Old School: Coca-Cola May Be Bringing Back Ecto Cooler
Many beverage companies have tried different things over the years that have failed miserably and should never even be mentioned again. There was Crystal Pepsi. New Coke was a smashing failure. Still, there are some which end up being incredibly popular and people end up longing for its return, and one of those is the Hi-C flavor known as Ecto Cooler, which may be returning.
With the Ghostbusters reboot hitting theaters next year, many knew that merchandise, toys, and other such things would be on the way. No one could have expected that the ever-popular, and incredibly delicious, Ecto Cooler would be making a comeback.
Hold onto your lunchbox! Coca-Cola filed to renew the Ecto-Cooler trademark on September 15th of this year…. https://t.co/o7QcJ7sC2r
— Planet Ghostbusters (@protoncharging) November 26, 2015
Yes, Proton Charging learned that Coca-Cola did indeed file to renew the Ecto Cooler trademark back on September 15 of this year. This doesn’t necessarily mean that things will go all the way through and Ecto Cooler will make a true return, but why else would the trademark be filed?
It was back in 1987 that Ecto Cooler was first introduced to the world as a tie-in to the original Ghostbusters movie and the animated series The Real Ghostbusters (1986-1991). The lovable ghost Slimer was the mascot and face of the drink.
If you’re not fully aware what Ecto Cooler is or was, then you need to be reminded and/or educated.
Ecto Cooler was a flavor of Hi-C that was a citrus punch with some sweetness and tartness blended together to make an awesome drink. Making matters even better than the flavor was that you expected to get an orange colored drink, but it was actually neon green like Slimer.
Some people think it may have just been a fad, but Ecto Cooler was sold in stores until 2001. That’s a full 12 years after Ghostbusters II was released in theaters.
The Ghostbusters reboot will be hitting theaters on July 15, 2016, and it seems like Coca-Cola may want to get in on the possible profits that could be made. If they are going to bring back Ecto Cooler, then the profits are there to be had.
Coca-Cola is no stranger to playing on nostalgia. Last year, they brought the popular soda called Surge, which was their ’90s answer to Mountain Dew, according to IGN. There had been petitions, Facebook pages, and movements made to bring back Surge, and Coca-Cola was happy to oblige.
After 12 years off of store shelves, Coca-Cola made Surge available in limited quantities by selling it exclusively through Amazon for a limited time. It was the first time that Coke had distributed a product solely through e-commerce, and they were hoping it would start a trend.
Wendy Clark, a higher-up in Coca-Cola North America marketing, said the company was using it as a learning experience.
“If expectations are met, this may be only the first of a variety of efforts we explore to launch niche products through e-commerce relationships. This will be a great learning experience for us and a refreshing opportunity for fans.”
Hopefully, Surge was successful enough and means that other drinks from the past will be making their returns as well.
Coca-Cola filing the trademark for Ecto Cooler again after all these years may end up being nothing, but the comeback of Surge last year and the release of the Ghostbusters reboot next year brings hope. The always popular Hi-C flavor with Slimer’s face on the carton could be in the hands of kids, and adults who were kids in the ’80s and ’90s, again real soon.
[Image via The Drunken Nerds]
