Courtesy Solo Cup Co. 
 
 
 
 A short while back I was walking through a grocery store when I noticed a radical development. The classic red Solo cup—a keg party staple for nearly four decades—had switched from a round to a square bottom. 
 
 Seth Stevenson Seth Stevenson is a senior writer at Slate, where he’s been a contributor since 1997. He is the author of Grounded: A Down to Earth Journey Around the World. 
 
 This seemed unnatural. Could it be true that college students across the nation were experiencing a wholly different world from the one I'd known? So ubiquitous were these plastic cups in my undergrad days, tweaking them in even the slightest fashion would have altered my entire visual landscape. It'd be akin to a Manhattanite awaking one morning to find New York City’s yellow cabs had all been painted fuchsia. 
 
 Should you doubt the cup’s cultural significance, I would point you toward a brand new Toby Keith song titled “Red Solo Cup.” The song opens with these lyrics: “Red Solo cup is the best receptacle for barbecues, tailgates, fairs, and festivals. And you, sir, do not have a pair of testicles if you prefer drinking from a glass.” The tune’s admirably forthright chorus: “I love you, red Solo cup. I fill you up. Proceed to party. Proceed to party.” 
 
 So quintessentially American is the red Solo cup, it is available for sale through a specialty website—Party Cups U.K.—targeting British revelers who wish to re-create the ambience of a land-grant university frat house. The site sells nothing but red Solo cups, and every order includes printed rulebooks for Beer Pong and Flip Cup, which the home page informs us are “the Americans’ drinking games of choice.” With a veritable national icon on its hands, why would Solo risk changing the design? 
 
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 The company itself boasts a rich history. This fall marks the 75th birthday of the Illinois-based Solo Cup Co., which first made its mark in the 1940s with a small paper cone that often perched on the sides of office water coolers. In the 1950s, Solo made wax-lined cups that proved ideal for the takeaway fountain sodas served at drive-in movie theaters. Nowadays, the company manufactures all manner of single-use dinnerware, cutlery, and beverage receptacles. Its products are found in supermarkets, convenience stores, coffee shops, and fast food restaurants across the globe (as well as in the White House Situation Room). But it remains best known for the red party cup, which launched in the 1970s. 
 
 Courtesy Universal Pictures. 
 
 
 
 How did the red cup become synonymous with good times, keg draughts, and sticky-floored basements? “The history is a little sketchy,” says Kim Healy, VP of consumer business for Solo. “We know we were one of the first to introduce a party cup.” 
 
 So perhaps first-mover advantage played a role, with followers clamoring to emulate Solo’s technological breakthrough? For surely the quality of the design played a part. From the beginning, this has been the Sherman tank of disposable mealware. Made of thick, molded polystyrene, the Solo party cup could be squeezed in meaty frat-guy paws, dropped to the ground by tipsy highschool cheerleaders, and mercilessly battered by Flip Cup contestants—all while maintaining shape and functionality. It was stiffer and more resilient than competitor party cups like Dixie’s. 
 
 No doubt the cup’s opacity was a selling point for underage college and high-school drinkers who would prefer not to reveal exactly what they’re sipping. But why red? Healy says the red-colored cups make up 60 percent of Solo party cup sales, with blue cups a distant second. “I’ve been here 12 years, and I’ve tested this over and over. Consumers prefer red, and it’s not very close. I think for one thing it’s a neutral color that’s appealing to both men and women. It’s also just become a standard.” Perhaps it is a psychologically ingrained preference, as well. Some color theory holds that red signifies concepts like energy, passion, and emotional intensity, while blue is linked with tranquility and depth. I know which set of associations I’d rather trigger at my drunken beer blast. 
 
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 Solo keg cups also hold a bit more liquid than the competition. They boast an 18-ounce “flush fill” as opposed to the 16 ounces offered by some competitors. (Healy explained that “flush fill” numbers measure the amount you could pour right up to the rim, while the “practical fill” stat shaves off two ounces to allow for ice cubes and spill avoidance.) Most partiers will agree: More is better when it comes to beer-containment capacity. 
 
 The Solo Cup Co. has had a rocky decade. Private and family-owned since its inception in 1936, Solo ran into debt problems after buying long-coveted competitor Sweetheart Cup in 2004. It was revealed that family members and c-suite executives at Solo had received ridiculous pay and perk packages. A leveraged-buyout firm seized control and helped clean house, and operations have since begun to stabilize. Never in doubt, though, was the market supremacy of the Solo party cup. “We’ve been number one since I’ve been here,” says Healy. “Our real competition only comes when the economy is down and people look to save money with generic cups.” 
 
 Courtesy Solo Cup Co. 
 
 
 
 And this is where that square bottom comes into play. It is hard to differentiate one red plastic cup from another. So, starting in 2004, Solo began to introduce distinctive elements. According to Healy, making any change at all to a sales juggernaut like the party cup spurred great trepidation at the company. But Solo went ahead and added indented grips—touted as a solution to the slippery-when-wet problem encountered by drinkers who slosh their beer over the cup’s rims. And then, in 2009, Solo squared the circle. “It makes it much easier to hold,” says Healy of the square sides, “and it actually adds strength and structure.” 
 
 Healy says the two design changes each spurred double-digit sales growth, so, mission accomplished. But I actually prefer the aesthetics of the original red cup (you can see it pictured in this Solo timeline, next to the label “1970s”). The current cup strikes me as a victory of function over form—a clunky, overdesigned beast. There are multiple carved-out hollows offering purchase for sweaty fingers. Thickly embossed “SOLO” logos running down two sides. There are even bumpy dimples to help maintain grip. It’s a bit of a mishmash, lacking the spare, sleek lines of its classic forebear. 
 
 Stylistic quibbles aside, I had one vital question: How might the new shape affect the product’s famous role as a Flip Cup accessory? Healy wouldn’t take the bait when I asked her if such concerns were factored into the redesign. “We don’t market the cups that way,” she said, “and we count on our customers to use them responsibly.” Sure, sure. But that doesn’t help the Flip Cup assassins out there—the dudes and gals who need to know if this newly square bottom will alter the delicate balance of the cup. Will the same, subtle nudge still induce the elegant mid-air somersault that results in a clean landing? ||||| Biography 
 
 Robert Leo Hulseman, 84, of Northfield, IL, and Scottsdale, AZ, died peacefully on Wednesday, December 21st, surrounded by his family. Devoted husband of nearly 60 years of the late Sheila Murphy Hulseman. Beloved father of Robert (Betty), Richard (Kelly), Paul (Patrice), Margaret Kovach (Joseph), Joseph (Frances), the late Jean Kloos (Robert), Thomas (Esteban Diaz), Lawrence (Amanda), Patricia (Brian Abrams), and William. Honored grandfather of Liam Hulseman; Zachary Lucas; Colin, Patrick, Conor, Michael, Sean, Molly, Brendan, Brian, Kathleen, Devitt, Delia, Emmett & Aidan Hulseman; Kaitlin, Elizabeth (Ryan Duggan), Greta & Joseph Kovach; Kathryn, Anna, Clare & Sheila Hulseman; David & Sarah Kloos; Lawrence & Charles Hulseman; and Erin & Michaela Abrams. Dear brother of John Hulseman (the late Georgia) of Vero Beach, FL, fond brother-in-law of Eileen Samuelson (Alan) of Park Ridge and Judith Murphy, OSB, of Chicago, and uncle to 11 nieces and nephews. 
 
 Bob met his wife, Sheila, as a student at Marquette University, and together they were awarded honorary doctorates from the Catholic Theological Union in recognition of their lifelong commitment to service and principled leadership. At 18, Bob began working in the factory at Solo Cup Company, the business his father began. Over the course of nearly 60 years, he worked in a variety of roles and oversaw the company’s growth into one of the largest foodservice packaging companies in the world, ultimately serving as President and CEO before his retirement. He was known as an innovator, a hands-on manufacturing expert, and an industry pioneer; many of the products he developed are ubiquitous today, including the Red Solo Cup and the Traveller Lid. As philanthropists, Bob and Sheila were committed to supporting a variety of organizations and causes committed to Catholic education, anti-poverty initiatives, and religious communities. 
 
 Throughout his life, Bob was a gentleman who demonstrated class at all turns and a great deal of trust in others. Bob to his friends and Papa to his grandchildren, he was known for his sense of humor, which manifested in many a bad joke, great wit, and his ability to spin a partner on the dance floor. He had a gift for music, which he inherited from his mother, and his family and friends remember fondly the times he sat down at the piano to entertain. As a young man, he was quite an athlete, picking up his father’s talent for polo, and throughout his life he was a competitive tennis player. He counted the late Joseph Cardinal Bernardin among his close friends. Robert’s gift for language gave voice to both strong sentiment and a deep spirituality, and he filled countless notebooks with poems that expressed his knowledge of God’s love, his devotion to Mary, the mother of Jesus, and the great love he shared with his wife, Sheila. 
 
 Visitation: Monday, December 26th, 2016 at Saints Faith, Hope, and Charity Church, 191 Linden Street, Winnetka, IL from 3:00p.m.-4:30p.m., followed by a Funeral Mass at 5:00pm. 
 
 
 
 
 
 In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to: 
 
 
 
 The Benedictine Sisters of Chicago 
 
 7430 N. Ridge Boulevard 
 
 Chicago, IL 60645 
 
 
 
 or 
 
 
 
 Misericordia Heart of Mercy 
 
 6300 N. Ridge Avenue 
 
 Chicago, IL 60660 
 
 
 
 or 
 
 
 
 Presence St. Francis Hospital 
 
 c/o Presence Health Foundation 
 
 200 S. Wacker Drive, Suite 1100 
 
 Chicago, IL 60606. 
 
 
 
 
 
 Info: www.donnellanfuneral.com or (847)675-1990 ||||| Three orphaned siblings from Wantagh will try to fulfill their late father's dream on Sunday's episode of "Shark Tank" (9 p.m., ABC/7). 
 
 Keira, 15, Christian, 19, and Kaley Young, 25, demonstrated their firefighter father Keith Young's kitchen cutting board, the Cup Board Pro, to the panel of potential investors on the long-running ABC reality show, in a taping that took place June 20. Their dad died March 17 at age 53 of synovial sarcoma, a rare form of cancer he contracted as a 9/11 first responder. His wife, Beth King, the children's mother, died of breast cancer on in 2012 at 47. 
 
 At least one of the "sharks" — the revolving cast of venture capitalists, which this episode consists of Mark Cuban, Lori Greiner, Daymond John, Kevin O'Leary and guest Matt Higgins — was moved to tears as the children, seeking investment, told their parents' story and presented their product. The Cup Board Pro is a cutting board with a detachable, dishwasher-safe plastic trough for easy disposal of food-prep detritus, as well as a slight angle that sends meat juices and other liquids draining into it, helping to prevent any mess. 
 
 "My dad began inventing the Cup Board Pro when I was in 10th grade" at Our Lady of Mercy Academy in Syosset, says Kaley Young, 25, owner of Wantagh's Hot Pilates Secret. "He wanted to create something to simplify the cleaning process. My dad was one to make a big mess," she remembers fondly, "and wanted more time to be together as a family instead of cleaning up afterward." 
 
 Keith Young had earned an associate degree from Johnson & Wales University College of Culinary Arts in Providence, then after joining the FDNY wrote the 2003 cookbook "Cooking with the Firehouse Chef." He made chicken cacciatore on "Throwdown with Bobby Flay" in 2007 and won two amateur championships on Food Network's “Chopped," in June and September 2014. 
 
 After developing the idea for Cup Board Pro, he met with an industrial engineer and began going through prototypes. "He almost had it perfect," Kaley says "And that's when my mom was diagnosed with Stage 4 inflammatory breast cancer and he took time to be by her side." 
 
 Sometime after his wife's death, Keith returned to his inventor ambitions, perfected his product and sent "Shark Tank" an audition tape. He wasn't accepted. Undeterred, he ordered 2,000 units from a factory in China in December 2015 to sell online. "That's when he found out he had cancer," Kaley says. 
 
 But "Shark Tank," she continues, "reached out to us — actually on the day before the one-month anniversary of his passing." The siblings successfully auditioned, she says, adding, "We were flown out to California the day before the three-month anniversary of his passing" — an anniversary that fell on Father's Day. "It all seemed like a sign from him that this was he was working from Heaven for us." 
 
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 Kaley, SUNY New Paltz student Christian, and Wantagh High School sophomore Keira have since been selling the Cup Board Pro at cupboardpro.com. They plan an outdoor viewing party at the high school Sunday at 7:45 p.m. for the 9 p.m. airing of "Shark Tank." All proceeds from the $5 admission go to the school's parent-teacher association and to a family friend suffering from cancer. ||||| Earlier this month, one caring dad launched a worldwide search on Twitter for a particular sippy cup that has not been produced in 10 years. 
 
 Marc Carter, 42, a dad and full-time caretaker for three children located in Devon, England, said the sippy cup is the only thing his 14-year-old autistic son Ben will drink out of, and his only one was falling apart. Without the cup, according to Carter, Ben would not drink, and he could get severely dehydrated and ill. 
 
 After receiving dozens of cups from kindhearted folks all over the world, the cup's original manufacturer, Tommee Tippee, dug up their old manufacturing plans and are going to make a special batch of 500 cups just for Ben. 
 
 Carter announced the news in a YouTube video. 
 
 "I need to share some exciting news that in no way I can write down in few enough words that would fit on a note I could share on Twitter...it's not gonna happen," Carter said. 
 
 He then explained that after scouring their records, Tommee Tippee managed to find the mold that makes Ben's blue cup. The company offered to make Ben as many cups as he needs for the rest of his life. Carter is extremely grateful to have 500 new cups on the way. 
 
 Carter has been transitioning Ben on to using the dozens of new cups people who saw his tweet have mailed in. It has been a struggle to get Ben to use the cups, since they are newer and slightly different than his old one. However, he feels positive that he will eventually be able to convince Ben to drink from the new cups. 
 
 Tommee Tippee now has a page on their website dedicated to #CupForBen. 
 
 "Today we are delighted to confirm that we are able to start production on a run of the original cup. Ensuring that Ben has a lifetime supply and that his family won’t ever have to worry about finding another cup for Ben," their website reads. 
 
 Thank you to everyone who has spread the word to find a #CupForBen, we have been overwhelmed by the response! pic.twitter.com/q2qs9G93Gc — tommee tippee UK (@tommeetippee_UK) November 23, 2016 
 
 Even though the project of finding a #CupForBen is coming to a close, Carter does not want the conversation to end. 
 
 "When you've met a child of autism, you've met one child of autism," he said in the video. "You do not know every child, you do not know my son. And that's the same for everyone out there who's got a child with autism, who's got a child with a disability. They know best. These parents and carers are experts for their child. We've started some really cool, interesting discussions...I'm trying to move the conversation to autism and being a carer."
– "You're more than just plastic, you're more than amazing, you're more than fantastic," croons Toby Keith in his 2011 hit "Red Solo Cup," a song that Robert Leo Hulseman surely loved. The inventor of the plastic chalice known as the Red Solo Cup, who lived in both Illinois and Arizona, died on Dec. 21 at age 84, reports People. A death notice describes the devoted family man and father of 10 as a philanthropist, "an innovator, a hands-on manufacturing expert, and an industry pioneer." After starting at his father's Solo Cup Company at 18, Hulseman worked his way up and is credited with inventing the famous party cup at some point in the 1970s. He also developed the Traveler Lid, which has been featured at the Museum of Modern Art, notes the Miami Herald. Hulseman—who eventually rose to the position of CEO—is "owed a debt of thanks by virtually every American (and quite a few imbibers overseas) for his now-ubiquitous invention," the Red Solo Cup, with rings marking 1.5 ounces for liquor, 5 ounces for wine, and 12 ounces for beer, observes People. Before that product was introduced, the Solo Cup Company had mostly focused on cone-shaped paper cups. The precise history is a bit iffy, but "we know we were one of the first to introduce a party cup," a Solo rep told Slate in 2011. There may be competitors, but the Red Solo Cup remains a staple, with tweaks along the way to provide for better stability during, say, enthusiastic beer-pong matches. (More on the cup here.)