#Hi c ecto cooler full#
#Hi c ecto cooler series#

It’s such a simple tie in that fit so perfectly that it became a part of the fabric of so many kid’s lives for a full decade (from 1987 to 1997.) It was like drinking citrus-flavored ectoplasm, or as I used to think of it, the essence of Slimer. Even if it was just a rebranded Citrus Cooler, a who generation of kids thought it was new and amazing.

#Hi c ecto cooler series#

Though the actual drink was not new, it was one of the coolest and longest lived of all the Ghostbusters merchandising tie-ins that not only outlasted the cartoon series it was shilling, it far exceeded the company’s expectations fandom-wise. In 1986-87, as part of a deal to work a Real Ghostbusters cartoon promotion into the Hi-C drink line the Citrus Cooler was rebranded to Ecto Cooler and featured everyone’s favorite ugly spud Slimer on the packaging. That’s right, kids and families have been chugging that sweet green tangerine drink since the 60s. The concoction tasted pretty close, but it was way off in consistency and because it used orange and tangerine juices as a base it was way too opaque.Īnd backing up again for a second, why is Ecto Cooler so beloved anyway? Where did this drink originate? Well, it might be a bit of a surprise to some but Ecto Cooler as we know and love it is actually a rebranded version of one of Hi-C’s earliest flavor varieties from 1965, Citrus Cooler Drink (which was the same green, tangerine-flavored 10% juice drink…) It consisted of 1.5 cups of sugar, 1 packet of orange Kool-Aid mix, 1/2 packet of Lemonade Kool-Aid mix, 3/4 cup orange juice (with no pulp), 3/4 cup of tangerine juice, 14 cups of water, and 4-5 drops green food coloring. I’m not sure who originated it, but I scoped it at my bud’s site, Strange Kids Club, and tried it myself for a special Halloween treat. About five or six years ago an Ecto Cooler recipe started floating around the internet. …or trying our best to recreate the recipe. Whether it’s finding the closest possible substitutions (did you know that El Sabroso brand Salsitas chips make a pretty damn good stand in for Keebler Pizzarias?)… That being said, when left to our own devices we will try pretty damn hard to recreate those products. And on the scale of things that one needs to survive in this world, re-experieincing the flavor sensations of old junk food is pretty low.

Hey, no one ever promised us we’d have Keebler Pizzarias, Quackers, Fruit Corner branded fruit snacks, Bonkers candy, or yes, Hi-C Ecto Cooler forever. So where does that leave a generation of kids who grew up loving certain tastes and textures? It leaves us mostly unfulfilled. Sure, there are actually plenty of old, full boxes of cereal, cans of pasta and cases of soda readily available for purchase, but it is all beyond safely consuming ( not that some amazingly brave souls aren’t trying.) But defunct food and drink products become extinct by design. The prints and master tapes of long lost television shows and movies are typically stored in studio vaults and can be re-released at will (well, as long as it’s profitable.) Old books and magazines are all floating around in dusty second hand and comic shops (or in the middle of a precariously stacked section of trash in a horder’s bedroom.) Any pretty much every toy, video game or or plush doll is available on eBay, Etsy, or digitized as a rom for your downloading pleasure. I mean, so many other things can easily be revisited. One of the most bittersweet nostalgic experiences is the yearning for food and drink products that are long gone from this Earth.

But that didn't work in their favor either, and the Ecto flavor was completely discontinued in 2007.But before I get to that, let me back up a second. The name didn't really catch on with fans of the original, and it was once again renamed in 2006 as Crazy Citrus Cooler.

And in place of Slimer, consumers were confronted with a similar-looking blob of lips. While the Ecto Cooler name disappeared from the juice box, the flavor actually stuck around, and was rebranded Shoutin' Orange Tangergreen. But Coca-Cola continuing manufacturing the flavor all the way up until 2001. Even though the show was canceled in 1991, the Ecto Cooler juice boxes continued to appear on store shelves throughout the rest of that decade. The original Ecto Cooler juice box featured an image of the iconic ghost Slimer, who was a villain in the first two movies, but became a mascot for the crew in The Real Ghost Busters animated series. And it's the first real indication that there will be a strong marketing and merchandise push for the movie. Most believe that this is a very strong indication that we won't just be getting an all-girl team of haint-hunting spook chasers in July. reports that Coca-Cola, owners of the Hi-C juice brand, have just filed to renew their Ecto Cooler trademark.