Last year’s Bearista cup, which sold for about $30, now fetches $150 to $300 online, a five-to-tenfold markup on a glass teddy bear. This year, Starbucks wants you to pay for a bear without knowing which one you’re getting. The company announced a sealed blind-box Bearista cup surprise box that lands in U.S. coffeehouses on Nov. 10, according to Starbucks’ announcement.
Here’s what jumped out at me: you won’t know which cup you bought until you open the box. In other words, the coffee chain just invented the lottery ticket you can drink out of.
What the Bearista surprise box actually is
The Glass Bearista Cold Cup Surprise Box Edition holds one mystery glass cold cup. The character inside is revealed only when you open it, per Starbucks’ holiday merchandise preview. It also comes in limited quantities, while supplies last.
The announcement came Monday, Oct. 26, as USA Today reported. The box goes on sale Tuesday, Nov. 10.
Meanwhile, the original cup, the one with the green Starbucks beanie, comes back to select coffeehouses on Dec. 1. So you get two shots at a bear this season, and the first one is a coin flip.
Why people lose their minds over a Starbucks mystery cup
The hype has a history. The original Bearista launched in November 2025. It’s a 20-ounce glass shaped like a teddy bear in a green stocking cap, and it sold for about $30. In fact, it sold out in under a day, according to Quartz.
Then came the resellers. Resell Calendar says last year’s cup fetched roughly $150 to $300 online. That is five to ten times the sticker price for a cup you’ll probably put iced tea in.
Since then, Starbucks has kept the bear going. A soccer-themed version arrived in June ahead of the World Cup, and a pink one followed in July. If you missed that one, our look at the pink strawberry Bearista cup countdown shows how fast fans moved.
The unanswered questions about the Starbucks blind box cup
Plenty is still unknown (a bold choice for a product built on mystery), and Starbucks says more details are coming. As of Oct. 26, the company had not announced:
- the price of the box,
- how many characters are in the lineup, or what they look like,
- any limit on how many boxes one person can buy,
- whether Rewards members get early access, or whether the box will be sold online.
Some fans are already plotting to buy several boxes at once. That’s speculation, though, because no purchase limit has been announced.
Here’s the thing for your wallet
The format is built to make you buy twice. You want the one you didn’t get. That’s the whole trick, and it works on adults just as well as on kids. The company behind it has bigger things on its plate, too, including its 2026 corporate layoffs.
If you want to chase one, mark the dates. A wider Bearista Collection arrives Nov. 5 with a water bottle at $34.95, a plush bag charm at $14.95, a mug at $19.95 and a stainless steel cold cup at $27.95, per Quartz. Those are prices you can plan around while the box price stays a mystery.
A word on expectations: fans have reportedly lined up around 4 a.m. for past drops. Plan your morning accordingly.
For more on the company itself, see our report on the Starbucks Chipotle takeover chatter.
So the question for the morning of Nov. 10 is simple: how do you get a bear out of the box and, ideally, not the same one twice?
