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Times Square is a location in New York City's Manhattan borough. It serves as a major intersection, but is famous as a hub for the Broadway theater district and entertainment in general.

Canonicity[]

Times Square in the Primary Canon is developed from Ghostbusters (1984) and Ghostbusters II. In Ghostbusters: The Video Game (Realistic Versions), a Secondary Canon, Ghostbusters (1984) and Ghostbusters II pre-date the game, Ghostbusters: Afterlife conflicts with the game. Times Square (prime) appears in the IDW Comic Series, a Secondary Canon, which follows Ghostbusters (1984) and Ghostbusters II, also includes some elements from Ghostbusters: The Video Game (Realistic Versions) and Ghostbusters: The Video Game (Stylized Versions); as well as being canon to Tobin's Spirit Guide (Insight Editions). Ghostbusters: Legion, deemed a Tertiary Canon, follows Ghostbusters (1984). Ghostbusters: Times Scare, deemed a Tertiary Canon, is a stand-alone IDW Comics story.

History[]

Primary Canon History[]

Ghostbusters (1984)[]

In 1984, after the Containment Unit was shut down, the possessed Louis Tully wandered near the Embassy Theater and WienerWald Austrian Restaurant. He paused near the George M. Cohan Statue at the same time the released ghosts flew past Dana Barrett's balcony at 550 Central Park West and caused an explosion.

Ghostbusters II[]

On New Years Eve, 1989, a Theatre Ghost scared and chased people out of Movieland Theater.

Secondary Canon[]

Ghostbusters: The Video Game, Realistic Versions[]

During his second coming, during Thanksgiving, 1991, Gozer manifested and marched to Times Square, again in the form of Stay Puft Marshmallow Man. When the Ghostbusters defeated him, he exploded and his remains splattered all over the street below outside the Paramount Building and Gamble Architecture.

IDW Ongoing Series[]

In the late 1970s, the ghost of Pappy Sargassi manifested at several branches of his Sargassi's seafood restaurant, including the Times Square outlets before settling at the Sedgewick Hotel. [1] Before the events of the "Displaced Aggression" incident, Rachel Unglighter was present in Times Square at 6 pm for unspecified reasons. [2] A few years later, the Ghostbusters confronted the Gozerian Terror Bear in Times Square after it caused severe property damage near the Weaver Theater. It was easily defeated with a few Boson Darts but as Ray Stantz retrieved his Megatrap from Ecto-1a, he was kidnapped by Idulnas.

The New Ghostbusters were called to "something hinky" in Midtown Manhattan. They trapped something in the Duffy Square section in the northern triangle of Times Square. At 6 pm, the Grendel manifested and chased after Janine Melnitz. Just after she trapped it, the Ghostbusters appeared after accidentally blowing up one of the Draugar. On New Year's Eve, Rodefhiri stood on the roof of the Times Tower and fed on children down below in Times Square by draining their ambient mental energy and adding it to his own Psychkinetic reserves. The Ghostbusters intervened and trapped him at midnight.

As the 101 Cadets neutralized Manhattan's Ley Lines with positively charged Psychomagnotheric Slime, a two-block perimeter was set up in Times Square and the two teams of Ghostbusters positioned themselves on two building rooftops parallel to each other in the likelihood they had be in pack range to wrangle the Bronx Spook from the dimensional breach. Abby Yates and Jillian Holtzmann drove the Ultimate Mobile Trap to Duffy Square and took their position. Abby activated the trap and it soon pulled the ghost through a breach from between dimensions but it resisted. They opened fire and finished pulling it through the breach. It took a swipe at the rooftop teams but was fully captured. However, the breach remained. In order to seal it and catalyze the separation of their dimensions, they crossed the streams on the breach and came nearly close to a full protonic reversal.

Tertiary Canon History[]

Ghostbusters: Times Scare![]

A Tommy-gun Ghost manifested in a toy store in Times Square and emitted bursts of ectoplasm in the form of bullets. The Ghostbusters were called in and deal with the ghost. After exchanging fire, the bust moved outside where the ghost took a reporter hostage. Peter trapped the ghost and saved the reporter, but she was drenched in slime.

Ghostbusters: Legion[]

In 2004, the Ghost Legion attacked several parts of New York City, including Times Square.

Trivia[]

Ghostbusters (1984) Trivia[]

  • During principal photography for the first movie, there were plans to have the Ghostbuster news flash displayed in Times Square but it was cancelled due to rain. The film crew never had to time to go back and film the shot because of the tight production schedule.[3]
  • In the first movie, when Louis pauses in Duffy Square, the George M. Cohan statue can be seen in the mid-ground to the left of Louis and the TKTS booth is in the background.
  • The Times Square scene filmed for the "Ghostbusters" music video was shot in the last week of May 1984.[4]

Ghostbusters: The Video Game Trivia[]

IDW Comics Trivia[]

  • On the Regular Cover of Ghostbusters 101 #3, Times Square is marked on the map.
  • On page 11 of Ghostbusters 101 #6:
    • The Coming Soon advertisement references William T. Deutschendorf and Henry J. Deutschendorf II, who portrayed Oscar in Ghostbusters II and went into a career in martial arts.
    • In panel 2, the sign references Granny's Yum Yum Candy from The Real Ghostbusters episode "Egon's Ghost".
    • In panel 4, Abby and Holtzmann stop at Duffy Square. It was previously seen in Volume 2 Issue #3.
    • In panel 4, on the signs on the left:
    • In panel 4, on the signs in the center:
    • In panel 4, on the signs on the right:
      • In the upper right corner is the Pequod's logo.
      • Under Pequod's is the Movieland Theater, seen in the second montage of Ghostbusters II
      • Below the Movieland is the "White Fish to Eat, Buy 1 Get 1 Free" from the 2016 movie, prominently seen on the left side of the screen when Slimer returns to Times Square a second time.
      • Below the White Fish sign is the Kob's Bar sign from the 2016 movie, prominently seen on the right side of the screen when Slimer returns to Times Square a second time.
      • The yellow sign with kanji characters below the Movieland sign are the "Eat In Take Out" sign above the garage of Zhu's Authentic Hong Kong Food from the 2016 movie.
      • Left of the White Fish sign is the Lofts Candies sign from the 2016 movie, by the Woolworth's sign and visible when the Ghostbusters shoot the poles down.
      • Under the red V is the Warm sign that lit up in neon blue and red from the 2016 movie that was right of the Howard sign, under the Haig sign, and right of the Fists of Fury marquee.
      • Left of the red V is the hotel sign with "Hotel" in yellow light and "Vacancy" in green from the 2016 movie, prominently seen on the right side of the screen when Slimer returns to Times Square a second time.
  • On page 13 of Ghostbusters 101 #6, in panel 6, on the left, the GI sign references Grossjuck Industries from The Real Ghostbusters episode "Robo-Buster".
  • On page 14 of Ghostbusters 101 #6:
    • In panel 5 is Zhu's Authentic Hong Kong Food from the 2016 movie.
    • In panel 5, on the right is Ninja Dry Cleaners from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 1987 animated series "Turtle Tracks".
    • In panel 5, under the Ninja Dry Cleaners sign is another Sony sign.
    • In panel 5, the blue sign above Abby's elbow is Molta from the Extreme Ghostbusters episode "Darkness at Noon, Part 1".
    • In panel 5, on the far right, Bright Wave High Tech Industries is from the Extreme Ghostbusters episode "Heart of Darkness".
    • In panel 5, below Bright Wave is Hasty Pastry Bakery from the Real Ghostbusters episode "The Joke's on Ray".
    • In panel 5, below Hasty Pastry is IDW Publishing.
  • On page 20 of Ghostbusters Year One Issue #4, Peter mentions Times Square and alludes to its infamous history as Slime Square, the epicenter of pornography and prostitution, until it was cleaned up in the mid-1990s by Mayor Rudy Giuliani.

Insight Editions Trivia[]

Appearances[]

Primary Canon Appearances[]

Secondary Canon[]

Tertiary Canon Appearances[]

See Also[]

References[]

  1. Narrator (2016). Insight Editions- "Tobin's Spirit Guide" (2016) (Book p.9). Paragraph reads: "Sargassi's ghost began to manifest at different branches of Sargassi's restaurants in the late 1970s, including the Brooklyn, Staten Island, and Times Square outlets, before finding a permanent home in the dining room of the branch located in the Sedgewick Hotel lobby."
  2. Entity Datasheet (2012).IDW Comics- "Issue #6" (2012) (Comic p.21).
  3. Shay, Don (November 1985). Making Ghostbusters, p. 93 annotation. New York Zoetrope, New York NY USA, ISBN 0918432685. Paragraph reads: "Arrangements had been made with the familiar Times Square landmark to display the Ghostbusters news flash, but the shot had to be cancelled on the day of shooting due to rain. With their critically tight production schedule, particularly during the New York location shoot, the film crew was unable to return for the shot."
  4. Greene, James, Jr., (2022). A Convenient Parallel Dimension: How Ghostbusters Slimed Us Forever, p. 53. Lyons Press, Essex, CT USA, ISBN 9781493048243. Line reads: "The Times Square dance was filmed in the last week of May, three weeks before the movie's release."
  5. Ghostheads United Des O'Gorman post 3/14/18
  6. Peter Venkman (2020). IDW Comics- "Ghostbusters Year One Issue #4" (2020) (Comic p.20). Peter Venkman says: "Why do you both look like a Times Square theater?"
  7. Narrator (2016). Insight Editions- "Tobin's Spirit Guide" (2016) (Book p.49). Paragraph reads: "With so many revelers gathered in Times Square, Rodefhiri became so powerful that we needed to use more than one trap to capture him."


Gallery[]

Primary Canon Images[]

Secondary Canon Images[]

Secondary Canon (Expanded Universe) Images[]

Tertiary Canon Images[]

Behind the Scenes Images[]

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