Hi-C Ecto Cooler Making A Return For Ghostbusters: Afterlife

Hi-C Ecto Cooler remains the stuff of legend (and collector's markets everywhere), ever since its debut in th late '80s, as a promotional tie-in to the Ghostbusters franchise. Now, nearly forty years after the first Ghostbusters film was released, we're getting a direct sequel/reboot in Ghostbusters: Afterlife. And with the "rebirth" of the Ghostbusters franchise comes a unique promotional opportunity for Hi-C: bringing back Ecto Cooler as a major promotional event! However, die-hard fans of the drink may be a little disappointed to hear the finer details about what's going with the latest return of Ecto Cooler... 

...Unfortunately, it doesn't seem like Hi-C is planning on putting Ecto Cooler onto store shelves again. The Ghostbusters-themed drink is apparently being rolled out solely for promotional events related to the Ghostbusters: Afterlife movie, with fansite Ghostbusters News claiming that supplies "will be HIGHLY limited." 

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(Photo: @srappaport on Instagram)

As you can see above, the only reason that we even know that Hi-C Ecto Cooler is involved with Ghostbusters: Afterlife thanks to an Instagram user (S. Rappaport) who posted a picture from one of the film's big advertisement displays with smart-screen company Firefly, which went up in NYC and LA this weekend. Ecto Cooler was part of the visual display - and fans are thrilled to see the classic design for the drink making a re-appearance! 

Ecto Cooler started in the 1960s as Hi-C's "Citrus Cooler" until being rebranded in '87 as a promotional drink for The Real Ghostbusters tie-in cartoon series. It became a major breakout hit for Hi-C and ran for ten years after the Ghostbusters cartoon ended in 1991. The Ghostbusters connection was severed in 1997 and Minute Maid re-branded the drink as "Shoutin' Orange Tangergreen" in 2001, then "Crazy Citrus Cooler" in 2006, before discontinuing it in 2007. However, even when Ecto Cooler made a return to store shelves in 2016 as a promotion for the female Ghostbusters reboot, the packaging was not allowed to feature Slimer anymore, due to advertising restrictions meant to protect children. After the reboot didn't quite connect with the masses, Ector Cooler was formally retired from the market

So, while Ghostbusters: Afterlife may not put Ecto Cooler onto store shelves, fans will at least get to see the vintage packaging - which really, may be more popular than the strange green drink itself. 

Ghostbusters: Afterlife will be in theaters on November 19th. 

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