Yet again, social media has created an overconsumption craze. At this point, just about everyone has seen the Stanley Cup trend in action. Whether someone has hopped on the fad or sat by and watched everyone else partake, it is undeniable that this trend is getting out of hand.
The Stanley brand has been around since 1913, making it over 110 years old. However, the Stanley cups we think of now aren’t how the brand got started. Initially, the brand focused on creating cups for everyday use and outdoor adventure. The focus was never on the pure aesthetics of the cups but instead remained on functionality, quality, and the relatively new technology of vacuum-insulated cups.
However, they somewhat recently decided to try a risky marketing tactic that massively paid off. They redesigned and marketed a very outdoorsy cup and brand towards a more feminine audience, and generally created a more aesthetically pleasing design, the Quencher. The design was originally launched in 2016, but production stopped in 2019 due to a lack of sales. However, in 2020, they re-released the design due to inquiries they received relating to the tumblers.
The original lack of success for the Quencher can be traced back to other popular trending items. Around the same time that the design was originally released, multiple other water bottles of similar nature were trending, such as the Hydroflask. With this amount of competition, Stanley didn’t have a chance to make themselves known and popular for this type of design. However, they had extreme success with their second launch- but has the “success” been too much?
According to CNBC, “The success of the Quencher has helped Stanley grow its annual revenue from $70 million to more than $750 million in four years.” It is clear that the Quencher design has astronomically popularized a long-time brand.
So far, the success of the Stanley Quencher sounds like a good thing; after all, it’s an unproblematic brand skyrocketing in popularity. However, the level of obsession people have with this cup is causing major problems. Perhaps the worst of these issues is the excessive consumerism these cups have created. The entire purpose of a reusable cup is that it’s good for the environment and that you reuse it. Collecting every color and style completely defeats this purpose, not to mention the tons of accessories people are purchasing to go with their cups. From specifically designed bags to straw toppers and name tags, tons of new accessories are creating yet another market for people to toss money at.
This much popularity doesn’t create a peaceful market for these cups. There have been many instances where people have lined up outside of stores before they open to get exclusive colors and styles of Stanley cups. One Tiktok from Ivey Huerta shows her lined up at 1:45 a.m. outside of Target waiting to get a cup. She says that they’ve all been lined up since 10 p.m. waiting for the store to open at 8 a.m. Many other videos and stories just like this one have been shared all over the internet.
Fanaticism is showing up with this trend on an astronomical level, and even when people aren’t lining up before opening, they’ll rush in to grab up all the stock in mere minutes. Another Tiktok by Bella Blasian shows a crowd of women rushing to a freshly restocked shelf and clearing it extremely fast, snatching up their chalices of choice left and right. Additionally, stories and rumors of physical altercations breaking out have been circulating.
As if all of this wasn’t enough, people are causing potential health problems from water over-consumption. A large issue is that many people are promoting how great the cups are for increasing your water intake, but there is such a thing as too much water. According to the Mayo Clinic, men should be drinking about 15.5 cups or 3.7 liters of fluids a day, and women should be drinking about 11.5 cups or 2.7 liters a day. A 40oz Stanley holds 5 cups of liquid, meaning men shouldn’t drink any more than three cups full of water, and women shouldn’t drink much more than two cups full.
It’s clear that this is a craze that cannot be controlled, however, as with any trend, this too will pass. For example, Hydroflasks were incredibly popular around 2019 and 2020, but now almost no one is talking about them. History always repeats itself, and it’s the fate that’s awaiting every trend. Soon enough, Stanley’s will be up on the same forgotten shelf as those old Hydroflask and Nalgene water bottles.
