What does black ivory coffee made from have in common with a panda cup?

Mstand's collaboration with streetwear brand AMAZING PANDA produced a green bamboo latte and panda-themed merchandise, and the Panda Hug Cup drew criticism over its shape. Buyers said the all-black version looked like a muscular figure and the light version resembled a foot holding a cup, differing clearly from promotional images.

Practical complaints included arms positioned too low on the cup body for a firm grip and an opening too small for latte art beginners. A cup enthusiast also posted a handmade ceramic cup from another shop as a possible inspiration, prompting plagiarism discussion, though fans note the two designs differ in detail.

Mstand has teamed up with streetwear brand AMAZING PANDA to launch a green bamboo latte and a range of panda-themed limited-edition merchandise. One item, the "Panda Hug Cup," has sparked heated discussion due to its shape. Many consumers said after receiving the actual product that it differs noticeably from the promotional images; the all-black version was described as looking like a "muscular black man," while the light-colored version was jokingly called a "foot holding a cup." Besides the appearance controversy, practical complaints such as the arms on the cup body being positioned too low and hard to grip, and the cup opening being too small and unfriendly to latte art beginners, were also frequently mentioned. At the same time, a cup enthusiast posted a handmade ceramic cup from another online shop, suspecting it was the inspiration source for Mstand's collaboration design, triggering discussion about "creative plagiarism." Fans, however, believe the two cups differ clearly in details, and given that Mstand's previous "grocery basket" woven bag also had precedent of borrowing from luxury brands, it can only be considered similar in concept.

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Recently, Mstand partnered with streetwear brand AMAZING PANDA to launch a new green bamboo latte and a batch of panda-themed limited-edition merchandise. Pandas themselves are inherently cute and have many fans in China, so as soon as these panda-themed products went on sale, many fans rushed to place orders.

Among the merchandise launched this time, one cup stood out for its distinctive shape. It is made in the overall form of a round, chubby panda, with two bear arms extending from the cup body and wrapping around a latte printed with the brand logo, combining coffee and panda elements together.

This special "Panda Hug Cup" comes in two colorways: an all-black version and a light-colored version. The color scheme of the light-colored version is quite similar to Qizai, a famous brown giant panda internet celebrity, and many of Qizai's fans said upon seeing it that they definitely had to get the same merchandise.

However, seller photos and buyer photos are often two different things. Many customers who ordered the panda cup found after receiving the actual product that it did not have the highly attractive look shown in the official promotional images.

Users who received the all-black version complained directly, saying the cup in their hands looked like a dark blob, with no visible cute panda outline at all, and instead looked more like a "muscular black man." Meanwhile, fans who bought the light-colored version, after seeing someone stuff a panda plush into the cup, could not help exclaiming that this shaped cup was actually a "foot holding a coffee cup," and their previous fondness instantly disappeared as the filter was shattered.

Besides being criticized for looking unattractive, some also felt that the cup itself was only so-so in practicality. They pointed out that the two arms extending from the cup body are positioned relatively low and are rather thick, making it not very easy to grip steadily in actual use, inevitably making people worry that one slip could cause it to shatter.

Some users also mentioned that the cup body is wide but the opening is small, which is indeed quite a test of skill for those just starting to learn latte art. So some people labeled the panda cup as "for display only," saying that after taking photos and posting them on Moments, they put the cup away, bluntly stating they probably would not take it out to use again.

Just as everyone was discussing the design of Mstand's shaped cup, a cup enthusiast posted a product image from an online shop, questioning the source of the brand's collaboration cup idea. This netizen said that while casually browsing, they saw Mstand's panda cup and found that its overall shape looked very similar to a handmade ceramic cup previously sold by that shop, and could not help asking: "Mstand's newly released cup? Does this count as creative plagiarism?"

In response, many fans believed that although both cups have the shape of hands holding a latte, the details such as the cup body, arms, and holding posture are completely different.

They said that among Mstand's previously launched merchandise, items like the "grocery basket" woven bag referenced a certain luxury brand's handbag, so this panda hug cup may also have referenced products from other brands and borrowed others' design ideas. Therefore, the two cups can only be said to be similar in concept, but should not be considered plagiarism.

Image source: Xiaohongshu

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