06/02/2026
We love these types of stories!!!
Ben Carter, a 14-year-old boy from Devon, England, had severe autism and could not speak. Since he was two years old, he would only drink from one specific blue Tommee Tippee cup with two handles. It was the only cup he trusted.
The problem was that the cup had been discontinued more than 20 years earlier. As Ben’s last replacement cup started wearing out, his family became worried. Ben refused to drink from any other cup. In fact, he had already been taken to the hospital twice because he became dehydrated after refusing other cups.
Desperate for help, Ben’s father, Marc Carter, posted a photo of the cup on social media. He explained that his son would rather go to the hospital than use a different cup. The post quickly spread across the internet and was shared thousands of times. People from different countries searched their homes and sent old cups to the family.
The story soon reached Tommee Tippee, the company that originally made the cup. Determined to help, the company searched for the original mould used to make it. Amazingly, they found the mould at their factory in China.
Tommee Tippee then produced 500 identical blue cups and gifted them to Ben and his family in December 2016. Marc said receiving the cups felt even better than winning the lottery.
The story touched many people around the world. Marc also used the attention to raise awareness about autism, reminding people that every autistic child is different and has unique needs.
