- According to one trend forecaster, Stanley water bottles were the number one thing teenagers bought for Christmas.
- Casey Lewis has been seen “carrying” hundreds of TikToks and has been seen with an expensive bottle of water many times.
- But its popularity with young teens may mean its popularity is fading.
It looks like the Stanley Cup has reached its peak.
Huge, colorful, insulated quencher cups have become not only an object of desire, but also an object of insanity for the majority of well-hydrated Millennial and Gen Z women.
Stanley is a company that has been manufacturing vacuum-sealed metal bottles since 1913. His 40-ounce “Quencher” cup with handle and straw exploded in popularity in 2022, driven by blogs and social media influencers.
On January 1st, Stanley released a new color, magenta, for Valentine's Day. It's available exclusively at Target, along with a video of people rummaging through the shelves, with a hapless employee begging for “two items per guest!” I caught a virus.
But is it possible that this trend has peaked and Stanley is on the way out?
Casey Lewis, a youth consumer trends analyst who writes the After School newsletter, thinks that may be true. I asked Lewis what she observed by watching hours of TikTok videos of (mostly) Gen Z women performing “Christmas Harvest” on December 26th.
This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.
What were Gen Z's top Christmas TikTok items?
The mini-platform Uggs were all the rage, and so was Lululemon, Brandy Melville, and expensive skin care, but nothing was as popular as the Stanley tumbler.
The majority of shipments included at least one Stanley.
Was this a surprise, or did you expect it to be a popular item considering the trends? When did it become popular?
It's no surprise that Stanley is a popular gift. I did a similar fishing report last year, and Stanley was very popular then as well. What was surprising was the enthusiasm the water bottles generated, especially among teenagers.
When I was 11 years old, I asked for a doll. Today's 11 year old wanted a Stanley tumbler. I remember crying when I was given an American Girl doll, so I understand that gifts can cause emotional reactions in young people, but I don't understand why Gen Alpha kids cry over water bottles. It's pretty amazing to see. At least the kids are hydrated!
What age group are you most interested in buying these Stanley Cups?
Most of them are university students or younger.
My first perception of the Stanley Cup was as something that belonged to older millennial suburban moms. (To be fair, this may reflect my own bias.) This is a trend that has trickled down from Millennials to Gen Z rather than backwards. Is it possible?
Oh, that's interesting. Hmm.
It's certainly possible that it trickled down from millennial mothers, but that goes against the normal development of trends. In my experience, most trends start with the cool youth, trickle down (to young kids) and spread (to adults). , Cool youth progresses.
So in the trend cycle for status items like the Stanley Cup, where are we in the cycle? Are they on their way?
They are fully on their way. This is Peak Stanley. I can't go up from here!
For example, if a middle schooler suddenly has one, how about it looks uncool to a teenager or 20-something?
That's exactly it! It's like Drunk Elephant skin care.
When young children and teenagers adopt trends and products, teenagers and older Generation Z distance themselves.
Oh, does this mean Drunk Elephant isn't cool anymore?!
Drunk elephants aren't cool anymore. :/ In 2021, I interviewed Gen Z about what kind of skincare they were buying, and a 15-year-old said Drunk Elephant was overhyped and aimed at “12-year-olds who want to be 15-year-olds.” ah.
So what will be the next cool water bottle? Or will there be another trendy water bottle? Perhaps everyone just drinks from a glass, for example? Or will it move to a status pencil or something?
Maybe it looks like Owara? That's the consensus in the comments on TikTok.
But to be honest, I think you're right that there won't be another “It” water bottle. Because I don't think what teenagers are into right now is about water bottles.
I think the current Stanley trend is like collecting Beanie Babies. It's flex!
