World’s Largest Paper Cup - Atlas Obscura
Places near me Random place

World’s Largest Paper Cup

Riverside, California

A tribute to the disposable cups that were once manufactured here, this 68-foot-tall statue would be difficult to throw away. 

View all photos
Photo taken in October 2021 ccesare (Atlas Obscura User)
Photo taken in October 2021 ccesare (Atlas Obscura User)
Photo taken in October 2021 ccesare (Atlas Obscura User)
View from across the street, September 2022 Avoiding Regret (Creative Commons)
circa September 2022 Avoiding Regret (Creative Commons)
The cup with an earlier paint job, circa 2009. MissionInn.Jim (Public Domain)
31
87
Top Places in Riverside
Tio's Tacos
Riverside, California
The Parent Washington Navel Tree
Riverside, California
The Ark of Citrus
Riverside, California
 See All

A true Americana tribute to the paper cup, this 68-foot-tall concrete statue of a paper cup is the largest in the world. Its location feels somewhat random as it currently sits at the entrance of a manufacturing warehouse business park in Riverside, California. However, this once was the location of the former Lily-Tulip Cup Corporation.

The Lily-Tulip Cup Corporation dates back to 1911, when it first started operating in New York. In 1951, the company moved its manufacturing to Springfield, Missouri, and built another large cup statue in front of its headquarters. The Riverside location opened in 1958.

After several company mergers and plant facility expansions and closures, this location finally shut down in 1997. but the mighty paper cup still stands, refusing to be disposed of like countless smaller cups that were created in the nearby factory. The big gulp of a cup statue is a fan favorite for those who pull off the 215 freeway to snap photos of a disposable cup that simply won’t be thrown away.

Know Before You Go

Please note that there is no formal parking, and the statue is in a dirt area near the former paper cup facility on private property with an iron fence blocking you full access to touch the statue.  It is an eight-minute drive from downtown Riverside, California.

factories world's largest roadside attractions statues
Nearby
The Ark of Citrus
2.49 miles
Tio's Tacos
2.64 miles
The Parent Washington Navel Tree
5.54 miles
Want to see fewer ads? Become a Member.
Near This Place
Riverside, California

The Ark of Citrus

The Citrus Variety Collection at UC Riverside contains two trees of each of the 1,000+ varieties of citrus.
Riverside, California

Tio's Tacos

Mexican food and folk art.
The placard at the site.
Riverside, California

The Parent Washington Navel Tree

This California tree is the single source of the state's entire orange industry.
San Bernardino, California

Wigwam Village #7

These structures were inspired by both Native American shelters as well as, strangely, an ice cream shop.
Related Places
Steele, North Dakota

World's Largest Sandhill Crane

The metal bird, nicknamed "Sandy," stands nearly 40 feet tall and is an homage to the birds that migrate through North Dakota every year.
Camp Verde, Arizona

World's Largest Kokopelli

This oversized flute-playing Ancestral Puebloan deity is also a landmark of Southwestern kitsch.
Steering the World
Onaway, Michigan

'Onaway Steers the World'

A 30-foot-tall sculpture pays homage to what was once the Steering Wheel Capital of the World.
Ohakune Carrot
Ohakune, New Zealand

Ohakune Carrot

The largest model carrot in the world.
In partnership with KAYAK

Plan Your Trip

From Around the Web