
Ghostbusters
Slimer
Slimer appears for well under a minute in the 1984 film, has no name in it, and was referred to on set as the onion-headed ghost. He became the franchise's mascot entirely through the animated series that followed, which recast him as a friendly resident of the firehouse — a transformation from gross-out gag to children's character that happened within two years and was driven purely by merchandising logic.
- First appearance
- Ghostbusters (1984), Columbia Pictures
- Created by
- Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, Steve Johnson
- Also known as
- The Onionhead Ghost, Green Ghost
- Universe
- Ghostbusters
- Appears in
- film, animation, games, comics
Who is Slimer?
Slimer appears for well under a minute in the 1984 film, has no name in it, and was referred to on set as the onion-headed ghost. He became the franchise's mascot entirely through the animated series that followed, which recast him as a friendly resident of the firehouse — a transformation from gross-out gag to children's character that happened within two years and was driven purely by merchandising logic. The design was built by effects artist Steve Johnson under famously difficult circumstances, and Harold Ramis reportedly described the character as the ghost of John Belushi, who had been intended for a role in the film before his death. The bright green blob with a wide mouth is now more commercially recognisable than most of the human characters.
Slimer: the details
- First appearance
- Ghostbusters, June 1984
- Designed by
- Effects artist Steve Johnson, working from concepts developed with the filmmakers
- Unnamed in the film
- Referred to on set as the onion-headed ghost; the Slimer name came from the animated series
- Very little screen time
- Appears for well under a minute in the original film
- Became the mascot
- The Real Ghostbusters animated series recast him as a friendly regular, driven largely by merchandising
- A tribute
- Harold Ramis reportedly described him as the ghost of John Belushi, who had been intended for the film before his death
- The other logo
- The no-ghost sign designed by Michael Gross is the franchise's most reproduced graphic
Why Slimer endures
A minor visual gag converted into a franchise mascot within two years by the demands of children's merchandising — one of the clearest examples of licensing reshaping a character's role after the fact.
What Slimer looks like on a shirt
Signature motif: A bright green translucent blob with stubby arms and a wide open mouth
An extremely simple, high-saturation shape that reproduces well at any size and glows convincingly under glow-in-the-dark inks — one of the few designs in this category genuinely improved by that treatment.
Bright, simple and high-contrast; one of the few designs genuinely improved by glow-in-the-dark printing. The no-ghost logo is the stronger seller overall and works as a pure two-colour graphic. Strong on black.
Slimer T-shirts
See all on Amazon →







Buying from outside the United States? Prices shown are amazon.com in US dollars. Links redirect international readers to their local Amazon, where pricing, sizing and availability are shown in local terms.
Price and availability are taken from Amazon at the time shown and can change. The price on Amazon at the time of purchase applies.
Sizes: kids to adult
Slimer shirts are produced across the full US size range. These links run a live Amazon search filtered to each band, so they show what is genuinely in stock rather than a cached list.
| Band | Ages | US sizes | Search |
|---|---|---|---|
| Toddler | 2–4 years | 2T, 3T, 4T | Search toddler sizes |
| Kids | 4–7 years | XS (4/5), S (6/7) | Search kids sizes |
| Youth | 8–14 years | M (8), L (10/12), XL (14/16) | Search youth sizes |
| Adult | 15+ | S–3XL | Search adult sizes |
US sizing shown. Cut and measurement vary between brands — see the size guide before ordering, especially for youth sizes. Base search: Ghostbusters t-shirt.
Who has played Slimer
| Performer | Production | Year | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ivan Reitman | Ghostbusters | 1984 | Voice |
| Frank Welker | The Real Ghostbusters | 1986 | Voice |
Slimer T-shirts: common questions
Who created Slimer?
Slimer was created by Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis and Steve Johnson, first appearing in Ghostbusters in 1984 (Columbia Pictures).
What does a Slimer T-shirt usually look like?
A bright green translucent blob with stubby arms and a wide open mouth. Bright, simple and high-contrast; one of the few designs genuinely improved by glow-in-the-dark printing. The no-ghost logo is the stronger seller overall and works as a pure two-colour graphic. Strong on black.
Are Slimer T-shirts made for children?
Yes — Slimer appears on our kids pages, and shirts are commonly made from US toddler 2T up through youth XL.
Who has played Slimer?
Slimer has been voiced by Ivan Reitman (Ghostbusters, 1984), Frank Welker (The Real Ghostbusters, 1986).
How much does a Slimer T-shirt cost?
Slimer shirts we currently track start from around $14.98 on amazon.com. Every price on this page is dated, because they move.
This profile was compiled from published reference material about Slimer — first appearance, creator credits and production history — and is a secondary source rather than a substitute for the original publication. Where a detail could not be corroborated it has been left out. We do not physically test garments; see how we work for what that means and what it does not.
CharacterTshirts.com is an independent guide. It is not affiliated with, authorized by, endorsed by, or connected to any character rights holder, publisher, studio or network named on this site. All character names and titles are trademarks of their respective owners and are used here only to identify the products described.