• A 16-year-old told the WSJ her parents spent around $3,000 buying her every Stanley cup going.
  • A year after they bought her her first cup, she now has 67, she said.
  • The oversize Quencher tumblers have become a status symbol among tweens and teens.

A 16-year-old TikToker claims that her parents have spent around $3,000 buying her every Stanley cup on the market.

Amelia Awad, from Birmingham, Alabama, told The Wall Street Journal that her parents got her her first Stanley Quencher cup a year ago after she admired it on TikTok. She now has 67, she said.

"I'm obsessed," she told The Journal.

Starbucks tumblers and Hydro Flasks have had their time in the spotlight: For around the past year, Stanley cups have been the hot thing among American tweens, teens, and college kids. The Quenchers were the most-featured item in Gen Z Christmas-haul videos on TikTok, a youth consumer-trends analyst previously told Business Insider.

They're such a status item that they're creating rifts among school-goers. One mom recently said in a viral TikTok that her nine-year-old daughter was mocked at school for having a $10 off-brand dupe.

Though they're available in 20- and 30-ounce sizes, it's the oversize 40-ounce Quenchers, starting at $45, that have sparked a buzz online. TikTok users post videos showing them unboxing new tumblers, arranging their collections, and coordinating their Quenchers with their outfits. People are scrambling to get their hands on the full range of colors and limited-edition cups, like the recent Valentine's Day drop at Target.

A shopper passes empty shelves once stocked with Stanley tumblers at a Target store in Canoga Park, California on January 9, 2024. Foto: Brian van der Brug/The Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

Even though some of the limited-edition cups have spawned a considerable resale market, Awad said that she uses every cup she owns. "If they are rare, I would want to use them more because I'm special for having them," she said.

The Journal didn't name Awad's TikTok account, but an account that BI believes to belong to her has around 138,000 followers. Videos on the account show the owner organizing their collection of Quenchers, including displaying them by color.

Environmental advocates say the fact that people are amassing collections of dozens of Quenchers defeats the purpose of it being a reusable water bottle, and warn that people will just ditch them when a new trendy cup comes along, anyway.

Do you collect Stanley cups? Email this reporter at [email protected].

Read the original article on Business Insider