Ghostbusters’ Mini Pufts have been compared to the Minions, Gremlins, Rabbids, and other adorable mischief-makers. Those comparisons aren’t too far off. The tiny versions of the iconic Stay Puft Marshmallow Man from the original film wreak a lot of havoc and provide some entertaining moments throughout Ghostbusters: Afterlife and Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire.
These Mini Pufts came about in Ghostbusters: Afterlife when Gozer was set to return. Since Ray Stantz chose the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man as the form of the Destructor, it would still take on that form when Gozer came back. One gigantic Destructor failed in the 1984 movie when it was defeated in a handful of minutes, so Gozer’s new strategy was to use seemingly-infinite little ones.
That explains their existence in Afterlife, but what about Frozen Empire? Gozer was defeated for good, so why would the Mini Pufts still be running around causing trouble? Podcast mentions that they hitched a ride from Summerville to New York City, but there’s no real explanation as to why they’re still in our world despite Gozer being taken down. Obviously, the true answer is marketing and toy sales, but what would the in-canon explanation be?
There are a few possibilities as to why these gooey creatures seemed unfazed by Gozer’s defeat. One is that there could be residual psychic energy from Gozer’s recent presence, just enough to keep them hanging out among the humans.
Another could just be that they haven’t actually been blasted themselves. Perhaps the Destructor’s existence isn’t necessarily tied to Gozer’s. Gozer is able to summon it, but there isn’t much beyond that. In the original movie, the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man is burnt up in the explosion caused by crossing the streams from the Ghostbusters’ proton packs. If these Mini Pufts hadn’t been destroyed like the original giant one, they’d still be alive and wreaking havoc. They just need to be destroyed, which hasn’t happened to all of them yet.
The real reason could also not be known, and that’s why they’re being studied in the Paranormal Research Center. None of the Ghostbusters or anyone they work with fully understand how the Mini Pufts operate, so they’re studying them alongside other ghosts to find out.
Regardless of the in-universe reason, which fans will hopefully get a confirmation of soon, it seems as though the Mini Pufts will continue to play somewhat of a role going forward, assuming the post-credits scene of Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire means anything for the future of the franchise.
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