Coca-Cola brought Ecto Cooler back for 2016 and it sold out on shelves

Hi-C Ecto Cooler became a cultural mainstay in 1987 as a tie-in with the original Ghostbusters franchise and stayed on shelves until it was discontinued in 2001. Online fan groups kept the memory alive for 15 years.

In April 2016, Coca-Cola's Minute Maid division announced Ecto Cooler was coming back for a limited time, starting May 30, timed to the July 15 release of the new Ghostbusters film. It shipped in 6-ounce juice boxes and 11.5-ounce cans that turned slime green when chilled.

Demand was immediate: stores that stocked it sold out as soon as it hit the shelves, and fans hunted online. The run was deliberately limited, but it proved the brand's pull — and the ghostly green drink became one of the summer's pop-culture moments.

Ecto Cooler returned to stores May 30, 2016, and sold out as fast as stores could stock it, reviving a dormant brand without a permanent commitment.

The Ghostbusters movie gave the relaunch a ready-made moment.

Fan groups and Sony lobbying had already proven demand.

Scarcity turned a drink launch into an event.

The authentic flavor and packaging honored the memory.

A limited-time nostalgia relaunch can rekindle a brand cheaply: Coca-Cola leveraged a movie tie-in and fan pressure, and scarcity made the return an event.

The 2016 return was limited by design, but the sellouts proved the dormant brand's commercial pull and made Ecto Cooler one of that summer's nostalgia successes.