Stanleys: The Thermos Takeover

Stanleys. The giant water bottles that almost everyone seems to have. You’ve seen them; the bright colors and variations that litter workspaces and schools alike. You’ve heard them; the loud crashes when they hit the floor and the silence that follows right after. You may have even felt them; the metallic feel and shiny overcoat that keeps the water inside freezing cold all day. By now, almost everyone knows what a Stanley is. Almost everyone can picture the giant thermos that many people carry around. I can picture the many events and “drops” that Stanley has had with other famous companies or celebrities that make people go crazy for them. I can see the fights that have happened in Target, over a $42 dollar cup. But why does it feel like everyone and their mother owns one? What makes Stanleys so attractive to a consumer? Why do we wait in the freezing cold at 3 a.m. just to get a cup that can hold water? Why do we love Stanleys so much? 

To start, Stanley Cups, or what is more commonly known as “Stanleys”, are reusable water bottles that come in many varieties of colors, designs, and sizes. These cups are named after the founder of Stanley, William Stanley. According to their official website, Stanley 1913, the company started when Stanley invented a double-wall steel vacuum insulation that would make the foundations for the company’s performance. He later advanced this insulation by packing in charcoal dust while the steel was forming, making the bottles tougher and more durable at the time. In 2009, they retired this method of making their insulated water bottles, and began making a thermos with a thicker steel wall which made the bottles lighter and more insulated. This type of method is similar to how water bottles are made today. Overall, the company has refined the technique to make their Stanley Cups that we see today, which could be a reason why Stanley Cups are seen as a great water bottle to keep your drinks cold or hot. Currently, according to the official Stanley 1913 website, “The Quencher” 40 ounce water bottle will cost you $45 dollars before shipping and handling. For reference, this is the “popular” cup that everyone is wanting right now. The celebrity or “collab” Stanley Cups of the same size as “The Quencher” can cost you anywhere from $55 dollars to $60 or more dollars. The lowest price for a Stanley Cup that I could find on their website was for “The Quick Flip Go Bottle”, and its price was $25 dollars. These cups are pricey, but with the technology that goes into the development to keep the drinks cool or warm throughout your day could make up for it. Outside of their official website, you can find Stanley Cups at many large retail stores, such as Target, Walmart, DICK’s sporting goods, Amazon, and many other places. I personally believe the availability of purchasing these cups anywhere as well as the technology that has been developed to perfect the best insulated cup is a reason why many people choose to purchase Stanleys. 

Yet, if the process of making the insulated cup and how it is made is not a reason people choose to buy a Stanley cup over other water bottles, why do people purchase them? Well, for starters, we have already established that the quality of these water bottles are top-notch. These cups have advanced methods to keep your drinks cool, and that’s a reason why many people choose a Stanley. According to an article by Women’s health, Emma Gritt used a Stanley Cup as her main water bottle for a week and posted her thoughts about it. Although she has critiques on its size and how leak-proof it was, she noted that it kept her drinks cold throughout her day. “I regularly filled the cup with iced water… not once did I find myself sipping on water that was even a few degrees warmer.” Here, Gritt is describing how the water stayed cold, even throughout changes in temperature and the depletion of the amount of water in the bottle. Many other reviews of the water bottles reflect the same thing: the water in Stanley Cups stays forever cold or hot. Additionally, the wide variety of colors, sizes, and designs that Stanley Cups can come in is attractive to a wide variety of consumers and their needs. I don’t believe there is a color that Stanley has not made into a cup. Any color of the rainbow can be found in practically any size of these cups. With the randomness of what colors could drop or be released, it keeps collectors and consumers excited. More commonly, white, black, and pink are the colors that will be found on new cups or accessories because they are often the most popular colors to purchase. Another reason why people purchase Stanleys, and why I think many people buy them, is because they are trendy. It’s human for people to be afraid of missing out, but social media has heightened that fear and developed the need in many people to “stay on trend”. Currently, Stanley Cups are trending, and many influencers and celebrities online have their own collection of Stanley Cups. I believe the “trend” started when a video was posted on Tiktok of a girl showing that her car was practically burned to ash, yet her Stanley Cup survived and the water still had ice in it! Talk about excellent marketing. This truly started the movement to purchase Stanley Cups, and caused many influencers to buy these cups themselves to stay on this trend. Since consumers are seeing their favorite people have a new, popular cup, they feel more inclined to get one themselves. It’s an everflowing stream of people just purchasing Stanley Cups. To quote Chris Dornellas on Rockcontent, “the right social media strategy can catapult a brand from obscurity to ubiquity overnight.” On top of that, Stanley has started to establish “limited drops” and sell limited time cups for certain occasions. Now who doesn’t want a super rare Stanley? For example, Stanley released their 40 ounce cups in time for Valentine’s day with two limited edition colors at Target. The designs gained a lot of attention online and amongst fans which led to a lot of excitement for the release. On the day of sale, fans camped out in front of Target and stormed the store, just for some “special edition” cups. They sold out in minutes. Even with the limits of one or two per person, many stores sold out before they were even opened for 30 minutes. But don’t worry, if you want one of these $45 dollar cups, you can now get it for $100+ dollars online whenever you want! At the end of the day, Stanley cups are appealing to consumers, not just because of their colors and quality, but more of their popularity and ability to be collected. 

Now it’s no surprise that because these cups are trending many teens are getting involved and buying their own. Many teenagers have begun making generalizations about who buys them, and have formed a new “social status” over these cups. When you search up “Stanley Cups” on Tiktok, it’s difficult to not see many younger generations showing off their collection. In general, it’s hard to not find an internet personal who doesn’t have these cups. This could be a reason why many teens have them. Today’s teens are constantly exposed to what is online, so it would only make sense that they feel influenced to buy one of these cups when it seems like everyone is getting one. I mean, Health Organizations have declared that teens are very perceptive to what is around them, resulting in being influenced by what’s around them. No one wants to be left out do they?

Whether or not you actually like Stanley cups or you think they are overrated, you can’t deny that they have a big impact in modern consumerism. According to reports by CNBC, Stanley roughly made $750 million dollars in 2023 due to the popularity amassed around Stanley Cups. For reference, in 2019-2020 they were making a comfortable $70 million dollars in annual sales. At least for the company, they have seen a huge impact in their company by increasing their profit exponentially. As well for other companies, many different brands have seen profit by making “dups” of Stanley Cups. For those who don’t know, a “dup” is basically a knock-off product that looks very similar to the original one, but may lack the same quality in exchange for a lower price. These brands have seen profit from those who may not have the budget to buy the actual cup, but can afford a $15 or even $5 cup that looks very similar. Either way, the trend of Stanley cups has made an impact on the Stanley company, but also many smaller companies. 

Still, there are many other water bottles that are popular, maybe not on the same level as Stanley Cups, but they are still popular. Way before Stanley Cups grew in popularity, Hydroflasks were all the craze. These water bottles actually gained popularity the same way that Stanleys did. Hydroflasks were a staple of the “VSCO” era that had a huge following as Tiktok started to become a popular app. They had a simple design of a twist cap and steel bottle to keep drinks either cold or hot. During this era, it was difficult to find a “VSCO” girl that didn’t have a Hydroflask, the same way it is difficult to find an influencer today that doesn’t have a Stanley Cup. Eventually, the Hydroflask craze died down, and they were not as popular anymore. As the cycle goes, people move onto the next better, more popular stuff. As well, Owala water bottles are popular right now too. I personally own an Owala. Owala water bottles are also popular online, most likely due to the many cute designs and patterns that the bottles can come in. These water bottles have flip-caps rather than the straws that Stanleys have, which is why they appeal to a different audience. Although Owalas are not as popular as Stanleys, you still will see multiple of them in stores and find that certain patterns and collaborations will be sold out rather quickly. This shows that maybe, just maybe, Stanleys could just be a trend right now, and most likely will not stick around for the long run.

Overall, I believe that Stanleys are just going to be a trend that is popular right now, but will eventually fade out when something new comes around. I mean, the fact that one of the main reasons why these cups are so popular is because of the social media presence they have, it also means that they can quickly lose it too. If people, especially influencers, move away from Stanley Cups and invest in something new, then Stanley Cups will be seen not “on trend” anymore and be unpopular. Yet, I can also see the argument that they will be around for a while. The technology that goes into the process of making the cups makes them durable and long lasting, so people will be able to use them for a while. As well, these cups are excellent at keeping water cold, which is very appealing. However, Stanleys did not become popular based on factors, they became popular based on trend and popularity. People are collecting to show off, not to have a durable water bottle. As well, when retail stores see that Stanley Cups are not selling like they do now, then they will reduce how much they have to sell, or just stop selling them at all. So, as much as Stanleys have good quality, are durable, and are useful, people are attracted to them based on trend and popularity, and that is why we love them.

***I do not own this image. The image belongs to Inc. Magazine. All rights of the image are reserved to them.