CandyRific's Ghostbusters Ecto-1 Light & Sound Wand Review

A few years ago, CandyRific released the "Ghostbusters Ecto-1 Light & Sound Wand (with Candy Inside)". I found it yesterday (September 23, 2022) in a local Lidl supermarket. I bought one, but I wasn't intending on reviewing it here on Spook Central. However, I took a bunch of photos and a video of it, so I might as well use them to do a review. Read on to find out more...


The 7" tall hexagonal wand has a 3" long Ecto-1 sitting on top of it.


There's a large white button on the wand that, when pressed, plays one of three consecutive 17-second samples of Ray Parker Jr.'s hit song while the lights on top of the car flash.


The light and sound feature is controlled by three replaceable 1.5 volt(d.c.) button cell batteries (Duracell D303/357, Eveready A76, Maxell LR44 or equivalent type).


Thankfully, the battery can be easily removed through an opening on the back of the wand which can be opened with a screwdriver.


There is candy inside that can be removed though the hatch on the bottom of the wand.


The candy is some generic bits in a CandyRific "Cool Candy" bag, and is not Ghostbusters-themed. The official CandyRific site describes it as "assorted fruit flavored dextrose candy".


The Ecto-1 sits on a black base around which are the four Ghostbusters nametags: Venkman, Spengler, Zeddemore, and Stantz. On the front of the base is the Ecto-1 logo, and on the back is a ghost trap from which a green mist is emanating. The paint job on the Ecto-1 is okay given the size and type of item it is, but don't expect a 100% perfect paint job.


The store I bought this from had several dozen in stock, so that gave me a chance to judge the quality of several pieces at once. The application of logo stickers on the three doors varies from item to item.


I did my best to find one where all three stickers were applied straight. The band around the base is also a sticker that isn't perfectly aligned on some items.


The roof rack on top has some of the gadgets you'd expect to find up there, but don't expect to see everything. The item is too small and on the cheap end of things to get that level of detail. I think it looks good for what it is.


I'm at a bit of a loss as to when this came out. Ghostbusters News broke the news on March 29, 2020, and gave an in-hand look at it on October 12, 2020, but the item I bought bears a 2021 copyright date. Perhaps CandyRific made two manufacturing runs; one in 2020 and one in 2021.

Interestingly, CandyRific's site has a stock photo that shows a different band around the base and different button area. While the final product has the nametags around the base and an Ecto-1 license plate below the button, this stock photo shows a neon-light Muncher and something else around the base, and the plain red text "Who You Gonna Call?" under the button. I wonder if this prototype ever went into production.


The wand retails for $5.99 each, and that's the price I paid for it. They are packed in 12-count retail display trays, so it'll cost you $72 for a full tray, though you only need one or two. Remember, they are all the same and the sticker application isn't the greatest on some of them. If you want to buy it for the original retail price, and not the grossly over-inflated eBay scalper prices, you can use Lidl's site to buy the item or to check local store availability. The main Amazon site doesn't have it, but it does show up on the Amazon Singapore site.

• SPOOK CENTRAL VIP BONUS FEATURE - The original 1920x1020 (199MB) video of the wand in action.