Starbucks' Iconic Holiday Cups Used To Look A Lot Different

Who needs a calendar when you have regular trips to Starbucks? As lights start twinkling, tinsel begins draping, and festive choruses commence ringing from radios, there's another tell-tale sign that holiday festivities are knocking: Starbucks holiday cups. The chain's signature red products have become synonymous with winter, and fans eagerly await the new patterns each year. Still, there's something many people don't know: these designs weren't always red. 

Launched in 1997, the first holiday cup was actually purple. The original design attempted to lean into festivity through its illustrations, with outlines of holly leaves alongside swirls and coffee beans. Purple is also loosely linked to Christmas, with connotations of royalty when celebrating the birthday of Jesus Christ. Yet, red is undeniably more iconic, isn't it? Skipping this "classic" color seems like a Scrooge-worthy misjudgment and, eventually, it seems Starbucks agreed. 

The chain tried a darker shade in 1998, before promptly switching to red in 1999. Honestly, it's hard to imagine the iconic cups were ever in another color; you can add it to the list of facts you didn't know about Starbucks' holiday menu.

Red was a step in the right direction, but Starbucks' holiday cups have remained on quite the journey since — and not without the odd bump in the road. In 2015, there was the time Starbucks' red cups stirred up a world of controversy for being disappointingly plain. The company later revealed that it had wanted to give customers a blank canvas, but the decision remained a crowd divider. The following year triggered another uproar when customers prematurely erupted in panic over green cups, only to find that the actual design would be released later that month. 

Since 1999, the holiday cups from Starbucks have become a cultural phenomenon. The annual rotation is highly anticipated amongst customers, and looking back on its whimsical designs, it's easy to see why. Starbucks' cups have rocked everything from winter-inspired illustrations in white to creative geometrics in pink and green. As for 2025? You'll have to make a visit to find out for yourself. Holiday merch has already hit the shelves, with the Starbucks 2025 winter holiday menu officially launching on November 6. In 2024, the holiday cups launched the same day as the winter menu. 

Surrounded by imagination, don't forget to embrace your own creativity, too. Check out the Starbucks secret menu holiday drinks, ranked, and see if you can experiment with a tried-and-tested order. Who says cup designs are the only thing being shaken up?