# Game of Thrones coffee cup

> A coffee-cup mistake drew a $2.3 billion publicity estimate for Starbucks and an HBO edit.

- Owner: HBO
- Kind: Meme & format
- Sector: Entertainment
- Seed date: 2019-05-06
- Peak date: 2019-05-07
- Spread Score: 62 (Viral, provisional), v1.2
- Mechanics: Platform jump, Press loop, Controversy, Response chain, Brand pile-on, Political adoption

## Summary

Viewers shared a cup left beside Daenerys. HBO acknowledged the error and removed it. Press reported a $2.3 billion Starbucks publicity estimate; brand replies, cast jokes and television parody extended the reaction.

## Timeline

- 2019-05-05 — HBO (TV) — HBO aired The Last of the Starks with a disposable coffee cup visible beside Daenerys.
- 2019-05-06 — forever-aliendreams / ladyennefer (Open web) — A surviving Tumblr reblog preserved forever-aliendreams's screenshot of the cup at 04:56:28 UTC.
- 2019-05-06 — Zane Hijazi (@zane) (X) — Zane Hijazi posted his video of the cup at 06:41:47 UTC, after earlier viewers had shared it.

The full timeline, metrics and sources are on the case page, or via the Pro API (https://howitspread.com/developers).

Canonical URL: https://howitspread.com/cases/game-of-thrones-coffee-cup

Cite as: How It Spread (2026). “Game of Thrones coffee cup.” Case HIS-00172. Spread Score v1.2: 62/100. Updated 2026-10-13. https://howitspread.com/id/HIS-00172