The latest entry in the Ghostbusters franchise is right around the corner. While the early response has been mixed, to say the least, we’re still looking forward to the upcoming reboot of the series. People can say what they want but as long it’s fun, funny, and involves the busting of ghosts, we couldn’t care less about the cast. We’ve written before about the awesomeness of the second animated series, and any child of the ’80s and ’90s will feel a bit of nostalgia thinking about the cartoons, playsets, and soft drinks spawned by our favorite ghosts.
Reactions to the reboot have bordered between the awe-inspired and the apoplectic concerning Paul Feig’s new take on the team with an all-female cast, but these fans might be missing the point. This isn’t a sequel and nobody has turned Egon and Venkman into women. This is a completely new take on the series with new characters for the new century that should be viewed as a completely separate entity from the first two films. We’re willing to have an open mind and the fact that it has the blessing of Bill Murray is enough for us to wait until we see the movie before we judge.
One thing about that movie that has helped get our hopes up has been the glut of newly licensed merchandise for the new generation. Activision has already announced a brand-new video game featuring your favorite paranormal investigators due to hit consoles this summer. And consoles aren’t the only platform getting in on the ghost hunting action. There’s a Ghostbusters slot-reel at this gaming platform available for both browsers and mobile devices that pays homage to the classic cast. It tasks players with pushing their luck against poltergeists as they try to line up the appropriate items from the first film. Additionally, there are rumblings of another mobile title being released for iOS and Android this summer called Slime City.
And speaking of slime, what about the single best piece of Ghostbusters licensing material ever created? No, not the firehouse playset, though that was pretty cool. We’re obviously talking about Hi-C Ecto Cooler. During the ’80s and ’90s, your classroom social credibility lived and died on whether or not you brought this with your lunch. And very soon you will be able to relive the halcyon days of the haunted lunchboxes of your youth. That’s right, Coca-Cola has announced that it is bringing back Ecto Cooler in both the classic juice boxes as well as 11.5 ounce cans. The orange-flavored, green-sugar slime was originally introduced in 1986 in promotion of the cartoon and long outlived its animated counterpart until it was discontinued in 2001.
Frankly, if bringing back our favorite childhood beverage is the only good thing to come from the reboot, it’s more than enough to make us happy. It’s been 15 long years since we were able to slime our tastebuds, and it’s high time that Hi-C got back with the program. The Ghostbusters reboot will hit theaters July 15, 2016.
