‘It might as well be a designer purse’: Trend researcher shares why people are so obsessed with Stanley cups—and which brand will be the next craze

Over the past year, TikTok has been gripped by the Stanley water bottle craze. The colorful item has become so popular that fights have broken out to get limited-edition bottles, and some have even gone so far as to laminate their labels to maintain the image of the bottle.

For those watching the Stanley saga unfold, it may seem like the bottle has reached its peak popularity. However, one user on TikTok claims that the wave of Stanley fandom may have already crested.

Casey Lewis (@caseymorrowlewis) is a self-proclaimed trend researcher. In a video with over 3 million views as of Saturday, Lewis says that the era of the Stanley cup as the “it” accessory may already be over.

To explain this, she connects the Stanley water bottle craze and the diffusion of innovation theory. In Lewis’ explanation, the theory goes as follows: innovators are the first to adopt a trend, followed by early adopters, the early majority, the late majority, and finally, the laggards.

In the case of the Stanley water bottle, Lewis suggests we're currently witnessing the “late majority” stage of the process—and now, even the laggards are joining in.

“We're seeing the late majority,” she states. “We're seeing the tween girl. We're seeing the moms in the suburbs. Now, look, I'm not trying to make generalizations about millennial moms in the suburbs. I'm just explaining what a late majority looks like. They are not cutting-edge. They are not experimenting with trends.”

While distancing herself from being a "trend forecaster," Lewis tentatively points towards the next "must-have" bottle, suggesting that the Owala is gaining traction among earlier adopters and is approaching early majority status.

In the comments section, many users agreed with Lewis’ assessment.

“If you see a dupe at 5 below it is late majority,” said a user.

“I had a feeling it was on the way out because I was thinking about getting one and I’m always late to trends,” joked another.

“Owala is next. I got it in December and it’s a great gym bottle,” declared a third.

@caseymorrowlewis why stanley is on its way out #stanleycup #stanleytumbler #genztrends #greenscreen ♬ original sound - Casey Lewis

That said, some disagreed with her summary of events and her hesitant claim that Owala is the next go-to bottle.

“Didn’t Owala’s already have a ‘trend’ phase a year or so ago. I’ve had one for like 6 months?” wrote a commenter.

“MILLENNIAL MOTHERS PUT STANLEYS ON THE MAP. They were literally the early adopters of Stanley back in Like 2020/2021,” added a second.

The Daily Dot reached out to Lewis via Instagram direct message.

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