I remember when I was a kid I was really into The Real Ghostbusters cartoon. Like any kid my parents got me so much Ghostbusters stuff; toys, clothes, a lunchbox. If I remember right I think I also had a Ghostbusters toiletry kit too. But one thing that sticks in my mind that I remember getting was Ecto Cooler Hi-C.

For those of you who don’t’ know Ecto Cooler started off as a flavor of Hi-C called Citrus Cooler. In 1987 Citrus Cooler was rebranded as Ecto Cooler as a product tie-in with the Real Ghostbusters cartoon. As part of the tie-in the character Slimer was used on the packing and also featured in some of the commercials. Originally the partnership was supposed to last as long as the Real Ghostbusters but the success of Ecto Cooler led to it surviving long after the Real Ghostbusters was canceled in 1991.

After Real Ghostbusters was canceled, Slimer still remained on the box until around 1997 however Ecto Cooler still kept its name until 2001 when it was renamed Shoutin’ Orange Tangergreen. In 2006, the name was changed to Crazy Citrous Cooler, a change that was quite brief due Minute Maid canceling the flavor entirely in 2007.

In 2016, as part of a tie-in with the rebooted Ghostbusters movie, Minute Maid announced that they would be bringing back Ecto Cooler.

I remember when I heard that Ecto Cooler was coming back I was ecstatic. I remember the last time I had it was more than 10 years ago, back in 2005. I was a freshmen in college and it was finals week and I needed something to keep me awake so I could study.

Caffeine was out due to me not liking the taste of coffee and cappuccinos and I couldn’t get my caffeine fix due to my mom hammering into my head that too much soda would give me a stomach ache. Energy drinks were also out because I hated the way they tasted. That’s when I got the smart idea that I should try working on a sugar rush so I went down to the Albertsons next to campus to get some juice.

Like I said earlier this was back in 2005 so at this Ecto Cooler had already been changed to Shoutin’ Orange Tangergreen and I hadn’t had any flavor of Hi-C in about 8 years or so but something about Shoutin’ Orange Tangergreen spoke to me.

I instantly bought two packs and hurried back to my dorm so I could study. After stabbing the straw into the first juice box and taking my first sip I instantly recognized what Shoutin’ Orange Tangergreen really was.

I ended up drinking about 6 boxes of that stuff all within a 2 hour period. I’m not sure if it was all those chemicals I just chugged or if it was the sleep depravation or if it was poor lighting in the bathroom or maybe it was a mix of all three but I was pretty sure I was peeing green for the rest of the night. After I finished off those boxes it would be the last time I would have Ecto Cooler for more than a decade.

Anyway, like I said earlier to help promote the new Ghostbusters movie Ecto Cooler Hi-C would be coming back. After hearing the news and hearing that it was officially back on shelves I instantly started scouring every grocery store, Target and Walmart around me to try to find some. But unfortunately supplies were extremely limited as none of the places I went to carried any. Out of desperation I ended up ordering a 10 pack of juice boxes as well as a case of cans off of Amazon and after all these years it still taste the same as it did when I was 5 years old.

Unfortunately, Hi-C announced that they will be discontinuing Ecto Cooler once again. And while it is tempting to pour some out on the curb as a tribute I’m not going to do that because this stuff just became way more valuable.

Anyway, here’s my tribute to Ecto cooler.

Here’s what the juice box package looks like. It’s not quite the same without Slimer on it.

Here’s what the packing for a case of cans looks like. It looks pretty lame, it just looks like another case of soda.

Here’s the nutritional facts. 21 grams of sugar in one box. Although on the plus side it’s made with real fruit juice and contains 100% Vitamin C.

Here is what the actual juice boxes look like. Like I said it’s not quite the same without Slimer on them.

Nutritional facts are on the individual juice boxes. I highly doubt little kids are reading these.

Here’s what the can looks like. They really need to put Slimer on this stuff.

The packaging on the case said that the cans would change color when chilled to show that you’ve been slimed or something. When I pulled this out of fridge I thought that was a load of crap. Although after staring at this picture for a while I realized it’s the Hi-C part that changes color. I kinda wish they designed with no slime dripping when it’s warm and the slime dripping when it’s cold. I dunno that’s just my opinion.

It was fun being able to drink this stuff again. It almost made me feel like a kid again. I’m going to miss it.