Starbucks' Iconic Holiday Cups Used To Look A Lot Different - Tasting Table

"Leena Robinson/Shutterstock Who needs a calendar when you have regular trips to Starbucks? As lights start twinkling, tinsel begins draping, and festive choruses commence ringing from radios, there's another tell-tale sign that holiday festivities are knocking: Starbucks holiday cups. The chain's signature red products have become synonymous with winter, and fans eagerly await the new patterns each year. Still, there's something many people don't know: these designs weren't always red."

"Launched in 1997, the first holiday cup was actually purple. The original design attempted to lean into festivity through its illustrations, with outlines of holly leaves alongside swirls and coffee beans. Purple is also loosely linked to Christmas, with connotations of royalty when celebrating the birthday of Jesus Christ. Yet, red is undeniably more iconic, isn't it? Skipping this "classic" color seems like a Scrooge-worthy misjudgment and, eventually, it seems Starbucks agreed."

"In 2015, there was the time Starbucks' red cups stirred up a world of controversy for being disappointingly plain. The company later revealed that it had wanted to give customers a blank canvas, but the decision remained a crowd divider. The following year triggered another uproar when customers prematurely erupted in panic over green cups, only to find that the actual design would be released later that month."

Starbucks launched its first holiday cup in 1997 which was purple with holly outlines, swirls, and coffee beans. Purple carried loose links to Christmas and connotations of royalty. The chain experimented with a darker shade in 1998 and switched to red in 1999, establishing the now-iconic color. In 2015, plain red cups sparked controversy; the company later said the intent was to provide a blank canvas. The 2016 season caused panic over green cups until the official design appeared. Since 1999 the rotating holiday cup designs have become a cultural phenomenon eagerly anticipated by customers.

Read at Tasting Table