Hi-C Ecto Cooler makes a big comeback
Chew on This: Do you remember the tangy green 'Ghostbusters' drink?
Got a paranormal problem you just can’t fix?
After more than 20 years away from the silver screen, the Ghostbusters are back on Friday to fight ghouls and spirits in the mean streets of New York.
Food companies are getting in on the action with some funky foods and one big re-release of a 1990s classic drink.
Remember those days sitting at the lunch table, sipping on Hi-C’s sugary, citrusy green Ecto-Cooler? You’re not seeing a ghost. The classic drink really is back.
The Coca-Cola Company brought the drink out of retirement after legions of fans demanded a reboot.
But does the new juice live up to the classic lunchbox standby?
“It reminds me of the 'Ghostbusters' back in the day,” said one Chew on This taster who drank it in the 1990s. “I like it a lot… Definitely brings back memories.”
A lot of people on the street had never heard of Ecto-Cooler—we were shocked, too—but a lot of young tasters said they could get behind the new juice box.
“I like the sugary taste of the drink. I like the tangerine in it,” said one kid.
Another friend agreed, “I like the citrus flavor, the orange flavor.”
But some of the tasters were shocked by the drink’s green color.
“That’s gross,” said one taster, “I don’t want it anymore.” But he did laugh as he poured the green drink on to his hand to confirm the neon hue.
Some didn’t mind the color at all.
“I think it’s weird. But it tastes good, so it’s worth it,” said another taster.
Hi-C released the original Ecto-Cooler in 1989, featuring a picture of Slimer from “The Real Ghostbusters” cartoon series. Originally called “Citrus Cooler” in the 1960s, the name “Ecto-Cooler” was the coined after “Ghostbusters II” became a big hit and everyone wanted a taste of some real life ectoplasm.
When the Hi-C juice box was discontinued in 2001, websites and social media fan groups dedicated to 1980s and 1990s nostalgia begged Coke to bring it back. Ahead of the all-female “Ghostbusters” reboot, the soda giant finally decided to oblige fans longing for a taste of the sweet stuff.
Looking for more ghoulishly green “Ghostbuster” foods? Hostess issued a Twinkie revamp they’re calling the Key Lime Slime Twinkie. It has bright green frosting—we mean seriously glowing—in a familiar vanilla cake shell.
For traditional Twinkie lovers, the new Twinkie was just too artificial tasting. But it’s a soft, super sweet cake bite that, thankfully, doesn’t leave your mouth looking like you swallowed a bucket of slime.
Hi-C Ecto Cooler and Key Lime Slime Twinkies are now available nationwide and online. Just remember that Ecto-Cooler is anything but a health drink. One small juice box has 21 grams of sugar. But for the real fans, the calories are worth it.
Said one exited taster, “You guys should buy this!”
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