Stanley cups are a certified phenomenon, thanks in large part to TikTok. People are now waiting in line for them overnight at Target. Some are getting tackled. People are laminating their Stanley labels.
Stanley’s marketing team is obviously doing a great job. But one video of Stanley “must-haves” has sent people over the edge.
In a video posted to X by the account @milktealattae, which now has more than 7.5 million views, a Stanley owner shows off accessories from Amazon. There’s a “silicone boot” for the bottom of the tumbler, straw covers, a snack tray that attaches to the top of the cup, a carrier that turns the Stanley into a purse, an “initial charm” that hangs off the handle, and something that looks like a fanny pack. For the Stanley, not the person.
“this whole stanley thing is really starting to feel like a cult bc why would you need all that for a tumbler?” @milktealattae wrote.
“Stanley cups are a powerful symbol you do not live anywhere remotely walkable,” wrote @karengeier in response. In the video, the person says that the snack tray attachment is great for watching TV or “while I’m in the car.” Lugging this thing around a walkable city is pretty inconvenient.
“This is so counterintuitive bc the literal point of this cup is to reduce waste!” said one commenter.
As pointed out in the comments and quote-tweets, the Stanley craze is really an extension of the VSCO girl trend of 2019. VSCO referred to the photo-editing app that was popular with Gen Z at the time, but one of the fixtures of the VSCO girl was a hydroflask, often decorated with stickers or charms.
It became an extension of the VSCO girl persona, to the point of parody. Now Stanley has reached the same point. But some people pointed out that because these Stanleys are mostly owned by women, ragging on the trend is predictable.
“Some of the Stanley jokes have been funny but is this not just the ‘are women allowed to have little treats’ discourse again?” asked @moorehn. “It’s a relatively inexpensive thing that allows women to express themselves and they don’t have to share it with anyone else. That’s why it’s popular.”
While this Amazon-friendly video got a lot of traction, these kinds of “must-have” videos promoting all the Stanley accessories have been on TikTok for months.