The following contains spoilers for The Bear Season 1, currently streaming on Hulu.
Since its release on Hulu, the dramedy series The Bear has been making waves with both critics and viewers. The show tells the story of Carmen "Carmy" Berzatto, a renowned chef who, in the wake of a tragedy, returns to his Chicago home to work in the family's sandwich shop. From the start, the series has earned praise for its dark comedy, strong characters and authentic portrayal of the frantic, harried life of people in the food service industry.
In addition, The Bear is loaded with smart, clever nods to pop culture, such as the video game tournament Carmy throws in the premiere episode to keep the shop afloat. One of the most overt, and heartfelt, references comes in the series' fourth episode, "Dogs." In that episode, Carmy and his cousin (though not by blood), Richy (played by Ebon Moss-Bacharach, which, given the addition of Jon Berenthal to the cast, makes this show an unoffical Punisher reunion), are tasked with catering a kid's birthday party. In order to appease his young guest, Carmy puts together a menu of Chicago hot dogs and his homemade version of the classic Ghostbusters-themed Hi-C flavor, Ecto Cooler.
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Released in 1989 to help promote the release of Ghostbusters II (as well as a tie-in to the cartoon series The Real Ghostbusters), Ecto Cooler quickly became a staple in lunchboxes for '90s kids everywhere. Although the green-colored and orange/tangerine-flavored drink was not initially created for Ghostbusters (it had actually been around since 1965 as Citrus Cooler), the rebranding, featuring Ghostbusters mascot Slimer on the packaging, made it an instant hit. In fact, long after Ghostbusters II left theaters and The Real Ghostbusters left the airwaves, Ecto Cooler soldiered on. It continued to be stocked in stores under the Ecto Cooler name until 1997, when it was repackaged again as Shoutin' Orange Tangergreen. The classic image of Slimer was repurposed into a thirsty mouth, although the green ghost's distinctive shape was still easy to spot.
Ecto Cooler's longevity on store shelves helped make it a dominant part of the pop culture landscape. It was seen on shows like Alf and in the 1990 low-budget horror film The Willies. More recently, the drink has appeared on The Goldbergs, a series that has always worn its nostalgia proudly on its sleeve. In 2016, Ecto Cooler officially made a comeback as part of the marketing for Paul Feig's reboot of Ghostbusters. Unfortunately, the supply was unable to meet the demand, and most Cooler fans found it next to impossible to find the drink either in stores or online. In 2021, Ecto Cooler was made available again as part of the promotion for Ghostbusters: Afterlife, although only to winners of certain social media contests.
Due to Ecto Cooler's limited availability, it remains a rare and highly coveted item amongst Ghostbusters fans. So fervent is the desire for Ecto Cooler, that fans have even started brewing their own recipes, as Carmy does on The Bear. His bid to capture Ecto-fever is successful, as Carmy's brother-in-law, Pete is ecstatic over the drink, commenting how much it tastes like the real thing. Unfortunately, unbeknownst to Pete (and Carmy), Richy accidentally spiked the Ecto Cooler with his Xanax, knocking Pete, and all the kids at the party, out cold.
In addition to the Ecto-reminiscing and Ghostbusters references, The Bear features a brief, but touching, tribute to Ghostbusters star (and fellow Chicagoan) Harold Ramis. Looking at Carmy's ingredients, Richy touches the bottle of green punch and says, "RIP, Harold." It's a nice reminder of how strongly Ramis is still tied to the franchise that he helped bring to life.
In another episode, a framed Ghostbusters poster is seen at the restaurant, clearly indicating that the family (and the show's creators) are all big fans of the film. Given that the Ghostbusters franchise shows no signs of slowing down, The Bear will no doubt have plenty of material to reference in episodes to come.
Season 1 of The Bear is available to stream on Hulu.