Sunday, December 31, a Valentine’s Day Stanley Cup edition was released- a simple pink and red cup. Crowds of people waited outside of Target to get this cup. Not only was there a rush inside to snag it, many people camped outside the stores overnight. There are so many reusable cups like Stanleys out there. Yeti, Hydro Flask, Starbucks etc. are all popular, so why is there this craze for Stanley Cups?
In the past couple of years, this brand that has been around for over 100 years, finally reached top popularity. Since 2021, the company has had a major increase in sales, making the company go from $70 million in revenue to $750 million this past year. So why is the Stanley Cup suddenly so popular? Stanley used to be known for their 40-ounce hammertone green bottle, mostly catered to a blue-collared male audience, and they were doing just fine with that. They released the new Quencher line in 2016, but it wasn’t doing well. With Covid in 2020, that all changed. Terrence Reilly, the old marketer at Crocs, joined the Stanley team. He knew how to make this new “Quencher” more popular- they needed a female audience. With a new demographic to cater to, the Quencher quickly passed the bottle in sales.
The Quencher became viral on TikTok. With this popularity, it became more than a cup. With influencers, celebrities and everyday people using this cup, it became the ideal cup for use and accessory. People are always looking for something new. When they see a person they admire and trust, mixed with FOMO, they want what that person has. That is how the viral trend of Stanley Cups started. With a straw, handle and being able to fit in a cup holder, the Stanley Quencher was seen as the perfect cup for all.
“I think they should be illegal. There isn’t a day that goes by without a spill in my class. I believe it is all a ploy for plastic surgeons to make women want bigger lips and get wrinkles earlier.” Katie Issacson said.
In the past year the craziness for this cup came along. From 2020-2022 if you had the cup people thought it was cute, and maybe a little expensive, but worth it. Now, having a Stanley Cup made you an easy target to get made fun of all over social media. There are people with 20+ Stanley Quenchers. They are all the same, just different colors. On top of this, accessories for a cup were made. You can buy straw covers or even a bookbag for your own cup. What was a simple cup has now become a trend and aesthetic for many.
“I own a few Stanleys but don’t see the reason to have more than three. It’s excessive to own several of the same cup, accessorize it and camp outside a store for a cup.” GHS senior Daneille Blankenship said.
Just like everything else, when will this trend die?
