Coffee Cup Designer Leslie Buck Dies At 87

Chances are if you’ve ever gotten a cup of coffee to go in New York City at a deli or street cart, it’s been served to you in a familiar blue and white “We Are Happy to Serve You” cup — or you’ve at least seen it on Law & Order. Leslie Buck, the designer of that iconic Grecian caffeine receptacle, known as the Anthora cup, passed away on Monday, )”>the New York Times reports.

Introduced in the 1960s, the Anthora cup has appeared in the hands of legendary actors and actresses in countless movies and TV shows, a symbol to many of the “go, go, go” mentality of busy New Yorkers who need their caffeine, need it quick, and need it on the run.

Buck, a refugee from Nazi Europe who survived Auschwitz and Buchenwald, was born Laszlo Büch in 1922 in what was then Czechoslovakia. He originally designed the Anthora for the Sherri Cup Company in Kensington, Conn. Millions of cups have been manufactured since, spurring copycats to come up with their own versions.

Buck died at his home on Long Island, N.Y.; the cause was complications from Parkinson’s disease.

Thank you for serving us, Mr. Buck.

Leslie Buck, Designer of Iconic Coffee Cup, Dies at 87 [New York Times]

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