Starbucks Unicorn Frappuccino: Was The Idea Borrowed From Another Business?

The Starbucks Unicorn Frappuccino seems to be everywhere you look this week. People are either loving it or hating it. There doesn’t seem to be an in-between. Unless you are a barista at Starbucks. Then you are likely looking forward to the end of the Unicorn Frappuccino promotion that comes on Sunday, April 23, 2017.

If you haven’t had a chance to try it though and you really want to have one of these flavorful treats, you can check out the place that Starbucks may have gotten the idea from. Of course, the two unicorn themed drinks are not exactly the same, but the drink at CutiePie Cupcakes and Co. in Chinatown in downtown Toronto was dubbed the Unicorn Latte by fans for a good reason.

Melanie Abdilla is the owner of CutiePie Cupcakes and Co. and she said that when the Starbucks Unicorn Frappuccino came out, her customers and friends and family went crazy and immediately noticed the resemblance. Abdilla told the radio host of CBC Radio One’s As It Happens, Carol Off the following.

“I was pretty much bombarded by friends, colleagues, clients, everybody just sending me photos of it, like, ‘Oh my God, look! They copied you!”

Abdilla doesn’t believe that the Starbucks Unicorn Frappuccino was copied, but the two products are very similar. There’s no doubt about that. The ingredients are different, but the resemblance is uncanny.

One of the main differences between the Starbucks Unicorn Frappuccino and the unicorn latte that is made by CutiePie Cupcakes and Co. is that the Unicorn Frappuccino has blue sour syrup and mango and when it is combined it gives it the color changing effect. The unicorn latte is pure sweet and has no sour.

Another cool touch to the unicorn drink made in Toronto is that it has a whoopie pie garnish. Fans of the drink call this the unicorn horn.

CutiePie Cupcakes and Co. started making their own unicorn drinks last summer and fans immediately fell in love with it. It was originally called the LattePie and there was no mention of unicorns at all. But her customers changed that. They would come in and specifically ask for the “unicorn latte” and the name just stuck. Abdilla eventually accepted the name and that is what they call it, too.

In fact, the whole unicorn thing really caught on and the shop created a unicorn logo for their special drink and added a unicorn décor to their bakery. They are even coming out with a unicorn ice cream next week.

Abdilla says that there are no hard feelings. In fact, the introduction of the Starbucks Unicorn Frappuccino has actually boosted sales in her little shop.

If you’re into the whole unicorn thing, but you just can’t handle the idea of all that sugar in your system, you could always stop by The End in Brooklyn, New York, where you can get a non-caffeinated unicorn drink that is actually good for you. Time Out says it is made from “blue green algae, cold press lemon juice, honey cayenne, steamed coconut milk and Maqui berry” and the algae is actually an energy booster.

There is also a dessert shop in Anaheim Hills, California, that has a unicorn hot chocolate that their customers love. It’s got the sprinkles and the pink froth, and it’s pretty. What more could you want from a unicorn drink?

If you look around, you might even find a hot or cold unicorn drink that your local bakery or café has been producing for some time now. So, if the Starbucks Unicorn Frappuccino is your thing, enjoy it for a couple more days. Then look around and see what unicorn treats you can find locally.

[Featured Image by Ben Pruchnie/Getty Images]