Starbucks’ Bearista Cups Are Back in Stock: Here’s How to Get One

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Starbucks has just announced some un-bear-lievable news.

The popular Bearista cup is back in stock at Starbucks after selling out quickly! It will also be a prize you can win in Starbucks for Life, the yearly holiday game for Starbucks Rewards members.

Players of this game could win prizes like free food and drinks, gift cards, extra rewards points, and even Starbucks for life, along with a special Bearista Cold Cup! The game is running from December 8th to January 4th. It’s an interactive experience where you virtually run through cities like Seattle, Milan, Tokyo, and New York, collecting items within 90 seconds to earn points.

I’m so excited about the Bearista cups! There are a total of 17,000 being released, and they’re giving away 600 each day. Just a heads-up, you can only get one cup per person, so you’ll have to be quick!

These collectible bear-shaped cups, featuring a green beanie and a matching reusable straw, became incredibly popular in November, selling out quickly and even leading Starbucks to apologize for the limited availability.

Starbucks said the demand for their holiday merchandise was surprisingly high. In a statement on November 6th, they explained that even though they sent more Bearista cups to stores than almost any other item this season, the cups—along with a few other products—sold out quickly.

They acknowledged the excitement around the Bearista cup and expressed their apologies for any disappointment customers experienced.

The company also promised they would have “more exciting merchandise coming this holiday season.”

Beyond their ‘Starbucks for Life’ contest, Starbucks celebrated the holidays by teaming up with Roller Rabbit. Together, they released a new line of holiday merchandise featuring Roller Rabbit’s colorful designs, which became available on December 2nd.

Starbucks is bringing back the holiday spirit with its seasonal cups and menu. Customers can enjoy beloved favorites like the Peppermint Mocha, Caramel Brulée Latte, Iced Sugar Cookie Latte, Eggnog Latte, and Chestnut Praline Latte.

But Starbucks isn’t stopping at holiday drinks! They’re also bringing back popular treats like the Snowman Cookie and Cranberry Bliss Bar, and introducing a new Polar Bear Cake Pop.

Want to take a look back at Starbucks’ holiday traditions? Keep reading to see how their festive cup designs have evolved over time.

Starbucks released four holiday cup designs for 2025 with classic red and green plaid and bow patterns. However, the most popular item was a special cup featuring a bear-themed design, which sold out incredibly quickly.

Starbucks said they were surprised 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, both the cups and other popular products disappeared from shelves quickly.

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 holiday collection features designs like vintage ornaments and peppermints on cups and other items. The hot cups themselves have a wavy pattern inspired by the Starbucks logo, and a decorative edge. Baristas can also write personalized messages on small badge-like areas on the back of each cup.

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

Kristy Cameron, Starbucks’ creative director, explained that when her team was researching design trends for this year’s holiday season, they noticed a lot of vibrant, cheerful colors. She said adding magenta to the traditional holiday palette of reds and greens makes the red appear even more striking and brightens everything up.

Last year, Starbucks released four festive holiday cup designs: Gift-Wrapped Magic, Frosted Sparkle, Ornament Wonder, and Cozy Evergreen, for customers to enjoy their favorite seasonal drinks in.

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

To bring the joy of the holidays to life, the designers incorporated classic festive elements like sparkles, ornaments, and snowflakes, along with cheerful colors such as mint green and bright red. The result is a warm and inviting accessory that coffee lovers can enjoy throughout the season.

These cups came in classic red, green, and white, with a touch of frosty lilac. What made them especially special was the inclusion of small gift tags, allowing people to write a heartfelt message to each other.

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

The brand’s 2020 theme, “Carry the Merry,” was showcased through four main designs: Ribbon, Dot, Sparkle, and Brand Wrap. Two of the design samples actually included the theme’s name.

According to Jeff Wilkson, Starbucks’ creative director, the design for this year’s cups was intended to spread happiness as people carried them around. He explained that Starbucks wanted to provide customers with a small, positive experience to anticipate.

Starbucks holiday cups in 2019 embraced a maximalist approach, showcasing four designs: polka dots, a playful dance pattern, merry stripes, and candy cane stripes. The company said the colorful and lively designs were intended to bring small moments of happiness to customers and partners – making the season fun, festive, and distinctly Starbucks.

Starbucks released four new holiday cup designs this year, and the response has been largely positive. The designs are inspired by past cups but feature updated vintage colors and patterns. This is also the first year Starbucks 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 that year with the goal of letting customers personalize it. The company encouraged people to decorate the cups themselves, saying they wanted everyone to be able to make it uniquely their own.

This year, Starbucks celebrated the holidays with a customer-designed cup contest! Instead of the traditional ’12 Days of Christmas,’ they featured 13 different cup designs, all created by participants from six countries. The designs included festive elements like holiday lights, snowflakes, and Christmas trees.

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

Starbucks released a special, limited-edition Unity Cup. According to CEO Howard Schultz, the cup’s green color and design are meant to symbolize the connection between Starbucks, its employees, and its customers. The company hoped to offer a reminder of shared values and the importance of kindness during a time of division in the country.

Starbucks quickly unveiled its holiday cup for the year, and thankfully, it was red! Everything felt peaceful and festive with a little caffeine boost.

The simple red holiday cup from Starbucks caused a surprisingly large uproar. When the new design—a bright red cup with a gradual color change—was released, some customers accused the company of removing all Christmas imagery. The hashtag #MerryChristamasStarbucks quickly became popular on Facebook after a pastor in Arizona shared a video complaining about the lack of traditional Christmas symbols on his cup, and the video quickly gained over 11 million views.

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 holiday experience 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.

It always feels like someone’s watching, and in this case, it’s a huge snowman playfully winking while we enjoy a large Gingerbread Latte! That’s a fun twist on a familiar song lyric.

The cups were decorated with cozy, cheerful messages and images of carolers, animals, and performers. It was also the year the popular Skinny Peppermint Mocha was first released, though it’s sadly no longer available.

As a lifestyle expert, I’ve noticed a really sweet trend kicking off the new decade! It seems everyone secretly loves the idea of carolers – as long as they’re not, you know, performing a slightly off-key rendition on your doorstep! Designers are really leaning into that cozy, musical vibe, and we’re seeing a lot of inspiration drawn from lyrics and the spirit of singing.

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

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

We’re racing through the snow in a sleigh, navigating the busy streets just to get our eggnog latte! Back in 2007, Starbucks’ holiday cups celebrated the spirit of sharing with the phrase “Pass the cheer,” printed on a festive blue background with snowflakes.

These red cups from 2006 were designed with a fun contrast: a professional look on the upper portion and a festive holiday scene with shoppers and skaters on the bottom, adding a touch of cheer.

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

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2025-12-08 22:48