Hi-C Ecto Cooler Is Back For Halloween 2026 – Kinda

Atlanta isn’t my neighborhood, but there is definitely something strange happening there. Earlier this week, my social media was bubbling over with videos of the elusive Hi-C Ecto Cooler being dispensed from a Coca-Cola Freestyle machine. As someone who proudly owns a decades-old Ghostbusters II denim jacket made exclusively for Family Video employees, this news couldn’t be more up my alley. I reached out to my pals at Coca-Cola for details; let’s get into every juicy detail of this spooky resurrection.

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What is Hi-C Ecto Cooler?

In 1989, Hi-C renamed its decades-old “Citrus Cooler” to “Ecto Cooler” to promote The Real Ghostbusters. The drink performed exceptionally well, lasting far longer than the cartoon spinoff that inspired the rebranding. In 2001, Ecto Cooler was renamed “Shoutin’ Orange Tangergreen” and eventually reformulated to remove certain coloring. In 2006, the drink was renamed “Crazy Citrus Cooler”, only to be discontinued the following year, never to be seen again… until 10 years later!

In 2016, Hi-C revived the flavor in juice boxes and cans to promote the Ghostbusters reboot released that summer. Although Slimer wasn’t featured on the packaging, fans were still excited for the return of their beloved vibrant ghost juice… even if they had an embarrassingly backward reaction to the film that brought it back. Six months later, the drink was gone for good once again… until 5 years later!

Are you sensing a theme here? This drink comes and goes about as often as people remember the original Ghostbusters isn’t actually an action-adventure movie. (It’s a workplace comedy. It’s about bureaucracy, y’all.) Unfortunately, the 2021 revival was limited to an in-person giveaway at the premiere of Ghostbusters: Afterlife. And now, 5 years later, Hi-C Ecto Cooler is back again… sort of.

Where can I get my hands on Hi-C Ecto Cooler?

Unfortunately for Ghostheads nationwide, Coca-Cola confirmed that the revival of Hi-C Ecto Cooler is limited exclusively to Coca-Cola Freestyle machines inside the Beverage Lab in Atlanta‘s World of Coca-Cola. Now that the Hi-C scientists have figured out a Coca-Cola Freestyle formulation of this classic spooky juice, I hope we see it get a wider release ASAP. At minimum, Universal Studios should secure it as an exclusive Coca-Cola Freestyle mix for Halloween Horror Nights 2027… even if the die-hard Ecto Cooler fans will notice something different about the drink itself.

What’s different about this Coca-Cola Freestyle release?

The 2026 Coca-Cola Freestyle revival of Hi-C Ecto Cooler is not green. Yes, in this era of food dye fear, Coca-Cola decided to skip the nuclear-green “slime” look of the original tangerine drink. Despite the new color, fans have said the flavor is dead-on liquid nostalgia. Check out this clip from the Atlanta Ghostbusters to see how to unlock the Secret Menu and try the latest resurrection of Hi-C Ecto Cooler for yourself.