A wax-lined cup used in the 1950s for fountain sodas and takeaway drinks might be viewed as precursor to the signature red cup in terms of sturdiness and widespread adoption. Founded in 1936, the 'paper container' manufacturer produced a paper cone cup that typically went with water coolers. The most famous of all the red plastic cups is produced by Solo, the long time producer of single use products that are sold almost everywhere. The red plastic cup crosses many of these boundaries to figure prominently in American drinking customs. After all, how can it be distasteful if it's delivered from the study depths of the cheerily colored vessel? Packaging matters! Drinking practices carry their own distinct rules and expectations relating to the age, gender, and status. It helps make bitter alcohol a more pleasant experience.

Your drinking vessel may indeed impact your imbibing experience, but the red plastic cup serves as the great equalizer in drinking activities-from the top shelf to the supermarket shelf, the red plastic cup captures and contributes to the spirit of the occasion. Who here has not enjoyed a cold, refreshing drink from a red plastic cup? Alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages alike find themselves comfortably enclosed within the confines of the bright red vessel that has become a ubiquitous American staple at barbecues, picnics, parties, in dugouts and at minor league games, in food cars and at lunch trucks, and even as a last resort at dive bars-and, of course, college students' dorms and apartments, where it also functions as a key component in Flip Cup and Beer Pong.

Paper cup design 1970s