How Stanley became everyone’s favorite water bottle

The Stanley cup craze, explained. vox.com/culture CULTURE   The whole point of a reusable water bottle is to reduce single-use plastic consumption — except when it’s not. Those giant Stanley tumblers that are all over the internet seem to most often appear in flocks, surrounded by other giant Stanley tumblers in a panoply of shades and finishes, displayed in perfectly aligned arrangements like Busby Berkeley dancers in a way that makes one thing crystal clear: Owning this reusable water bottle isn’t about conservation. So what is it about? This week, Vox Senior Correspondent Alex Abad-Santos — who opted for a Rose Quartz Quencher before immediately developing Forest Gloss Deco yearnings — [explains what Stanley is really selling](. The tumbler is more than its visual appeal and functionality, although for what it's worth, he reports that as a nightstand-based hydration station, it works great. Stanleys, especially en masse, telegraph the kind of status that comes not with saving the planet but with having lots of the things that, very theoretically, could save the planet. Consumption is still hot — even when it’s consuming products that are supposed to reduce consumption. —[Keren Landman](, senior reporter Editor's note: For ongoing coverage and analysis of the developing conflict between Israel and Hamas, [read our Vox colleagues' work here](. The Stanley water bottle craze, explained [several red, white, and black Stanley water bottles on a multicolor pastel starburst and flower background]( Paige Vickers/Vox; Getty Images; Stanley According to professional hockey players, the Stanley Cup is the be-all and end-all. Winning the cup is the highest possible accomplishment — proof of hard work and teamwork coupled with enormous fortune. It’s the achievement of a lifetime that only a select few get to experience. According to the internet, the Stanley™ Cup may be even better. All over the US, in suburban pockets and college towns especially, “a Stanley”[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 wake up early and wait in line for the opportunity to purchase one. 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 for the admiration of others. When Americans colloquially refer to a Stanley, what they mean is a fancy, reusable water bottle from the Stanley brand, a 111-year-old company with a vaunted history of providing sturdy, insulated beverage containers to the likes of WWII pilots and blue-collar American men. Now, more geared toward capturing a female clientele, Stanley still offers that century-old promise: Its tumbler will hold and keep beverages at a desired temperature (hot ones stay hot, and cold ones stay cold). [Read the full story »](  [Learn more about RevenueStripe...]( There’s something icky about performative cleanliness TikTok is full of millennial gray, competitive hygiene, and bleach. It stinks! [Read the full story »]( My year of Dry January A monthlong break from drinking was just the beginning for me. [Read the full story »](   Support our work We aim to explain what we buy, why we buy it, and why it matters. Support our mission by making a gift today. [Give](   More good stuff to read today - [The world is dying to know the secret Selena Gomez told Taylor Swift at the Golden Globes]( - [Want to understand American views on Israel? Take a look at this 1958 novel.]( - [Mary Kay Letourneau, the grim inspiration for May December, explained]( - [Are you a headache person? You don’t have to suffer in silence.]( - [Trump says a lot of stuff about the economy. What would he actually do?]( - [Yes, everyone is sick right now. So what can you do about it?]( - [Gypsy-Rose Blanchard, whose bizarre tale of abuse ended in her mother’s murder, is the latest free woman at the eye of a media hurricane](  [Learn more about RevenueStripe...](   [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [YouTube]( Manage your [email preferences]( or [unsubscribe](param=culture). If you value Vox’s unique explanatory journalism, support our work with a one-time or recurring [contribution](. View our [Privacy Policy]( and our [Terms of Service](. Vox Media, 1201 Connecticut Ave. NW, Floor 12, Washington, DC 20036. Copyright © 2024. All rights reserved.