At Starbucks this holiday season, $39.95 buys you a glass bear. If you want one, get there early. If you want the golden one, you’ll have to get lucky, too.
Last year, shoppers lined up before dawn for the original $29.95 Bearista, which Starbucks says sold out in less than a day. Some cups sold for as much as $450 on eBay that morning, according to sales data reviewed by cllct.
Starbucks’ new Bearista Surprise Boxes go on sale Tuesday, Nov. 10, at select stores.
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This year, the holiday treasure hunt comes with more intrigue and a $10 premium. Panera Bread is joining in with two glass snowman designs in mystery boxes, with a café giveaway on Dec. 3 for customers who spend at least $25.
The surprise inside a blind box is part of the draw for “kidults,” grown-ups who buy toys for themselves. U.S. toy sales for adult recipients rose 25% in the first half of 2026 from a year earlier, making adults the biggest contributor to the industry’s growth, according to Circana.
Pop Mart’s Labubu dolls helped popularize blind boxes, which have a built-in hook for TikTok. Viewers can find out what’s inside right along with the person opening the box, as they did in videos of Labubu fans unboxing their finds.
Starbucks puts a rare Bearista inside its holiday blind boxes
Each $39.95 Bearista Glass Cold Cup Surprise Box contains one hand-blown glass cup. The five designs are Reiny the reindeer, Aspen the skier, Joy the ice skater, Bunny the snow bunny and Goldie, the rare golden bear.
Each bear comes with a card that describes its personality and lists its favorite holiday tradition and signature Starbucks order. A Starbucks spokesperson told TheStreet that the price reflects the added design elements and accessories.
The coffee giant calls this its biggest Bearista release to date. The announcement doesn’t say how many cups will be available or what the odds are of finding Goldie.
The original green-hat Bearista is due back separately at select stores Dec. 1. Starbucks has also put the bear on other holiday merchandise, including a $16.95 miniature ornament modeled on the original cup and a $14.95 plush bag charm.
Starbucks sets a limit for Bearista purchases
Starbucks is limiting in-store purchases to two boxes per customer, while supplies last. The chain scheduled a limited online release for Rewards Reserve members at 1 p.m. ET on Nov. 9, with a limit of one box per member. An email to customers says there are no returns or exchanges.
Last year, Starbucks told Business Insider it had no purchase limit on merchandise. The chain apologized to shoppers, saying it shipped more Bearistas than nearly any other holiday item.
When the original $29.95 Bearista went on sale Nov. 6, 2025, Starbucks visits were 37.8% above the chain’s 12-month daily average and remained elevated for several days, according to Placer.ai. Starbucks also launched its holiday menu that day.
This year’s holiday menu arrived Nov. 5, five days before the Bearista boxes go on sale in stores.
How to get Panera’s mystery snowman cup
On the other hand, there is Panera. On Dec. 3, the first 12 customers to spend at least $25 on a qualifying purchase at the cashier inside each participating U.S. Panera café will get a snowman cup.
The offer is limited to one per person. Kiosk, Rapid Pick-Up, drive-thru, catering and delivery orders are excluded, and taxes, rewards, discounts and Sip Club redemptions don’t count toward the minimum.
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Panera also says it will sell a limited number of the boxed cups through the Panera Shop for $25 plus tax and shipping. Its announcement gives a date for the café giveaway but not for the online sale.
Panera has previously tied limited-edition merchandise to a meal. In April 2025, it sold a $39.50 Croissant Clutch to promote its Croissant Toast Sandwiches. Each bag came with a $15 Panera gift card. This time, café customers start by purchasing food and get the collectible if supplies last.
How collectibles give customers a reason to show up
McDonald’s is giving collectors something to hunt for the same day Starbucks’ Bearista boxes hit stores. The Pokémon Happy Meal returns Nov. 10 at participating U.S. restaurants, with a lineup of 15 collectible toys and 15 trading cards.
Pokémon cards have a following among grown-ups, too. In a March 2025 Circana survey, nearly one in five adults said they’d bought Pokémon cards for themselves in the previous six months.
McDonald’s has used collectible cups to draw customers before. In 2024, its limited-time Collector’s Meal came with one of six cups featuring throwbacks such as Beanie Babies and Hot Wheels. The cups sold out at most U.S. locations within a week, DesignRush reported.
Starbucks Red Cup Day 2026 coming soon
A week after the Bearista boxes hit stores, Starbucks will give customers another reason to stop in. Red Cup Day returns Tuesday, Nov. 17, with a free reusable red cup for customers who buy a handcrafted holiday drink at participating stores, while supplies last.
The holiday menu includes returning favorites such as the Peppermint Mocha and Caramel Brulée Latte, along with a new Tiramisu Velvet Latte.
Last year’s Red Cup Day was Starbucks’ busiest day of 2025 by foot traffic, according to Placer.ai. U.S. visits on Nov. 13 were 44.5% above the chain’s year-to-date daily average, drawing even more visits than the original Bearista launch a week earlier.
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