New York’s most iconic coffee cup, the Anthora, was designed by Czech-American immigrant Leslie Buck in 1963. The word “Anthora” was Buck’s distinctive mispronunciation of “amphora,” the two-handled Greek pitcher associated with the same imagery that appears on the coffee cup. With Grecian-style design on the rise in mid-century home decor and fashion, the cup's iconography would have been familiar to New Yorkers of the 1960s as an homage to Classical heritage. It's blue and white colors are an tribute to the Greek flag and its type design distinctly recalls Ancient Athenian lettering. The fact that it was a specifically Greek symbol was no accident; most of the to-go coffee in 1960s New York City was sold at Greek-American family restaurants, and the design’s homage to Greek culture made it appealing for merchants, while its warm slogan, “We Are Happy to Serve You,” soon satisfied customers of all backgrounds.
The Anthora was the first of its kind, introducing the to-go coffee cup as we know it. Not to say that this was the first disposable cup; William F. Dart invented the styrofoam cup in 1957, and disposable paper coffee cups with handles (still popular in parts of Latin America) have been available since the 1930s. But the Anthora was the first handleless paper to-go coffee cup, innovating a basic design that nearly all coffee shops have come to use since.
Initially standing at a very squat 10 ounces when debuted by Sherri Cup in 1965, the contemporary version, sold by infamous red cup creator Solo (ironically now owned by Dart Container, the company started by the same William Dart who created the styrofoam cup that Buck’s invention would overtake), is both taller and slimmer than the original, reflecting the aesthetic stereotype of the City that the cup is most associated with. Today, both 8-ounce and 10-ounce versions are available.
