Starbucks is bringing back the Bearista Bear with two timed holiday releases: a Glass Bearista Cold Cup Surprise Box Edition on Nov. 10 and the original Bearista Glass Cold Cup on Dec. 1. The cup returns to select Starbucks coffeehouses, and the company has not said how many will be available.
The timing matters because the Bearista Glass Cold Cup was one of last year’s quickest sellouts, and it did not stay on shelves long before showing up on resale sites for hundreds and even thousands of dollars. That made the cup more than a seasonal novelty; it became a holiday item people were willing to chase.
Starbucks is also changing the way fans can buy it this year. The Nov. 10 release comes as a sealed Glass Bearista Cold Cup Surprise Box Edition, with a collection of festive characters inside and limited quantities available while supplies last. The original version, meanwhile, keeps its green beanie-shaped lid and striped straw when it returns on Dec. 1.
That split rollout creates the real point of pressure for shoppers. The surprise boxes are limited by design, and the Dec. 1 return is only at select Starbucks coffeehouses, which leaves the biggest question unanswered: how many cups will actually reach each store. Starbucks has already used the item’s popularity before, offering thousands more as prizes in its holiday game after the cup sold out last year.
For fans, the next date to watch is Nov. 10, when the mystery version arrives first. The more consequential test comes on Dec. 1, when the original Bearista Glass Cold Cup returns and shows whether Starbucks has made the holiday rush easier to get through or set up another fast sellout.
