Hasbro Ghostbusters P.K.E. Shocker Children's Roleplay Toy Review

One of Hasbro's latest Ghostbusters offerings is the P.K.E. Shocker roleplay toy, which they sent me as part of the Ghostbusters Training Kit. Read on to find out more about it...

The official description for this product is:

GHOSTBUSTERS P.K.E. SHOCKER
(Ages 5 and Up / Approx. Retail Price: $14.99)
Inspired by the new GHOSTBUSTERS: Afterlife movie, this GHOSTBUSTERS P.K.E. SHOCKER roleplay item from Hasbro is an essential part of the Ghostbuster arsenal! Featuring movie-inspired deco, light, and electronic sound effects, kids can press a button to activate features to find ghosts.

Okay, I know what you're thinking. That's a "P.K.E. Meter", not a "P.K.E. Shocker". Although I'm not one of the lucky few who has been afforded the luxury of seeing Ghostbusters: Afterlife early, it would seem that in the movie, the P.K.E. Meter has been given a new stun gun ability. So, Hasbro made a new kid's version of the Meter with that ability.

Measuring 9.5" long with the arms down, 11.5" tall with arms up, the Shocker features the now-standard cool blue casing, although with a black face surrounding the display. When I first saw this at Hasbro's Toy Fair event in February 2020, I thought that it looked stupid with the two-tone casing. I still do. Why not make it ALL blue? MrMichaelT and I think Hasbro may make an all-black movie replica version for the Plasma Series line at some point in the future.


Anyway, this "kid's version" is still really cool. It looks like the movie P.K.E. Meter and not the cartoonish one we got in the Kenner line. On the back is a grey clip, which lets you clip it onto a belt loop. At the bottom on the back is a small hook, which lets you hang it from the Hasbro Proton Pack.


The switch on the handle controls the arms, and the lights and sounds. (Requires two AAA batteries, which are not included.) When the switch is in the lowest position, the arms are down. The middle position makes the arms extend outward, which is "Meter" mode. In the highest position, "Shocker" mode, the arms go straight upwards.


No matter which mode you select, the display screen will light up. If you literally shake the device, the beeping will intensify and you'll even hear some ghostly sounds. When in "Shocker" mode, you can shake the device to "shock" the ghost.


If you want to become the Shockmaster - no, not that one - the P.K.E. Shocker carries a MSRP of $14.99 and is available from a wide variety of retailers. The links provided here are for Amazon, from which Spook Central will earn a small commission.

Images scanned and/or photographed by me or provided by Hasbro. This item has been provided by Hasbro for review on this site. For addition information, check out the Ghostbusters News review.