Mint Musings: Something Strange in the Neighborhood – It’s not often that I talk about non-sports cards, but I do enjoy seeing the pop culture releases Cryptozoic comes out with each year. One in particular that caught my eye was their Ghostbusters product, which hit hobby shops earlier this year.
Featuring an impressive autograph checklist, Cryptozoic also included some other nice features in the product. To find out more, I had the chance to catch up with Cryptozoic’s Manager of Marketing Dekan Wheeler. The following interview was conducted via email.
KS: So I have to ask off the bat, why did Cryptozoic make the decision to release a Ghostbusters trading card product?
DW: Bustin’ makes us feel good. Many of us are die-hard fans and we believed that this pop culture phenomenon deserved to be commemorated with trading cards.
KS: The base cards feature still shots from the movies. How did you go about securing the rights to produce these cards?
DW: We were happy to work with all of the assets that the studio provided. Images from the original film 
were limited, but that gave us the opportunity to focus on other Ghostbusters media. For example, I’ve been personally acquainted with artist Dan Schoening for years, before he began contributing to the IDW Comics’ Ghostbusters issues. It was gratifying to be able to work with him professionally. (Dan drew the “Tricks and Traps” chase set and a couple dozen sketch cards.)
KS: Expanding off that, you have a pretty impressive autograph list for the product, including some of the Ghostbusters themselves. How did you determine who to put in it?
DW: We were confident that loyal fans would appreciate autographs from almost everyone, even the brownstone boy. Frankly, the final roster was determined–as is so often the case–by whose schedule worked with our production schedule, and by our budget.
KS: You went pretty extensive in putting the subjects together, including even getting Larry King to sign. How much of a challenge was it to compile the autograph checklist?
DW: The list of notable talent was long but easy to compile. If we’re ever unsure about our plans, we know that collectors are eager to volunteer their input. Being receptive to their input is really important. Of course, meeting–and exceeding–collector expectations is our primary challenge.
KS: Who was the trickiest person to land for autographs?
DW: I think many people believe negotiating compensation is the trickiest aspect of autograph acquisition. It’s not. It’s often a straightforward exchange and it’s quick to determine if it’s in the budget or not. I think timing is the trickiest aspect. Because we don’t use sticker autos or redemptions, we need to have autograph card frames approved and printed early enough for talent to sign when they’re available. We started working on our Ghostbusters set in 2015. When we learned about the new Ghostbusters film releasing this summer, we decided to postpone the trading cards release date by about six months. This relaxed production schedule made it much easier to work with talent schedules, so none of the autographs for this set were particularly tricky to land.
KS: Was there anyone you were hoping to get that you unfortunately weren’t able to include?
DW: Yes.
KS: Besides the autographs, you also included a variety a manufactured relic cards, including Slime cards. 
Just what in the heck did you use to make that slime?
DW: While we are die-hard Ghostbusters fans, we know there are more casual fans who are only familiar with the original film. We inserted Totally Fabricated TM cards to introduce these fans to elements from the Ghostbusters cartoon and IDW comics. Slime collection was easy. It only required some of the following: a medium, a burial ground, rubber gloves, beakers, Elmer’s glue, food color, agitation, and patience.
KS: The cards have been out on the market now for a bit. What kind of fan reception have you seen for them?
DW: We’ve been very pleased with all of the positive box break videos, forum posts, and personal messages we’ve seen and received. We were confident that Ghostbusters fans would enjoy this set, but it’s especially rewarding to learn that sports card collectors and people new to the hobby are seeking out this product and enjoying it, too.
KS: Looking ahead a little bit, the new Ghostbusters film has been generating a lot of buzz. Do you have any plans on doing a follow-up set or a card product related around the new movie?
DW: Currently, we do not have any plans to produce another Ghostbusters trading cards set.
Kelsey’s ability to bring hobby coverage to the mainstream sports fan as the producer of ESPN’s Mint Condition has been a true asset. GTS is happy to feature his thoughts on the hobby in Mint Musings. The opinions expressed are his and do not necessarily reflect those of GTS Distribution.
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