The Coca-Cola Company
The summer of 2016 has proven to be a fun-filled roller coaster of a ride if you’re a Ghostbusters fan. Not only was I pleasantly surprised by how entertaining the reboot is and how the new female characters could be once I warmed my heart to them, but I’ve also been treated to numerous products and promotional tie-ins with the new film. I enjoyed receiving an exclusive Ghostbusters pin and poster with activities on its back when I went to see the film in the theater the day before it officially opened.
The new action figures and toys are wonderfully designed and detailed, and I’ve acquired everything from new Slimer and StayPuft stuffed animals that burp and play the theme song respectively, to a container of slime to play with in all its gooey splendor. I’ve seen Ghostbusters mini-figures, POP! figures, school supplies, board games, t-shirts, Build-a-Bears and more listed online. Even that LEGO firehouse set is looking pretty enticing, and I don’t even collect LEGOs (and I already own The Real Ghostbusters original firehouse playset complete with an original Ecto-1 in its box with the instruction manual). My only complaint: why no Ghostbusters Happy Meal toys to tie-in with the film? I guess that truly is a forgotten thing of the past in this new “health-conscious” age in which we live …
I’ve loved looking at the photos of various cosplayers and Ghostbusters groups living it up in full ghostbusting regalia at the movie premieres and comic cons this year. If I had more money, I’d join them. What a time to be alive – seeing women Ghostbusters kicking ectoplasmic ass while a hunky male disguised as a nerd with glasses serves as nothing more than mere eye candy! While the reboot cannot match the reverent adoration I have in my heart for the original two films, it did a pretty fine job of recapturing the momentum and that moment of “discovery” when you witnessed someone capturing a ghost using a bulky proton pack for the first time.
My taste buds have also been tantalized by the special limited edition Key Lime Slime and White Fudge Marshmallow Hostess Twinkies rapidly appearing and disappearing on store shelves around me. I can’t wait to try some of the Ghostbusters-themed cocktails I’ve seen listed online using Dan Aykroyd’s signature Crystal Head Vodka. And I’ve even found glow-in-the-dark Slimer and StayPuft panties to make my inner nerd feel sexier. Yes, the Ghostbusters merchandising gods’ cups runneth over!
However, the tie-in I’m most excited about is the triumphant return of Hi-C Ecto Cooler, a beloved beverage from my youth. Unable to find it in any of my local stores, I was forced to order it on Amazon – and it was well worth the purchase price (and you can do by clicking the link below!). I opted for the cardboard juice box version because that’s how I remember it and I didn’t want to drink it from an aluminum can that might alter its taste or my fond memories of it. (Although I’m told the cans have special ink that changes colors when they’re cold, so I may have to look into purchasing one of these for my growing Ghostbusters collection!)
As soon as I punctured my itty-bitty straw through the juice box hole and took my first ecto-orgasmic sip, warm nostalgia washed over me in the most satisfying of waves. It’s 2016, and I’m able to drink something I haven’t tasted since probably elementary school. (I think I was too “cool” to be caught drinking a juice box in middle or high school, but how was I supposed to know then that it would be discontinued in 1997?) Ghostbusters seemed like the franchise that would never stop being a cash cow because its fans are so ardent.
I remember taking Hi-C Ecto Cooler with me to “fruit break,” which was an afternoon snack time devoted to the consumption of fruit in order to recharge us kids. That is until my elementary school teacher finally caught onto the fact that this “fruit juice” contained very little actual fruit content. It was a sad day indeed when my teacher banned me from bringing in the cute little juice boxes with my friend Slimer on them. I suppose I was still allowed to bring them in my lunchbox, but I usually bought the school lunch (like all the other “cool” kids) so that sucked the fun right out of that for me.
It’s no secret that I’ve been yearning for Hi-C to bring back Ecto Cooler for many years so I could once more sip from its tangy, tangerine nectar and reminisce about my school days of yesteryear. It would’ve been nice to see Slimer’s familiar rotund face on the juice box, but other than that, Ecto Cooler really is just about how I remember it … sugary, citrusy perfection. And sipping it made me feel like a kid again.
So, while I’m usually of the sound opinion that Hollywood remakes and reboots are unnecessary evils to be reviled, this is one case in which I can’t help but join the bandwagon. I’m going to be sad when I no longer see any of these promotional tie-ins available for purchase or consumption. Life’s a lot more amusing on the green slime-filled roller coaster if you just give it half the chance!
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