In every picnic, party, backyard barbecue, camping trip, or even other activity, you’ll probably see a lot of red disposable cups. It just makes it so much easier to make sure that everyone gets a drink without worrying about bringing drinking glasses from home. All you need to do is buy a pack, and you’ll get 50 pieces of 12 oz red cups. And if it’s more than you need, you can simply just pack it back up and use them in the future.
But did you know that there’s more to these cups than most people think? You might have used them and toppled them over when you used them as beer pong cups. And you might not even know how many red cups you’ve used in your life. This is because they’re such mundane items that it’s hard to question them and think about where they came from or if there’s more about their history.
But even if this is such a commonplace item, you’ll be surprised that it does have some interesting facts about it such as the following:
1. It Was Made By A Man By Robert Hulseman
A man named Robert Leo Hulsman is responsible for the iconic red cups for beer pong, which was made back in the 1970s. However, Robert wasn’t the only one in his family who had an affinity for creating beverage containers.
In the 1930s, Leo Hulseman, Robert’s father, created a paper cone that he sold to bottled-water companies. After that, he started to create other kinds of containers such as wax-coated cups and even cozy cups.
2. The Red Beer Pong Cups Have Showbiz Connections
Aside from inventing these cups, Leo was also the owner and the founder of a television company where they produced programs, including some children’s TV shows. At the same time, his wife and Robert’s mother was Dorothy Donahoe Hulseman, better known as Dora Hall, which was her stage name as a singer.
To help with the promotion of the cup company, Dora Hall’s records were given as freebies. But aside from this, Dora was also the star of the Dora Hall TV Show in 1979, and she was also on Broadway where she played Rose with other stars like Scatman Crothers, Donald O’Connor, and Frank Sinatra Jr. Aside from this, Dora Hall also was in ‘Once Upon A Tour,’ which was her own TV special.
3. Red Beer Cups Actually Come In Other Colours
Going back to the actual star of the show: the red cups for beer pong. When Robert made the cups, his kids helped him choose what colours should be used—talk about family effort! In the end, they came up with red, blue, yellow, and peach. The peach one eventually was taken out of the lineup. On the other hand, red became extremely popular, although Robert himself preferred the blue one the best.
4. They’re Dishwasher Safe
These red cups are popular because they can easily be disposed of. It’s understandable why most people don’t want to do too many dishes during a party. On the other hand, during a picnic or at the beach, it’s just hard to wash dishes because you won’t have access to running water or a sink.
But at the same time, throwing away plastic cups can be bad for the environment. Because of this, it’s important to do what you can to make sure you avoid adding plastic to the landfill. Thankfully, you don’t have to worry about the beer pong red cups because they’re dishwasher safe and sturdy polystyrene, which can be used multiple times after washing.
5. It’s Associated With Certain Drinking Games
When it comes to these red cups, they’re mostly associated with certain activities like beer pong and flip cup. Beer pong is a popular party game because everything you need is quite affordable for parties. Aside from beer pong, this is also used for flip cup where the player needs to scull their drink and perfectly flip their cup over so it lands upside down.
6. Hulseman Donated Much Of His Earnings
You might not believe it, but many of the earnings from Hulseman have been donated to good causes while he was alive. Being a philanthropist, he donated money to anti-poverty efforts, religious communities, as well as Catholic education.
Conclusion
When it comes to drinking a beverage at parties, picnics, and trips, it won’t be complete without the red beer pong cups. They’re convenient and you’ll never have to worry about where you put it down because it’s bright red and easy to spot. But at the same time, there’s a lot to know about it behind the scenes, which makes it more expensive.
