Unopened Ecto Cooler From 2016 Corrodes

Recently, Ghostbusters News alerted fans to a problem with unopened Ecto Cooler cans from 2016. It was said that if you opened one of those cans now, fermentation of the limited amount of fruit juice in the product would cause the can to explode like a shaken carbonated beverage. Well, I decided to see what state my unopened can and juice box, in the original 2016 promo box, was in. It was even worse than an "exploding" can.

I first noticed a problem almost three years ago. On October 15, 2022, I posted the following message to the old Spook Central Facebook page.

From the "Something Strange" file... I just went through the boxes of collectibles that I have in the attic and I found something strange that I can't explain. My 2016 Ecto Cooler promo box, which was in a cardboard box by itself, now has a huge stain on the back of it!

My first thought was that the juice box, can, or slime canister leaked out. No, all three items are still completely sealed. There are no stains on the front side of the box or the styrofoam inside that the items sit in. The stain is solely on the back of the Ecto Cooler box and the bottom of the cardboard box I had it in.

It actually appears as if something *under* the box leaked into it, but that little thing called gravity says that things don't leak upwards. Also, the other cardboard box that was sitting under this one is perfectly fine.

The stain doesn't have an odor, so that doesn't give me a clue as to what could have caused the stain. The stain on the inside bottom of the cardboard box has a little bit of a white crust on it, but I don't know what it is. I don't have a CSI team here to look at it under a microscope.

I'm completely stumped as to what the hell happened here. The Ecto Cooler box is just paperboard with a huge chunk of Styrofoam inside, and a juice box, aluminum can, and plastic container of slime sitting in slots in that styrofoam. If those three items didn't leak, then there's nothing else that could cause a leak. Styrofoam and paper does not leak.

Nothing else in any other boxes in my collection has this stain, or are damaged in any other way. Part of me is mad because the Ecto Cooler box is a rarity and can not be easily (and cheaply) replaced. I never got the 2021 Ecto Cooler promo kit, so this one means more to me. The other part of me is mad because I'd really like to know what caused this so I can take steps to prevent it from happening again.

Included in the post were these seven annotated photos. (All images from here on can be clicked on for full-size enlargements.)


The only helpful comment received about what could have caused this problem was from Ghost Corps Genesis - MAD Midwest Division who said that the cause was "most likely styrene residue from the decomposing of the foam. It's toxic and can react to other materials. It typically takes like a decade to start to show decomposing as missing spots in a high temp environment, but it's decomposing since day 1 off the factory. The styrene as it releases can mix with humidity and the acids in surfaces. That's the only explanation I've currently thought of. It's best to keep it at 68°F/20°C-55°F/12.778°C."

It doesn't help that the only storage space I have in the small two-family house I live in is the third-floor attic space. In the Summer, such as the past few days where it's been 100-degrees here in New York, it can literally be as hot as an oven up there. Unfortunately, I have no other place to store all of the collectibles and physical media that I've amassed over the years.

At the time, I thought that the best thing I could do to lessen the problem was to put the entire Ecto Cooler promo box in a plastic bag. I realize now that the better solution would have been to put the can, juice box, and slime in separate sealed plastic sandwich bags. That would have helped prevent the further destruction I discovered today.

Somehow, the liquid inside the can and/or juice box leaked out and created mold-like black/dark green stains on the styrofoam and outer box, even though both can and box are STILL 100% SEALED! Furthermore, the can feels significantly lighter than a full can should. I think I need to hire Hercule Poirot to figure out how liquid can escape from a sealed container(s).

The juice box was stained and covered in what looked like mold, with a liquid residue on the outside. The side that has the straw is perfectly fine.


The can fared much worse, as the part that was touching the styrofoam completely wore off. The top is still 100% sealed, although the can feels significantly lighter. There was even a crusty white mold on the lip of the can on top. It kinda looks like the white crust that develops when you leave dead batteries in a remote control (or other electronic device).


The juice box and can aren't the only items that are damaged. No, the slime canister is still fine, and probably will always remain so. The promo box is now even more stained and destroyed than it was back in October 2022. Look at that ugly mold-like staining on the inside under and to the side of where the juice box and can were. That couldn't have been caused by degrading styrofoam.


Seriously, if it's the "Ecto Cooler" that corroded the can and the styrofoam, and created the mold, then why the hell is Coca-Cola selling us this crap?!? This isn't something anyone should ever put in their body!

The stain that was already on the back hasn't gotten any worse, but there is a new stain on the side of the box. Rather telling is that all of the new damage to the promo box is to the side that was facing DOWN when I put it in a new cardboard box with other items.


I had a bit of difficulty pulling the styrofoam out from the promo's paperboard outer box as one end was stuck due to the corrosion. I did manage to get it out, and found two new mold-looking stains inside.


This 2016 Promo Kit isn't the only sealed Ecto Cooler that I have. I have one sealed bottle (and one empty bottle) that was given to me at the Ghostbusters: Afterlife premiere on November 15, 2021. I was smart enough to keep that bottle in a sealed plastic bag, to prevent leakage and damage to other items I have in the same box. I'm happy to report that there is no leakage, no mold, nothing other than discoloration to the liquid inside. Maybe plastic is more resistant to the acidity of the liquid inside than metal and paper.


At this point, I had to choose whether to empty the remains of the box and can, or keep them in little sealed plastic bags and hope for the best. I don't see a point in keep them sealed anymore. I had kept them unopened for collectible value, but I think that ship has hit the iceberg. Unless closed, and seen directly from the front, the promo kit is not even nice to look at anymore. I feel like it's virtually garbage now, so there's no harm in opening the can and juice box. Surprisingly, the can did NOT explode when opened. The liquid was horribly discolored, though.