Do you ever wonder to yourself, “How in the HELL did millions upon millions of people across the world become OBSESSED with cupcakes?” That thought crosses my mind every once in a while. In fact I once spent several months of my life putting a business plan together to capitalize on the trend. I was going to open a cupcake shop in Shanghai, China with a few friends. In the end, though I had faith in the financial merit of the project, cupcakes are not my passion (to be honest, I’d snack on a sweet potato over a cupcake any day), and we’ve got to be true to ourselves don’t we.
But I digress. The cupcake’s rise to edible superstardom is largely credited to the Magnolia Bakery in NYC. Specifically, the West Village’s little bakery was included in an episode of Sex and the City (July 9, 2000) in which the main characters feast on the little treats. Allysa Torey, who owned Magnolia at the time recently talked about the effect of the bakery’s appearance on the show:
“Q. How did Magnolia Bakery’s appearance on an episode of “Sex & the City” change your business?
A. Tour buses! Obviously we got a lot of press from it, which is always appreciated, but it’s had its ups and downs. There were tour buses and crowds of people and a little bit of craziness as well.” (WSJ)
Got it? Actual tour busses full of actual people from all over the country (world?) started pulling up to the bakery going absolutely nuts for the things. Add that to the scores of New Yorkers already parked in line and we can begin to wrap our heads around it.
That explains the beginnings of the trend. Ten years ago (wow, that was ten years ago?) Magnolia Bakery’s cupcakes got the Sex and the City bump elevating them to food fad of the decade. But I am still sitting here pondering the complexities of today’s consumer. And I am still thinking to myself, WHY in the hell did millions upon millions of people become obsessed with cupcakes? There are hundreds of answers, but that’s not even the right question. More interesting is—what will be their next obsession?
