In a year of heartbreaking losses — Prince, David Bowie, Carrie Fisher — the nation's revelers have quietly lost another luminary — Robert Hulseman.
Who, you say? Anyone who has ever held a red Solo cup at a college keg party, a Minnesota Vikings tailgate or a festive social gathering has enjoyed his most endearing invention.
After all the New Year's Eve parties this past weekend, his loss seems especially poignant. From Duluth to the University of Minnesota to Dallas, no item is more synonymous with a good time than a red plastic Solo cup sloshing with beer or an alluring drink. The generous pint-size cups remain the overwhelming choice of college students, raucous baby boomers or music festival goers in Minnesota and across the country.
The cheap, disposable cups are endlessly referenced in pop culture. Even Toby Keith sang its praises ("Red Solo cup, I fill you up. Let's have a partyyy"). The cups are so popular, in fact, that they have their own Twitter account.
"Have fun partying up in heaven, sir. I'm sure you were taken because God is tired of Dixie cups," wrote the founders of the website, totalfratmove.com.
The red plastic cups inhabit the shelves of nearly every major grocery chain and liquor store, awaiting Super Bowl parties and college gamedays. Zipps Liquors in Minneapolis, one of the largest keg distributors in the state, stocks them as the main beverage pairing for its customers.
The family business on Franklin Avenue has sold around 575 sleeves of various sized Solo cups this year alone.
"It's a cheap way to get the beer from the keg to your mouth," said Roger Andrada, Zipps' manager. "The inventor realized there's a niche for this ... and everybody wanted it."
