Stanley drinkware, around since 1913 as suggested in the website name, has been a staple in the outdoor world for generations and has become quite trendy outside of the outdoor community and has recently gotten more popular due to a social media craze. We wondered, what’s behind that whimsically, outdoorsy logo—the king bear with wings? We did some digging to find out.
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The company says its customers started telling stories about outdoor adventures with their Stanley cups, and an odd number of these stories involved bears. Understandably, the company felt that a bear needed to be incorporated into its company logo design.
Here’s an example from the Stanley website:
Dear Stanley,
My wife and I went camping. After a few drinks and swinging some tunes around the campfire, we decided to turn in for the night. I was fast asleep and could have sworn I was dreaming when I heard something ruffling around the tent—it was a bear. I woke up with adrenaline running through my veins, reached for my Stanley, and turned in the dark to hit the bear. I was aiming to be a hero, instead I ended up hitting my wife on the head. Well, she turned and whacked me on the side of my head. While the two of us saw stars, the bear didn’t want any part of this and hit the road.
Sincerely,
The guy with a wife tougher than his Stanley bottle
Bear stories are gold, and we applaud Stanley for realizing that a bear should be part of its identity as a nod to the outdoors community that enjoys its products. Today, “Stan” the Stanley Bear is a part of all of the company’s gear.
I get the bear but why is there wings on it?