Starbucks is spreading the holiday cheer! With pumpkin spice season coming to an end, the coffee chain is hoping to spread a little joy with the return of its iconic red Starbucks cups. The cups, which return to stores nationwide this week with updated designs, mark the official start of the chain’s 2021 holiday menu lineup, which features both new and returning beverages and snacks.
After debuting red cups in 2020 with the theme of “Carry the Merry,” this year’s red cup lineup was inspired by all the gifts of the season. Suzie Reecer, Starbucks associate creative director, led the Starbucks Creative team for this year’s holiday campaign, stating that “this holiday, we wanted it to feel magical, we wanted it to be warm, and we wanted it to be inclusive.” The goal “was to really bring joy to every customer and every partner.” What resulted was four new designs – Wrapping Paper, Ribbon, Holiday Light, and Candy Cane, which will arrive on Nov. 4.
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Inspired by “a perfectly wrapped gift,” the Wrapping Paper red cup features a colorful geometric pattern with sparkles and glitter grain in the season’s signature shades. The Ribbon red cup “evokes a familiar scene from the season” with its pieces of ribbon in white and glittery lilac, which are placed against a red background. The Holiday Light red cup drew inspiration from “the stars on a clear winter’s night,” and boasts a swirl of ribbons and a jumble of bold, graphic letters. The fourth design, the Candy Cane red cup, was designed to look like the favorite holiday candy, with the Starbucks wordmark and candy stripes of green, white, and lilac.
“Starbucks red cups are a portal to holiday joy,” Reecer said. “Any time you’re holding the cup, we hope that it’s just filling you with the excitement of the season and reconnecting with friends and family.”
Starbucks lovers in both the U.S. and Canada can expect to start seeing the red cups on Thursday, Nov. 4. They will return alongside popular holiday items like the Peppermint Mocha, which is returning for its 19th holiday season, Caramel Brulee Latte, Toasted White Chocolate Mocha, and the Irish Cream Cold Brew. New to the menu will be the Iced Sugar Cookie Almondmilk Latte, Starbucks’ first non-dairy iced holiday coffee beverage. Inspired by spritz cookies, the drink is made with sugar cookie flavored syrup, combined with Starbucks Blonde Espresso, almond milk, and topped with red and green cookie sprinkles.
