If you've spent anytime watching, reading, or consuming the news, you've probably come across a story or two about the infamous Stanley tumbler. Yes — the water cup that people are camping out for, rushing into stores for like it's Black Friday, and causing to sell out across the country.
But WHY is this all happening? After all, it's not as if the Stanley brand is new — the company's been making its all-steel vacuum flask for over 100 years. And since William Stanley Jr. invented the vacuum-insulated steel bottle in 1913, the company has mostly catered to outdoorsy adventure types.
But now the Stanley cup (no, not the shiny trophy awarded to the NHL champion) — once synonymous with laborers, hikers, and campers — has become a fixture among millennials, Gen Z'ers, and TikTok influencers, who carry an array of bright, pastel tumblers as if they're the hottest handbag.
These have kinda broken the internet (or likely the doors at your local Target). My social media feeds have turned into complete Stanley mania because of this cup (yes, a cup!!!). People were seen getting trampled, and in one case, a man tried to make a quick run with them out the store before getting stopped by customers yelling, "Get him, get him!! Stop him!"
And in this video, where people are seen camping out at 4 a.m. to race to the stands once the doors open, the creator said a fight broke out, stealing occurred, and sheriffs came.
And over 24 million people watched this video of people racing to snag the limited-edition Galentines cups, which were limited to two per customer. This was possibly to prevent reselling — they're already being sold on eBay for more than $100 (the original price for the 40-ounce Stanley is $45).
But wait! Let's take it back to the origins of the Stanley craze. As I mentioned, if you looked at Stanley's audience 10 years ago, it surely wasn't your typical suburban mom and daughter racing to Target. In 2017 the Buy Guide, a product recommendation blog founded by three American moms, featured Stanley’s 40-ounce Quencher cup in an Instagram post. Labeling it "the one" out of all insulated cups in the market, the post kick-started the cup into fame (it was originally not a priority seller for Stanley).
The video, which has now been viewed over 94 million times, proved an organic testament to the cup's durability. The fact that this woman could probably clean this cup off and continue to use it after a car fire (!) was deranged, but also kind of the best form of free advertisement. Stanley took note, sending her new cups and even buying her a brand-new car.
In addition, sporting a Stanley tumbler might signify someone's status (kinda like a name brand or designer clothing). In one case, a mom on TikTok shared that her 9-year-old daughter was made fun of because she had a Walmart-brand water bottle, while a handful of girls got Stanleys for Christmas.
