Starbucks Announces More Holiday Merch Amid Bearista Cup Craze

by

Starbucks wants to make the holiday season slightly more bearable.

With all the excitement over their popular Bearista cup selling out quickly, the coffee chain is now releasing a new collaboration that customers are sure to love.

As a huge Starbucks and Roller Rabbit fan, I’m so excited to hear they’re teaming up! Apparently, they’re releasing a line of Starbucks cups featuring Roller Rabbit’s amazing patterns. People magazine reported the launch is happening on December 2nd, and I’m eagerly awaiting more details – I can’t wait to see what they’ve created!

Good news for Starbucks lovers! After the popular Bearista holiday cups—which included a reusable green and white straw and a bear wearing a Starbucks beanie—sold out quickly, the company issued an apology and is restocking them.

Oh my gosh, you guys, Starbucks said the reaction to the Bearista cups was insane! Like, even they weren’t prepared for how quickly everyone snapped them up. They told People magazine they shipped more of those adorable little Bearista cups to stores than almost anything else this year, but it STILL wasn’t enough! They sold out SO fast, along with a few other things. I was lucky to get mine, but I’m already worried about what I’ll miss out on next!

They acknowledged that many customers were looking forward to the Bearista cup and expressed their apologies for any frustration this caused.

Starbucks hasn’t revealed how many of the special cups they made, but they’ve hinted at more fun holiday items being released soon.

Alongside their collaboration with Roller Rabbit, the store launched a variety of new mugs and tumblers, including a red gingerbread cookie design, a cute puppy with a holiday scarf, a travel mug decorated with gingerbread men, and a sophisticated golden poinsettia mug.

Okay, seriously, the new merch is AMAZING, but it’s just the beginning! Starbucks is bringing back ALL my favorite holiday drinks – the Peppermint Mocha, Caramel Brulée Latte, and the Iced Sugar Cookie Latte are coming back, and I’m already counting down the minutes! It’s officially the most wonderful time of the year, thanks to Starbucks!

If you’re craving something sweet, be sure to try the new Cinnamon Pull-Apart bread, available all year, along with the Snowman Cookie and a new Polar Bear Cake Pop.

We’ll be serving all your favorite holiday drinks and snacks in our brand new collectible mugs, as usual.

Keep reading to explore this year’s holiday cups and see designs from Starbucks holidays gone by.

Starbucks released four new cup designs for 2025 with classic red and green plaid and bow patterns. However, the biggest hit was a limited-edition cup featuring a bear barista, which sold out incredibly quickly.

Starbucks said they were amazed by how quickly their holiday merchandise sold out. In a statement to People magazine, they explained that even though they sent more Bearista cups to stores than almost any other item this season, both the cups and a few other popular products sold out rapidly.

The company acknowledged the excitement around the Bearista cup and expressed their apologies for any disappointment caused.

Starbucks embraced groovy, retro-inspired designs with mint green and pink for the holiday season.

The new designs feature charming graphics like vintage ornaments and peppermints on cups and other items. The hot cups also have a wavy pattern inspired by the Starbucks logo around the edges, and a space for baristas to write personalized messages.

Get ready for the holidays with our four new hot cup designs, each with a touch of pink! They are Ribbon Spool, Bauble Wrap, Peppermint Swirl, and Party Plaid, pictured from top left and going clockwise.

Kristy Cameron, Starbucks’ creative director, explained that their team noticed a trend towards vibrant, cheerful colors while planning this year’s holiday season. They discovered that adding magenta to the classic holiday reds and greens not only refreshed the traditional palette but also made the red appear more vivid.

Oh my gosh, last year Starbucks released the most adorable holiday cups! There were four, and I seriously collected them all. They had names like Gift-Wrapped Magic, Frosted Sparkle, Ornament Wonder, and Cozy Evergreen – honestly, each one was more perfect than the last for holding my peppermint mocha! I’m still hoping they bring them back!

Starbucks views its cups as small tokens of appreciation,” said creative director Gary Jacobson. “We want customers and employees alike to feel like they’re receiving a special holiday treat.

To bring the spirit of the holidays to life, designers incorporated classic festive elements like sparkles, ornaments, and snowflakes, along with cheerful colors – mint green and a vibrant red – resulting in a warm and inviting accessory that coffee lovers can enjoy throughout the season.

These cups came in traditional red, green, and white, with subtle touches of frosty lilac. What made them especially special was the inclusion of small gift tags, allowing people to write a personal message with each cup.

This year, Starbucks aimed to create a holiday experience that felt special, welcoming, and joyful for everyone, both customers and employees,” explained Suzie Reecer, the company’s associate creative director.

Oh my gosh, you guys, the 2020 theme was EVERYTHING! It was called “Carry the Merry,” and they had these four amazing designs – Ribbon, Dot, Sparkle, and Brand Wrap. I actually saw samples with “Carry the Merry” written right on them – it was SO cute, I nearly died! I’m still obsessed with those designs, honestly.

According to Jeff Wilkson, Starbucks’ creative director, the design for this year’s cups was intended to spread happiness as people carry them around. He explained that they hoped each order would be a small, enjoyable moment for customers to anticipate.

Starbucks holiday cups in 2019 embraced a maximalist approach, offering four designs: polka dots, a lively dance pattern, cheerful stripes, and candy cane stripes. The company said the colorful and trendy designs were intended to bring small moments of happiness to customers and partners, creating a playful and festive Starbucks experience.

Starbucks released four new holiday cup designs, and the reaction has been largely positive. The designs take inspiration from past cups, but with a fresh look using retro colors and patterns. This year, Starbucks also introduced a reusable holiday cup, offering customers a 50-cent discount on grande holiday drinks when they bring the reusable cup with them.

Starbucks revealed its holiday cup design for the year, explaining it was deliberately created to be personalized. The company encouraged customers to decorate the cups themselves, saying they loved the idea of everyone creating a unique design.

This year, Starbucks celebrated the holidays with a special twist: customer-designed cups! Instead of the traditional ’12 Days of Christmas,’ they released 13 different cup designs created by people from six countries. These festive cups featured classic holiday images like twinkling lights, snowflakes, and Christmas trees.

This wasn’t a holiday cup in the traditional sense, but it still generated online discussion. After the 2015 cup design caused controversy, Starbucks introduced this green, mosaic-patterned cup. The design features over 100 interconnected figures, including baristas, coffee farmers, and people enjoying time together.

Starbucks released a special-edition Unity Cup, explaining that the green color and design symbolize the connections between their employees (called partners) and customers. CEO Howard Schultz said the cup was intended as a reminder of shared values and the importance of kindness during a time when the country felt divided.

Starbucks quickly unveiled its holiday cup for the year, and thankfully, it was red! Everything felt peaceful and cheerful for coffee lovers.

The simple red holiday cup caused a surprising uproar. When Starbucks released the new, bright red ombre design, some people on social media claimed the company was intentionally removing Christmas themes from its annual cups. The hashtag #MerryChristamasStarbucks quickly became popular on Facebook after a pastor in Arizona shared a video complaining about the lack of Christmas imagery, and the video was viewed over 11 million times.

Starbucks responded to the video by reaffirming its commitment to creating a welcoming and inclusive environment for everyone. The company stated that it strives to offer customers a festive and inspiring experience during the holidays and will continue to embrace people of all backgrounds and faiths in its stores globally.

Simple and classic, this red cup featured brush-stroke trees and snowflakes. 

 

These red cups were all about the hardware, a.k.a. ornaments.

Okay, seriously, I swear that giant snowman at Starbucks is always looking at me! It’s like, every time I go for my Trenta Gingerbread Latte – and trust me, I go a LOT – it’s winking! It’s totally giving me vibes, and honestly, it feels like a song lyric now. I keep humming, ‘We always feel like somebody’s watching us…’ because of that snowman! It’s amazing, and a little creepy, but mostly amazing.

I absolutely adored the holiday cups this year! They were covered in the coziest, most heartwarming images – think cheerful carolers, adorable animals, and festive performers. And can we talk about the Skinny Peppermint Mocha? It was a total game-changer when it first came out, though sadly, it’s no longer with us. A true holiday classic, gone but not forgotten!

Since people generally enjoy the idea of caroling – even if they don’t want to hear it up close – the first design trends of the new decade started with themes of singing and song lyrics.

The red cup featured typical holiday words like “hope” and “wish,” similar to the sentimental decorations you might find in your mother’s Christmas collection.

We love the subtle illustration making the Starbucks logo an ornament. Chic. 

We’re racing through the snow in a horse-drawn sleigh, navigating the busy streets to get our hands on some eggnog lattes! Back in 2007, Starbucks’ holiday cups embodied the spirit of sharing, with the slogan “Pass the cheer” printed on a festive blue background covered in snowflakes.

I absolutely loved the 2006 red cups! They were perfect – professional looking for work, but then you flipped them over and instantly got a fun, festive vibe with all the little holiday shoppers and ice skaters. It was a brilliant little detail that always made my coffee breaks feel a bit more special.

This event only occurs annually. It’s amazing to consider people anticipated the release of these holiday cups with such excitement even before social media and the trend of sharing photos of them began.

Read More

2025-11-10 23:20