I think it's safe to say by now that I watched too much television as a kid. Movies too, but by far, television. I began to notice something when I was a little older, though. Why do so many television shows depict characters drinking coffee with identical blue, white, and gold cups?
Rather than use a blank white cup or a single solid color, they all seemed to use a bright blue, white, and gold cup that looks... Greek?
Have you noticed this?
Apparently, it's really a thing because, after some digging, I've discovered the cup has a name and is definitely meant to appear Greek.
Meet The Anthora Coffee Cup.
This disposable paper cup has become an iconic representation of life in New York City. Initially designed in 1963 by Leslie Buck of the Sherri Cup Company, it was intended to appeal to the many Greek-owned coffee shops and diners in New York City and the surrounding suburbs. The "Anthora" name comes from Mr. Bucks' thick Eastern European accent and his pronunciation of the word "amphora." An amphora is a tall ancient Greek jar with two handles on the side of its narrow neck.
The original Anthora design depicts an ancient Greek amphora with a Greek key-design-style border on the top and bottom rim. The words "WΣ ARΣ HAPPY TO SΣRVΣ YOU" in angular Greek-styled script are written on the cup. According to Leslie Buck, the blue and white colors were inspired by the official flag of Greece.
Several unofficial imitations were made over the years in varying designs. The most popular knock-off produced by Premier Cups portrays a discus thrower. Others depict the Parthenon, a harpist, or other ancient Greek statues. All have some variation of the slogan "We Are Pleased To Serve You."
The Sherri Cup Company was later acquired by Solo Cup Company in 2005, which was acquired by Dart Containers in 2012.
The Anthora Cup reached the peak of its sales in 1994, with about 500 million sold. In 1995, The New York Times called the Anthora "...the most successful cup in history." Sales fell to about 200 million cups annually by 2005. At its peak, it was estimated that 15 million Anthora cups were used by coffee drinkers monthly.
After Solo Cup took over production, it halted manufacturing the Anthora in 2006, following another significant drop off in sales. Once production ended, Solo Cup licensed the familiar design to other companies. In 2007, another New York Times article called it "one of those endangered artifacts" of New York from times gone by. According to the same report, television or film productions use the Anthora to "evoke thoughts of Gotham City at a quick glance."
Following the popularity of the cup after appearing in several hit television shows, like Mad Men and The Sopranos, production resumed on the Anthora in 2015.
It's said Mr. Buck never received royalties from his design, but he was compensated well as a salesman based on the product's sales success. When he retired from Sherri Cup in 1992, he was given 10,000 Anthora cups printed with a dedication and testimonial inscription. Leslie Buck passed away in 2010.
The Anthora has been displayed in the Design Department of the Museum of Modern Art, in an exhibition at the Clark Art Institute on "The Persistence of Classicism," and in an article on "A History of New York in 50 Objects."
In 2004, NBC commissioned a special edition for the 2004 Summer Olympics, including the NBC Peacock logo and the Olympic rings.
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| Tony Soprano and the Anthora in "The Sopranos" |
The Anthora cup design has been in many New York-centric television shows, like Law and Order, NYPD Blue, Suits, Billions, White Collar, Mad Men, and The Sopranos.
Today, you'll perhaps see the Anthora much less often than you did years ago. Many New York diners and coffee shops aren't run by Greek immigrants anymore. Either they've gone corporate (green or orange coffee, you pick), or they are privately run by folks with different cultural backgrounds than Greek.
NYCoffeeCup.com calls the Anthora the "One and Only, Genuine, Original New York Coffee Cup." It also prides itself on being the only place to shop for the "Original New York Coffee Cup."
Although seen much less often these days in real life and the fictional television or film world, the cup itself has come to represent both New York City and its residents, despite the city's ups and downs.
Check out NYCoffeeCup.com (not sponsored) if you're in the market to pick up some Anthora cups or other merchandise of your very own!
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