RetroDaze

Wolfman's
Got
Nards!

CONTEST WINNER!

Fright Night - A Retro Narrative

RETRORATING: 17

I totally missed out!

RETRORATING: 16

Perfect Game

Don't mess
with the bull.
JOIN!!!

3 COMMENTS

RETRORATING: 4

FAVORITED 2 TIMES

These Beverages Need to Join the ReSurgence

By: MikeCovers

Nostalgia buffs are salivating at last week's news about Surge coming back. It took little more than an Internet campaign and Coca-Cola's desire to make some extra money by selling a 1990s drink at 21st century prices.

With hope, this trend of breathing new life into yesterday's beverages is just getting started. Since I never drank Surge myself yet still want to revel in the excitement that a long-discontinued product is on its way back to my innards, here are three beverages that are long, LONG overdue for a return to store shelves. Even if only temporarily.

Let's face it: part of the reason we are all so desperate to see the long-rumored Ghostbusters 3 come to fruition is because it will likely see a return of Ecto Cooler as part of the marketing. In fact, if Sony announced that there wouldn't even be a movie but that there would be Ecto Cooler, you wouldn't see a whole lot of complaining.

Possessing a wonderful color and taste that no one has ever before--or since--seen in nature, Ecto Cooler satisfies the dual craving of thirst and nostalgia. Slimer was of course the scene-stealer in both movies and the animated series (would the cartoon have lasted as long if it was titled, for example, Winston and the Real Ghostbusters?), so it was only natural that he served as the drink's spokes-ghost.

After the popularity of Ghostbusters died down, Ecto Cooler itself eventually vanished from store shelves. It was briefly rebranded Shoutin' Orange Tangergreen (yet still appeared as Ecto Cooler on store receipts) and then again as Crazy Citrus Cooler before the flavor was completely retired in 2009.

Kids born in the 1970s and 1980s will forever link Van Halen's song "Right Now" with this crystal clear concoction from Pepsi that was released in the early 1990s. Sure, it was the company's way of saying "Here's Sprite that is sort of Pepsi flavored," but when you are an 11-year-old soda connoisseur with few friends, this was all you needed to make your life worth living.

Pepsi's various forays into variations that did not have "Wild Cherry" in the title haven't been entirely successful. Who remembers Pepsi Kona, the coffee-flavored cola? Pepsi Twist? Pepsi Blue?

NONE of those varieties (not even Pepsi Blue) have had as much of a demand by Pepsi fans to see a re-introduction to soda society.

And, let's face it, Van Halen could use the boost in popularity again.

Way, WAY before the myriad of energy drinks, the only non-coffee, non-cocaine option we had to stay awake and (somewhat) alert for hours on end was Jolt Cola.

Jolt looked like any other soda, but tasted like roofing tar. But, of course, no one was drinking it for the taste; they were drinking it for its unparalleled caffeine content, a formula that made Pepsi and Mountain Dew seem about as effective as NyQuil.

Red Bull, Monster, and their ilk have been known to cause everything from heart problems to lame dudebro promotions. Jolt never had time for that.

Once beverages like Ecto Cooler, Crystal Pepsi, and Jolt reappear, then maybe we can start petitioning companies to return more products to the American public for overpriced consumption. Burger King's original chicken tenders! Canned La Choy fried rice! Unfiltered cigarettes!

It'll be a surge of nostalgia.

Looking for more from MikeCovers?

READ 171965 TIMES

A Very Sega Christmas

The Christmas of 1992 was the first Christmas following my parents’ divorce. I was a naïve kid who believed that my parents would be together forev...

90's Concert Experiences Part 2

In the first installment of my 90’s concert memories I told the tale of how my fear of moshing kept me from seeing Green Day live in 1994, using “...

90's Concert Experiences Part 1

“My dad got me tickets to see Green Day, you wanna go?” A question from 1994 that still rings in my ears to this day, as I look back at the moment...

Christmas 1985 Through My Gobots Camera Lens

On Christmas 1985, I received my first camera. It was a present from my Grandmother who most likely was made aware of the pile of toys my parents had ...

Burger King Kids Club Toys

Last time I introduced you to the members of the Burger King Kids Club via a surviving playplace from the 90's. The Kids Club meals usually featured a...

Burger King Kids Club Part 1

As far as I was concerned growing up, Burger King always played second fiddle to McDonald's in the fast food world, but there was a brief moment in th...

The Rebirth of M.A.S.K. and the Nostalgia Struggle

One of my favorite animated shows and toy lines as an '80s kid was M.A.S.K. aka Mobile Armored Strike Kommand. It was a fun mix of elements from Trans...

Urikupen Kyujotai: The cartoon that introduced me to animation

Come and join the good king Leo and his great patrol...To say that I love cartoons is a bit of an understatement: I freaking adore the things and ...

7 Weirdest Hook Movie Action Figures

The family adventure film Hook from 1991 was a favorite for many 90’s kids thanks in large part to the great performances of Robin Williams, Dusti...

MOST RECENT RETRORATING FEATURED OFFICIAL

Go to page: