto a MARTA can get some weird looks, but if you get two or three, then it’s all smiles.”
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