Stanley cups have been around as an entity since 1913 but really took off almost exactly 110 years later: when they became the must-have sippy cup of choice on TikTok. The appeal lies partly in their effectiveness, keeping drinks cool and storing a massive 40 ounces of liquid.
The company claims that it can keep drinks cold for up to 11 hours, hot for seven, and even hold ice for up to two days. A neat trick—but the main appeal for many lies in the aesthetic too. The large cup comes in dozens of colors, so you can match it to your aesthetic—or even buy dozens, so you have a color for every occasion. The consumption of Stanley cups is huge, with many people rapidly building up enormous collections of the vessels.
Here’s a look at how much a Stanley cup costs—and the people who are spending huge amounts building up a collection.
The price of drinking like a TikTokker
A Stanley cup will set you back $45 in the United States, although an incessant pop-up on their site highlights that you can get 10% off your first order if you sign up to the mailing list, however.
There are tons of different colors to choose from, usually in some kind of sleek pastel shade. It’s this ability to ‘collect them all’ that is encouraging some people to spend far more than $45 on the cup. In the case of justtkass on TikTok, for example, her collection of 16 (visible) Stanley cups would have set her back a whopping $720, if she paid full price for all of them.
She’s not alone though: spend enough time scrolling through the #StanleyCup and you’ll find dozens of similar collections.
Drinking water is, of course, important for everybody’s health and I can’t lie that buying a sippy-style cup has helped me personally drink more water. Even if you want to buy into the brand and buy a $45 cup, rather than a $10 equivalent, there’s truly no need to buy this more. The ease with which you can buy via TIkTok Shop might make this type of consumption seem normal but trust me–the planet and your bank account will thank you for sticking to just one cup.
(featured image: justtkass on TikTok)
