The variety of colors that Stanley Cups come in. Photo Provided by: Amazon

Is spending $50 dollars for a tumbler a worthy investment? Well, if this question is one you are pondering right now, look no further than the millions of people who have bought or are considering buying the Stanley cup. The Stanley cup is a tumbler that has turned into an internet sensation – a cup that no one can seem to escape. One may ask, what makes this particular cup so special?

I have to say, I never understood the hype of the Stanley cup. When the Stanley cup first emerged in popularity, I was brought back to four years ago when people were obsessed with the Hydro Flask. It was another tumbler that no one seemed to be able to escape, it seemed like almost everyone had it. I felt that the Stanley cup is no different, a tumbler that at first everyone is obsessed with, but eventually will fade into oblivion like the Hydro Flask did. Don’t get me wrong, I had seen many people with this cup, but I never bought into the hype, until now. The Stanley cup seems to be in an entirely different realm than the Hydro Flask ever was. When I walk around school, the store, the mall or even a soccer game, I see almost every woman imaginable with one. Seeing this made me intrigued. How could one cup have such a chokehold on society? About a week ago, I started to research the Stanley cup and I have to say, I am in on the hype. I quickly went onto Amazon and found myself scrolling for hours looking at all the Stanley cups imaginable. I eventually ended up buying one.

What can I say? I fell for the hype. But what I want to analyze is why so many people, like myself, are in love with this cup? Is it rooted in actual appreciation or is it truly a “cult-like following”?

The Stanley company was founded in 1913 in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. The brand’s food and beverage containers were invented by William Stanley Jr., whom the company is named after. William Stanley Jr.’s creation of the Stanley company quite literally revolutionized the way hot and cold drinks were being used. Stanley’s usage of fusing vacuum insulation into steel, made the company’s products unique from anything being produced at the time.

After William Stanley Jr. passed away in 1916, the company still continued to create products for decades to come.

The now viral 40 ounce Quencher Bottle was created and introduced in 2016 to abysmal sales. The sales were so disappointing that it led to it not being restocked in early 2019. This was until late 2019, when Stanley decided to work with Buy Guide, a woman-run blog in Utah with the hope of selling more than 5,000 Quenchers. It was at this time that the company resumed production, but this time with a variety of colors.

After this, the sales began to sore and eventually became Stanley’s most successful item among female customers. It was at this time that the Stanley cup obsession began to rise and multiple social media influencers began to embrace the cup, specifically suburban moms. Popular suburban mom influencers such as Emile Kosher and Kristen Johns, led the charge of the Stanley cup craze we know today. The surge in popularity led to the Stanley cup’s annual sales going from $70 million in 2019 to $750 million in 2023. All in the span of four years. It’s crazy to think just a few years ago this cup was not selling well to the point the company had to stop restocking them in stores, is now one of the most sought after cups in recent history.

The Stanley cup craze has truly been astonishing to see. To see the lengths many women and young girls will go for this cup, is both amazing and terrifying to watch. The craze for this cup has become so intense that it has led to mass lines being held outside of various Targets all over the country and fights breaking inside stores in order to get this cup. During the winter, the viral Valentine’s day limited edition Starbucks/Stanley cups were released and many people waited in line in the freezing cold at 5am, just to try to get this cup.

Has the Stanley cup obsession truly gone too far? I spoke to those who have a Stanley cup to get a better understanding of their point of view in purchasing this tumbler.

“I love how Stanley’s come in different colors and fit in cup holders” Jaclyn Randolph, a senior, said. “People say they are overrated but they are super useful.”

Rylee Odom, a newly graduated senior of SRA said, “I think what first made me interested in the cup was the visual aspect. I thought the cups were cute and I also heard a lot of good things about them like how they keep your drinks cold/hot and fit into normal sized cup holders.”

Even those who are the biggest supporters of this cup have their reservations about how obsessive this trend seems to be.
“It’s kind of like pajama pants and slippers, straight hair and Starbucks and fast fashion when those were the ‘it thing’ for their time and people were obsessed with those trends,” Elisa De Oliveria Riondet said.

“I do think people are being a little too obsessive over the cups. Especially with what happened with the Valentine’s day cups at Target” Odom laments. “I won’t disagree that it is a great cup but it is also just a cup. No need to fight over it or attack others.”

The question remains, has the Stanley cup peaked? Is it at the pinnacle of its popularity? That remains to be seen. Only time will tell if the Stanley Cup will retain longevity, or fly into oblivion like many other viral trends have in the past.