First Appearance: Opening Sequence
Appeared in: The vast majority of episodes
Function: Links the real world to the "Ghost Zone", creates human-ghost hybrids (when improperly used!)
Official Quote: "It releases ghosts into our world whether I want it to or not. And some day, I'll figure out how that works too." - Jack Fenton, Mystery Meat
Firefury the Gadget Expert says: "What sort of idiot puts the on/off switch inside the intradimensional wormhole generator, anyway?.... Oh wait, Jack IS an idiot, nevermind."

Additional Information

Ah, the definitive Fenton gadget, the Ghost Portal. The very reason for the show's existence, the Ghost Portal's role in the show is often understated and underappreciated. Just think- if not for this device, Danny would not have his powers, nor would there be any ghosts for him to fight! (Ignoring the fact that Vlad also has a portal, at least.) While the portal's function is deceptively simple- creating a link between the human world and the Ghost Zone, its role in the series is varied and its origins remain shrouded in mystery.

At a glance, it's fairly straightforward- a gateway to an alternate dimension, vaguely reminiscent of the Stargate from the movie of the same name. Clearly, ectoplasmic energies play a vital role in the device's function, given the blue or green swirling vortex it generates, and the fact that it gave Danny ghost powers. In The Million Dollar Ghost, it is revealed that the portal requires some sort of filter, a small cylindrical device similiar in appearance to a Brita water filter. The purpose of this filtrator is unknown beyond the fact that not changing it regularly will cause the portal to explode with nuclear force. The Gadget Expert speculates that the small filter is a modernized take on the bulky generator-looking device that Maddie calls a filtrator in Masters of All Time that was supposed to be used with the Proto-Portal that the Fentons designed back in college. The filter seems to be filled with ectoplasm, but it is unknown if it is simply filled with it normally (ecto-purifier, perhaps?), or if the goo was filtered from the portal. If the latter, this may be where the Fentons get the stuff that powers many of their weapons.

The Ghost Portal does not appear to simply punch a hole into the Ghost Zone, but rather it creates a tunnel between the two worlds. This is displayed most clearly in "13", when Johnny and Kitty try to pass the portal- after passing the gate, they appear to be inside a swirling green tunnel which Johnny exits from shortly thereafter. This tunnel is seen again in Memory Blank, when Danny and Sam try to recreate the accident that originally gave Danny ghost powers- Danny is seen standing in a green tunnel after being zapped, and staggers out of it in a daze.

Apparently the diameter of the Fenton Portal has no bearing on the size of the ghostly objects that can pass through it. The Ghost Dragon is clearly too large to plausibly fit through the aperature, but it still was able to come through. Youngblood's pirate ship clearly had to come out of the portal, since the ship is shown rising up from the ground- from where the Fentons' basement lab is. This doesn't match up with observations of Vlad's portal however, as a large ghost is shown nearly getting its head stuck in that one.

The Ghost Portal has had various alterations made to it: at times it has a striped black and yellow door blocking it, at times this door is absent. In "13", Jack shows off a fancy genetic lock device to operate the door. In What You Want, the portal has some kind of port built into a console for transferring the contents of a Fenton Thermos into the Ghost Zone. Only time will tell what else this device will end up responsible for. It's got an impressive track record though- it created Danny Phantom!

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