Global warming. Overpopulation. Dwindling resources. A Trump candidacy. There are countless reasons to fear the future, but today, there may also be a reason to have hope: Coca-Cola has re-registered the trademark for Ecto-Cooler.
For you poor souls that don’t remember this Ghostbusters-themed Hi-C flavor, Ecto-Cooler was the greatest non-alcoholic beverage on the planet. It was a citrus punch that had the perfect balance of tartness and sweetness, which was only elevated by its radioactive neon green hue. If you want to understand how delicious it was, all you need to know is that the flavor was sold until 2001—12 years after the last Ghostbusters movie aired, purely out of its own glory.
According to Planet Ghostbusters, Coke re-registered the trademark on September 15th. This could be simply so they don’t lose their rights to the name, but it seems at least as likely that they may be planning to bring it back to accompany the new Ghostbusters movie, due out on July 17 of next year. Given the high-profile movie tie-in, the powerful nostalgia people have for the flavor, and the fact that many of its fans would now be legally allowed to mix it with vodka means indicates to me that it would be a poor financial decision not to return it to grocery store shelves.
Fun fact: When the ancient Greeks spoke of their gods and goddesses drinking ambrosia, the sweet nectar only available to the divine, they were speaking of Ecto-Cooler. Just sayin’.
H/t Christopher Stewart!
Contact the author at rob@io9.com.