Starbucks 2015 Seasonal Menu Causing Controversy

Starbucks is back at it again. Earlier this holiday season, Starbucks made the news with their “controversial” holiday cup. Now, the company has the Internet riled up once again with its polar bear holiday cookies.

The debate stemmed from one photo posted on social media. The photo showed polar bear cookies with red scarves. However, some of the social media users think the scarves look like blood dripping from the polar bear’s neck, but the irony comes from the fact that these cookies have not been sold at any Starbucks location in five years.

Controversy has been surrounding Starbucks for the past month or so. It was put on blast on the Internet for its “lack of Christmas spirit” just a month ago because of its holiday coffee cups that did not specify Christmas on them. Now, in addition to receiving backlash about the “minimalist” cups, the company is receiving backlash about the “violent” and bloody cookies that it served five years ago.

The photo went live when an Imgur users posted it to the Web. “These polar bear cookies at Starbucks look like they’ve all had their throats slit,” the Imgur user wrote along with the photo he posted. Soon after the posting of the photo, the image went viral.

Not many of the people realized that the photo was so dated, so many others also shared their disgust with Starbucks. “Oh wait, that’s supposed to be a scarf?” one Twitter user asked. Many others are asking what’s up with Starbucks’ “new” cookies.

“Ok so Starbucks gets rid of their Christmas cups then they slit polar bear throats on their cookies?” one user commented. Another Twitter user chimed in on the discussion saying, “I gotta love Starbucks new cookies. A polar bear with it’s throat slit? That’s a holiday you don’t forget.”

Starbucks changes its holiday menu every year, so no one who posts a photo of these polar bear cookies is getting them from any Starbucks during the 2015 year. Because Starbucks offers a fresh and new holiday menu each year, these cookies literally haven’t been seen since December 2010. “The polar bear cookies are not available this year,” spokeswoman Jamie Riley said. “Starbucks is always trying to keep our cookies festive and delicious.”

This year’s menu is offering gingerbread people wearing sweaters and snowmen cookies. However, despite the yearly change in menu, it seems Starbucks can’t quite get out of the negative spotlight with its holiday offerings.

These five-year-old cookies marked the second time the Internet has feuded with Starbucks this season. The coffee giant ditched its usual holiday cup designs that are normally filled with holiday designs. In November, the company launched its holiday cup, which is just a plain red cup, and many people blasted the company saying that they were “launching a war on Christmas.”