Americans have gone wild for massive 'quencher' cup that has gone viral

05 January 2024 , 17:27

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People have camped over night to get their hands on the Target exclusive cup (Image: Ebay)

It is a company that has been around for more than a hundred years but many of us may not of heard of it before its popularity propelled it into the masses.

Stanley cups - but not just any Stanley cups - the massive 40 ounce cup known as the "quencher", are currently driving shoppers in America crazy. But what is it about the supersized beverage holders that has got people so obsessed?

Nothing has exposed American's obsession with the bottles more than the new launch of a special edition pink cup for Valentine's day. The quencher has been launched in collaboration with Starbucks, and videos of people trying to get their hands on the $50 mug have gone viral.

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The $50 mug is selling for almost $500 in many places (Ebay)

Queues of people have been seen waiting outside Target stores across the US, and the cup has even started showing up on reselling sights for more than five times its RRP.

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Starbucks has confirmed they won't be producing more, so everyone is eager to get their hands on the limited edition bright pink colour which we suspect 2023 Barbie mania has something to do with it.

People are obsessed with the Pink Valentines Day special cup (Starbucks)

TikTok user Vincent Marcus shared a video describing how he camped outside Target to get the cup. They arrived at the store at 1.40am and were the first ones there. They then waited until people started to arrive before they joined the queue outside the store. By 3am, the queue began to grow ahead of the store opening for 8am.

Stanley cups aren't just any basic old travel bottle. What makes them so special is their ability to keep beverages either hot, or cold, for hours. Last year, a video went viral on TikTok after a woman whose car burnt down discovered that her Stanley cup which was in the car's cup holder, still had ice inside, despite being surrounded by flames. That video has been viewed 92.7 million times.

The company was first founded in 1913 when founder William Stanley Jr came up with a way to fuse vacuum insulation the bottle with the strength of steel. But last year the brand peaked in popularity when the quencher cups started appearing on the feeds of social media influencers. They also proved to be an extremely popular request among young people. Hundreds of videos were shared to TikTok showing children receive the 40 ounce cups for Christmas.

The huge cup holds 40 oz (Ebay)

One reason behind the brand's recent success could be put down to its new president, Terence Reilly. According to Complex, Reilly joined the company in May 2020, and had worked at Crocs for seven years as the chief marketing officer before that.

Could it be a coincidence that Crocs really came into the mainstream once again around this time? Or is it proof that Reilly really knows how to catapult a brand's popularity?

Collectors are desperate to get their hands on the special edition cup (eBay)

He told MSNBC : "My experience at Crocs was fuelled by collaboration culture and drop culture. And I knew that once we had our legs under us at Stanley, and once we could see the connection to consumers that we were creating, we were also ready for collaborations."

Stanley has released several collaborations since, with Lainey Wilson, Olay, and now Starbucks. According to MSNBC, Stanley's annual revenue has grown from $94 million in 2020 to $402 in 2022.

Resellers are using a number of websites (Mercari)

They are so popular some people even collect them. Another explanation for the hype could be that they aren't produced in mass quantities for a reason.

Reilly said: "We really continue to increase the number of units available each time we drop, because we see the trend and the waiting lists that are growing. But there’s only so many seats in the stadium, and when the seats are sold out, they’re sold out.

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Resellers are flogging it on Ebay (Ebay)

Rachel Makar, a senior merchandising director at Stock X told Complex that Stanley's are a perfect fit for the current culture consumer. She said: “This is yet another example of a product that fits that bill for the current culture consumer. The broader cultural shift toward an obsession with hydration also doesn’t hurt—the hashtag#WaterTokhas 975 million views on TikTok, and just last week

" The New York Timespredicted premium hydration will be a major trend in 2024. What we’re seeing play out on the platform is a bit of a perfect storm of the scarcity-fueled hype, the right brand partners, and a moment in time where hydration is top-of-mind.”

Lydia Stephens