If you have no idea what a Stanley “Quencher” Cup is – officially known as Quencher H2.0 Flowstate Tumbler – many would consider you lucky. The Stanley Cup craze has taken America by storm, and by America, I mean women of a certain age and demographic. Now, they are concerned with lead in their Stanley Cups. Head below to learn more.
A very Stanley story
While it’s hard to pinpoint the exact moment that Stanley Cups became a part of the cultural zeitgeist, my guess would be that it happened sometime around November 2023, just as Black Friday and other holiday sales were approaching. People were wanting to know what to buy loved ones, and Stanley Cups made many a gift list.
It was on December 31, 2023 when this TikTok went viral, showing customer reactions to a limited edition Stanley Cup drop at a local Target:
That TikTok is just the tip of the proverbial iceberg.
If you go to TikTok and search “Stanley Cup,” you will be inundated with tens of thousands of videos praising the popular $45 Quencher, ranging from users who sincerely love this water bottle to people who think that Stanley Cups – and its consumers – are ruining the country, likely because they’re simply sick of hearing about the popular Quencher, and you can’t blame them. Just last year, Stanley Cup’s annual sales hovered around $750 million, up from $75 million in 2022.
There are Stanley Cup accessories abound because capitalism, baby, which include a snack bowl that fits atop the cup, straw embellishments (like these silicone cowboy hats), water bottle holders, protective sleeves, and more.
Now, the Stanley craze has taken a turn as some Stanley Cup owners have begun testing their own water bottles for lead due to a recent wave of concern, initially caused by a post written by Lead Safe Mama in March 2023. That post was eclipsed by the virality of Stanley Cups that stormed the country last year, but lead concerns in Stanley Cups have made a triumphant return on socials.
Is there lead in Stanley Cups?
There is, but not enough to expose anyone to lead poisoning, as some TikToks may have you believe. A Stanley spokesperson responded to the lead concerns, stating:
Our manufacturing process currently employs the use of an industry standard pellet to seal the vacuum insulation at the base of our products; the sealing material includes some lead. Once sealed, this area is covered with a durable stainless steel layer, making it inaccessible to consumers.
How inaccessible that durable stainless steel layer is debatable, as Tamara Rubin (Lead Safe Mama) mentioned:
Though some people say (the) protective disc doesn’t come off easily, I’ve heard from many people who say that for them it has.
Connect the Watts’ Take
As an owner of a Stanley Cup myself, I can’t fathom the protective disc coming off and subsequently exposing me to lead poisoning – this thing is a brick. That said, I can’t fault concerned parents who don’t want to risk their children becoming exposed to lead, as it happened to Rubin’s son, who suffers from permanent brain damage as a result of lead poisoning.
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