When I say Stanley Cup, what do you think of? Do you think about the championship trophy awarded annually to the National Hockey League playoff champion? Or, do you think of the water bottle? Chances are, if you’re active on the internet, it’s the latter.
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It seems like Stanley cups – the water bottle kind – have skyrocketed in popularity over the past few months. All over the US, from suburbia to college campuses, the cup has become the accessory of the season. After the 2023 holidays, when the cup was a wildly popular gift or stocking stuffer, it seems that it is nearly inescapable. People will spend hundreds of dollars on resale platforms to obtain a special holiday edition like Target’s “Galentine’s Day” drop. People will show them off online and in-person for the admiration of others. Today, I talked to people who own Stanleys to figure out what all the rage is.
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[ELLA BARNES] You’re probably going to hear some Kinky Boots music because that’s where we are right now!
[TIGER LEE] My name is Tiger Lee and I am working on Kinky Boots with you!
[E. BARNES] So, you have a Stanley Cup.
[LEE] I do!
So, I chatted with Tiger, who got their Stanley for Christmas. They shared that they would not have gotten the cup otherwise, because a Stanley cup can run for 40 to 50 dollars.
[LEE] I feel like a lot of impressionable people online tend to latch onto trends that they think will make them cooler or happier based on what influencers and people who have a platform tell them, which I think is not the healthiest mindset to have. I feel like they promote a lot of things that are very mid and make them seem like they’re these amazing things when they’re really not, and I think that the Stanley cup is no exception to that. I think that people just want to fit in and seem cool.
Tiger also mentioned knowing the high cost of Stanley’s are part of their appeal.
[LEE] That’s why I think Supreme was such a big brand, because once you wore it everyone was like oh, it’s a red logo, it looks stupid, but they have money. And I think, a Stanley cup, maybe that’s not the whole story but that’s definitely part of it.
[SARAH LEWIS] My name is Sarah Charles Lewis. I have two Stanleys.
Sarah, unlike Tiger, was overall very positive about the cups!
[CHARLES] They just keep my water so cold! Like, when I wanna have crisp water in the middle of the night, I fill it up with ice in the dining hall and then I fill it up with water, and I have ice in the morning too! And it’s so nice!
Not only is the insulation of the bottle a selling point for Sarah, but the cup’s ability to hold large quantities of water, the straw, and the handle were all attractive factors. She also said that she finds herself drinking more water on a regular basis because of the cup.
[ANNA RIGO] I’m Anna Rigo! I have multiple Stanley cups…so, first one I bought, one I won at a grad party, I got another one as a grad gift, and then my grandmother gave me one.
[BARNES] Do you think you use them all frequently?
[RIGO] I use two of them frequently. I used to use the third one a lot at home, but since coming to college I don’t use it as much. But two of them I use all the time – my tea one and my classic, handle Stanley.
The Stanley website separates its water bottles into three categories: Quenchers, IceFlows, and Water Bottles. Water Bottles are the general catch-all. In Stanley taxonomy, all IceFlows and Quenchers are Water Bottles, but not all Water Bottles are IceFlows or Quenchers. IceFlows are, according to the manufacturer, tailored toward cold drinks and have a flip lid. Quenchers, the company’s flagship bottle, have built-in straws and handles.
[BARNES] Do you think that there’s an aesthetic value to the Stanley cup as well, like, carrying the cup around?
[RIGO] Sometimes yes? Sometimes I’m like yes, woohoo! Carrying my Stanley! But sometimes it’s annoying, especially if it’s cold. Like, I’ll be carrying it and my hand will get really cold! But yes, I think that there is an aesthetic value to it for sure.
To get more insight on what the Stanley landscape is like in suburbia, I talked to my sister;
[AMELIA BARNES] Amelia Barnes.
And learned about what’s hip about them with the 9th graders in high school.
[Amelia Barnes] There’s a lot of girls in my French class who have, and they probably have three or four different ones. I don’t get the point of it because they’re expensive, so… but they all have different colors, and some people match them with their outfits.
Water bottle fads are no new thing. Stanley is just the latest receptacle to get wrapped up in the reusable water bottle trend. Hydroflasks, S’wells, Owalas, Yetis and Camelbaks are some “trendy” water bottles of the past few years.
[RIGO] I really think it took off because it was trendy.
That’s Anna again.
[RIGO] Like, the one that I use all the time was a raffle item, which I don’t think ever would’ve been in a raffle if it wasn’t a “hot new thing.” I don’t know! I think that it’s very interesting that it’s now like children have collections of them because it’s the big internet thing.
A question had been burning in my mind since I began to learn about the large scale reach of the Stanley – is the trend is on the cusp of a decline? Here’s what Amelia had to say on the question.
[A. BARNES ] People, like, I will walk into school or into class and someone will be like “oh my god, look guys, I just got a Stanley. And it’s still happening. Like, my friend got one today. She was like, “I finally got a Stanley!” So, I don’t think it’s on the decline, I just think that it’s not going to be like a hot trendy thing. It’s just going to be a water bottle that people buy.
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This story about Stanley Cups has turned into a never-ending rabbit hole of angles to view the story through. There is so much to cover. The marketing genius, the sustainability questions of collecting multiple reusable bottles, the Black-Friday like squabbles in Target over new editions of the cups, the fact that children are getting Stanleys instead of toys for Christmas… All I have to say right now? Go drink some water. Whether it’s out of a Stanley is your prerogative.
Reporting for WNUR News, I’m Ella Barnes.
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