It’s not every day that an 111-year-old product suddenly shoots to internet fame.
But for Stanley, that’s exactly what happened. After more than a century of selling reusable thermoses to pilots and workmen, the brand’s 40-ounce, $45 Quencher tumbler took off with a new group of fans: women on social media.
And when we say “took off,” we mean it:
- Since 2020, the insulated Stanley Quencher has become one of the world’s most popular water bottles.
- Stanley’s revenue skyrocketed from $73m in 2019 to $194m in 2021.
- In 2022, the company redesigned its Quencher in new colors and finishes, doubling revenue to $402m.
- Last year, the brand’s sales topped an estimated $750m.
It wasn’t just new colors driving the brand’s meteoric rise; social media played a large part in the tumbler’s comeback.
On TikTok, #stanleytumbler has amassed 1.1B views, with influencers flaunting their Quenchers in rare colors and massive collections.
To be fair, the concept of a trendy water bottle isn’t entirely new — there were Nalgenes covered in stickers, patterned S’wells, and the good ol’ Hydro Flask.
Forty ounces of trouble
Unlike its predecessors, though, the Stanley tumbler is causing a big commotion. Literally.
People camped outside Target to get their hands on the Stanley x Starbucks pink tumbler, and stampedes broke out over a limited-edition Galentine’s Day collection.
Where there’s that much demand, there are resellers capitalizing:
- On StockX, tumblers from the Starbucks collab are reselling for ~$290.
- Resellers have also flooded eBay, offering the Valentine’s Day Quenchers for hundreds of dollars.
Then, of course, there are the counterfeit cups being peddled by scammers.
There was a lead-poisoning scare when one TikToker said her 3-year-old’s water bottle tested positive for lead. (While the tumblers technically contain lead, it’s not exposed unless the bottle is severely damaged.)
Anyway, let us know when the Quencher reaches a size big enough to live in, since it’s apparently fire-proof.
