Anyone who grew up in the eighties in all likelihood had Ecto Cooler in his or her lunchbox at one time or another . Some may have even used the toxic - green beverage as currency , comport skew-whiff lunchroom trades with the kid who was n’t permit to have sugar .
Regardless of the succus ’s hypnotic and habit-forming properties , the backstory of Ecto Cooler is an challenging one . And the fact that it was marketed as orange / tangerine tree - flavored , yet was fluorescent green in people of color , is n’t even the strange thing about it .
A BRIEF HISTORY
In 1986 — sit the last wave ofGhostbusters ' popularity — an animated series titledThe Real Ghostbusterswas created . Knowing full well that the good means to market place to child was to get them high on sugar , Ecto Cooler was created as a Cartesian product tie - in to the serial .
THE RESULT
Ecto Cooler was an contiguous and smashing success . Although it was only theorize to last as long as the serial publication , it bear for a tenner after the show ’s cancellation . However , the original marketing strategy was rather furtive , and mind - numbingly slothful .
THE ECTO CONSPIRACY
If we appear back a bit further , there was once a Hi - C ware called Citrus Cooler . Apologies for want of photo evidence , but it look to have been systematically destroyed to bilk the conspiracy theoriser . all the same , Citrus Coolerdidexist — at least it did until some merchandising dolts needed a quick and sluttish gimmick to deal their cartoon .
The auction pitch was simple : placeSlimer , the cunning immature wraith fromGhostbusters , on the box ; change " Citrus " to " Ecto " ; conveniently draw a blank that Citrus Cooler ever existed ; product tie - in accomplish . And because we are all suckers for publicity , the farce continued into the next decade . The job was that this newfangled generation of juice box drinkers would have no idea what a Ghostbuster was .
Fearing that Slimer had outstay his welcome — and in another fleet and lazy move — Hi - C did aside with Ecto Cooler altogether . Or , at least that ’s what they wanted us to think .
The identical formula , in all its atomic number 10 green glory , was about to be repackaged yet again as Shoutin ’ Orange Tangergreen ( though Hi - C would deny that it was the same beverage ) . Someconspiracy theoristshowever , would not rest until the mystery story was work .
X - amusement
Although the Hi - coke drinking public should have been outraged , at least the name Shoutin ’ Orange Tangergreen in the end addressed its contradictory look and color combining .
It all descend full R-2 in 2006 , when Shoutin ’ Orange Tangergreen was renamed Crazy Citrus Cooler … then break altogether just a twelvemonth later .
Though Ecto Cooler ( in all its various figure and incarnation ) might be gone , it ’s hardly forget . Every so often , a really quondam slip or can of the real hooey come out up on eBay ( a 46 - ounce can wentup for auctionlast year for $ 2000 ) . But DIYers would do well tofollow the recipeconcocted by Ghostbusters : Chicago Division , who did an exhaustive amount of mixing and taste - testing to come " as least as close to Ecto - Cooler as we can get " ( fleeceable and depressed food colour included ) .
