Dread Central Reviews the Brand New Ecto Cooler!

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Many fans of all things Ghostbusters are super pissed off about Paul Feig’s upcoming reboot, to such an extent that boycotts are being arranged as I sit here typing up this post. But it’s totally impossible, as a fan, to not be excited about something that’s soon headed our way as a direct response to the reboot. Friends, Ecto Cooler is coming back.

On May 30th, Hi-C will bring the beloved ’80s and ’90s beverage back to store shelves for a limited time, which is pretty huge news considering the slime green drink hasn’t been available for the past twenty years. Originally launched in 1989 as a tie-in with animated series “The Real Ghostbusters,” Ecto Cooler’s massive success led to it not being discontinued until 1997, though it must be noted that Hi-C continued selling the drink under a different name for a few more years. But Ecto Cooler simply isn’t Ecto Cooler unless it’s called Ecto Cooler, am I right?

Over the weekend, a mysterious package arrived at the Dread Central offices, and inside the ordinary cardboard box we found something quite extraordinary: another box, this one brilliantly designed to look like the Ghostbusters ghost trap. Inside that box? A tiny container of toy slime, along with a 6 fl oz juice box and 11.5 fl oz can containing the brand new Ecto Cooler. Yes, we were sent an early sample of the re-animated drink to taste, and after passing the aforementioned toy slime around like a hot potato, we cracked open that can, stuck that straw into that juice box, and did just that.

(Unfortunately, the ghost trap packaging is a promotional exclusive, but the drink itself is what’s most important here.)

Growing up in the late ’80s and early ’90s, and being a huge fan of the Ghostbusters movies, toys, and animated series, I consumed my fair share of Ecto Cooler in my formative years, so much of it that it probably still runs through my blood to this very day. That being said, it had been nearly twenty years since I tasted the drink prior to receiving this package in the mail, so I’d be lying if I said I genuinely remembered what Ecto Cooler tasted like. But I hoped that I would be hit with a wave of nostalgic remembrance as soon as that green nectar reunited with my taste buds – and holy shit was I ever.

After excitedly sucking down both the can and the box, I’m happy to report that the new Ecto Cooler is a pitch-perfect remake of the old Ecto Cooler, so dead-on to that bygone taste that I wouldn’t be surprised if Ghostbusters fans the world over collectively shed tears of joy come May 30th. That tangerine flavor that hit my lips and flooded my buds was one I hadn’t tasted in two goddamn decades, and I’m not spewing the slightest bit of hyperbole when I say that the mere act of drinking it made me feel like a kid again. It was as if I was being reunited with an old friend I hadn’t seen in many years, and like good friends always do, we were able to pick up right where we left off all those years ago.

Oh and yes, in case you’re wondering, Ecto 2.0 is even the exact same slime-green color as the original drink.

This coming Monday (May 30th), Ecto Cooler will be available EVERYWHERE Hi-C is regularly sold, and you’ll be able to choose between 6 fl oz juice boxes and 11.5 fl oz cans. It must be noted that the cans will feature a special thermal printing technology that turns them a fitting shade of green when they reach the appropriate temperature for consumption, so if you’re wondering why Hi-C decided to put the drink into soda cans for the very first time, that’d be why. But no matter which receptacle you choose, the drink tastes the same either way, so don’t worry about the canned iteration being carbonated or not tasting the way you remember Ecto Cooler tasting.

Like all good things, Ecto Cooler won’t last forever, so be sure to stock up before it vanishes once more.

Ghostbusters haunts theaters on July 15th.

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