A Brief History of Starbucks’ Holiday Cup Controversies | Eater
"The company first introduced holiday cups in 1997 and remained largely controversy-free until a plain red ombré design in 2015 sparked a viral backlash; an evangelist named Joshua Feuerstein — wearing a Jesus t-shirt and clutching a handgun in a video — urged customers to prank baristas by giving the name “Merry Christmas,” and the incident even drew comment from then-presidential hopeful Donald Trump as evidence of a “war on Christmas.” In response to the uproar it later released a green mosaic cup explained by founder Howard Schultz as “a symbol of unity,” which prompted accusations from some conservatives that the design constituted an attack on Christian values or “political brainwashing.” Subsequent red cups featuring snowflakes, wrapped presents and a pair of holding hands were interpreted variously (BuzzFeed called the hands “totally gay,” while conservative outlets decried a supposed “gay agenda”), a reaction the company deflected by saying designs were intentionally open to interpretation. To avoid further flare-ups it unveiled four more overtly festive designs — candy-cane–like red-and-white stripes, a mint-green-and-red holly-esque pattern, a red-and-white houndstooth and a starry “stargyle” — but also released a plain red reusable cup as a promotional giveaway (on Nov. 2) that ran out in many stores within minutes, frustrating customers who later had the option to buy the cup for $2.50." - Whitney Filloon
