| Revision as of 17:14, 13 December 2022 editThe Grid (talk | contribs)Autopatrolled, Extended confirmed users, New page reviewers, Pending changes reviewers22,293 edits ce; format cite ref; add section heading; remove weasel sentence of "go to" - it remove doesn't mean anything and decided to provide the monthly stat; the Solo Cup statement isn't in the source provided← Previous edit | Revision as of 07:31, 14 December 2022 edit undoThe Grid (talk | contribs)Autopatrolled, Extended confirmed users, New page reviewers, Pending changes reviewers22,293 editsm →History: clarify the text as synoglyphsNext edit → | ||
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| ==History== | ==History== | ||
| The cup was originally designed by ] of the Sherri Cup Company in 1963,<ref name="nytbuck"/> to appeal to ] coffee shops in New York City, and was later much copied by other companies.<ref name="nytcup"/> The original Anthora depicts an image of an ] amphora, a ] design on the top and bottom rim, and the words "WE ARE HAPPY TO SERVE YOU" |
The cup was originally designed by ] of the Sherri Cup Company in 1963,<ref name="nytbuck"/> to appeal to ] coffee shops in New York City, and was later much copied by other companies.<ref name="nytcup"/> The original Anthora depicts an image of an ] amphora, a ] design on the top and bottom rim, and the words "WE ARE HAPPY TO SERVE YOU" as synoglyphs resembling ancient Greek (for example, "Σ" used in place for "s"). The blue and white colors were inspired by the ]. | ||
| Sales of the cup reached 500 million in 1994 at its peak,<ref name="nytfyi">{{cite web |title=F.Y.I. – A Cup of Inspiration |work=The New York Times |first1=Jesse |last1=McKinley |date=October 15, 1995 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/10/15/nyregion/fyi-062553.html |access-date=December 13, 2022}}</ref> and fell to about 200 million cups annually by 2005.<ref name="nytbuck"/> At its peak, up to 15 million cups were used monthly.<ref name="nytcup">{{cite web |title=Urban History to Go: Black, No Sugar |work=The New York Times |first1=John Freeman |last1=Gill |date=June 26, 2005 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/26/nyregion/thecity/26cups.html |access-date=December 13, 2022}}</ref> One '']'' writer in 1995 called the Anthora "perhaps the most successful cup in history".<ref name="nytfyi"/> By 2007 it was mentioned in passing in a ''New York Times'' television review as "one of those endangered artifacts".<ref name="nytartifact">{{cite web |title=To Sleep, Nay, Perchance to Stay Wide Awake |work=The New York Times |first1=Virginia |last1=Heffernan |date=May 27, 2007 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/23/arts/television/23heff.html |access-date=December 13, 2022}}</ref> | Sales of the cup reached 500 million in 1994 at its peak,<ref name="nytfyi">{{cite web |title=F.Y.I. – A Cup of Inspiration |work=The New York Times |first1=Jesse |last1=McKinley |date=October 15, 1995 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/10/15/nyregion/fyi-062553.html |access-date=December 13, 2022}}</ref> and fell to about 200 million cups annually by 2005.<ref name="nytbuck"/> At its peak, up to 15 million cups were used monthly.<ref name="nytcup">{{cite web |title=Urban History to Go: Black, No Sugar |work=The New York Times |first1=John Freeman |last1=Gill |date=June 26, 2005 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/26/nyregion/thecity/26cups.html |access-date=December 13, 2022}}</ref> One '']'' writer in 1995 called the Anthora "perhaps the most successful cup in history".<ref name="nytfyi"/> By 2007 it was mentioned in passing in a ''New York Times'' television review as "one of those endangered artifacts".<ref name="nytartifact">{{cite web |title=To Sleep, Nay, Perchance to Stay Wide Awake |work=The New York Times |first1=Virginia |last1=Heffernan |date=May 27, 2007 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/23/arts/television/23heff.html |access-date=December 13, 2022}}</ref> | ||
Revision as of 07:31, 14 December 2022
Coffee cup design For the plant species, see Aconitum anthora.
The Anthora is a paper coffee cup design that has become iconic of New York City daily life. Its name is an Eastern European-accented pronunciation of the word amphora.
History
The cup was originally designed by Leslie Buck of the Sherri Cup Company in 1963, to appeal to Greek-owned coffee shops in New York City, and was later much copied by other companies. The original Anthora depicts an image of an Ancient Greek amphora, a Greek key design on the top and bottom rim, and the words "WE ARE HAPPY TO SERVE YOU" as synoglyphs resembling ancient Greek (for example, "Σ" used in place for "s"). The blue and white colors were inspired by the flag of Greece.
Sales of the cup reached 500 million in 1994 at its peak, and fell to about 200 million cups annually by 2005. At its peak, up to 15 million cups were used monthly. One New York Times writer in 1995 called the Anthora "perhaps the most successful cup in history". By 2007 it was mentioned in passing in a New York Times television review as "one of those endangered artifacts".
The trademark was acquired by the Solo Cup Company, which licenses sales of the cup. The Anthora coffee cup has been featured in various movies and television shows that are set in New York.
Buck never received royalties from his design, but as a salesman he was well-remunerated for the product's success. When he retired from Sherri Cup Company in 1992, he was presented with 10,000 Anthoras printed with a testimonial inscription. After Buck's death in 2010, a New York Times writer described the motto on the cup as having "welcome intimations of tenderness, succor and humility".
See also
References
- ^ Fox, Margalit (April 29, 2010). "Leslie Buck, Designer of Iconic Coffee Cup, Dies at 87". The New York Times. Retrieved December 13, 2022.
- ^ Gill, John Freeman (June 26, 2005). "Urban History to Go: Black, No Sugar". The New York Times. Retrieved December 13, 2022.
- ^ McKinley, Jesse (October 15, 1995). "F.Y.I. – A Cup of Inspiration". The New York Times. Retrieved December 13, 2022.
- Heffernan, Virginia (May 27, 2007). "To Sleep, Nay, Perchance to Stay Wide Awake". The New York Times. Retrieved December 13, 2022.
- "The New York First Company". Archived from the original on May 2, 2010. Retrieved May 2, 2010.