SEATTLE — Maybe Starbucks will find it easier being green.
A holiday cup design that showed up in stores Tuesday features a mosaic of more than 100 people drawn in a single stroke — art meant to convey “connections” the company shares between employees and customers.
What’s more striking than the image, however, is the color. Starbucks usually rolls out a festive red holiday cup, but this year it’s green.
Friends, baristas, and customers drawn in one continuous line—reminding us we're all connected. ? pic.twitter.com/qspqJc8KWB
— Starbucks Coffee (@Starbucks) November 1, 2016
“During a divisive time in our country, Starbucks wanted to create a symbol of unity as a reminder of our shared values, and the need to be good to each other,” Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz said in a statement.
Red Starbucks cups have become a holiday staple, about as sure to appear before Thanksgiving as Christmas music on the radio. But last year’s cups drew controversy for abandoning seasonal designs like tree ornaments, snowmen and snowflakes in favor of a simple, two-toned red cup.
The company said at the time that it wanted a “purity of design that welcomes all of our stories.” Critics called it a declaration of war on Christmas.
Not everyone was thrilled with the green cups though.
Starbucks….GREEN CUPS!? War on Christmas. Last days.
— Mitch Miller (@mitchmillerme) November 1, 2016
Thoroughly confused by the @Starbucks green cups…bring back my red-cup holiday cheer! #TeamRedCup
— Shana Wachowski (@slyons330) November 1, 2016
The Trump campaign has infiltrated Starbucks and made the cups GRINCH GREEN – is nothing sacred?
— Matt McInnis (@Matt_McInnis) November 1, 2016
Remember how outraged people were last year? I bet these green cups will go over reeeeal well #holidaycups #starbucks pic.twitter.com/x3acTRjNjG
— Married Ms. (@WifeGoes0n) November 1, 2016
I went to Starbucks this morning and I got a green cup…WHERE IS MY RED CUP WHAT IS THIS GREEN CRAP.
— Becky Swan✨ (@swan_becky) November 1, 2016
The red cups may not be gone long. While Starbucks said Tuesday that the rest of the company’s holiday plans “are still under wraps,” sharp-eyed fans have noticed boxes at Starbucks stories labeled “no peeking” until November 10.
Hmmmm I wonder…. #starbucks #redcups
Fueling further speculation, one Reddit user posted an image on the website last week that shows a stack of red Starbucks cups featuring a classic holiday design.
The caption: “I peeked.”