The “Ecto-Cooler Or Bust” campaign was a success: After years of whining on social media, Hi-C’s citrus flavor will be returning this year as Ecto-Cooler, and not as the repackaged Shoutin’ Orange Tangergreen, even though they’re exactly the same thing. The best part? All those Ecto-Cooler aficionados are old enough to mix it with vodka this time around.
In September of last year, Coca-Cola, which owns Hi-C, re-registered for the trademark for the brand, which was approved last November. Now, the fruit-flavored drink will officially be hitting store shelves this May in 11.5-ounce aluminum cans as well as a 6 ounce juice box, which, as any Ecto-Cooler enthusiast will tell you, is the only way to appreciate the slime-green sugary blast. According to the press release, the cans are also printed with using thermal ink that turns into an eerie shade of slime green when cold.
There is something missing from the packaging, though. Much like Ernie Hudson’s Winston Zeddemore, Slimer can’t seem to catch a break, and is not featured on the juice boxes or the cans, pretty much just making this a re-launch of the Hi-C “Citrus Cooler” that has been around since the ’60s. However, there isn’t a big-budget studio picture called Citrus Cooler: The Movie coming out this summer, so Ecto-Cooler it is.
The relaunch of Ecto-Cooler is tied in with the release of Paul Feig’s Ghostbusters, so even if you found that trailer terribly unfunny and The Exorcist reference a little dated, you can still enjoy the spoils of marketing nostalgia. The new Ecto-Cooler will be hitting store shelves May 30, so expect someone to be camping out in front of your local Wal-Mart on Memorial Day weekend utilizing the last of the petty cash for a magnificent feast of Ecto-Cooler and Flamin’ Hot Cheetos.
[Via i09]