**HISTORY REPEATS: The Miffy-Starbucks Meltdown Is This Generation’s “McDonald’s Teapot” Scandal**

HISTORY REPEATS: The Miffy-Starbucks Meltdown Is This Generation’s “McDonald’s Teapot” Scandal

In a bizarre echo of the 1982 “McDonald’s Teapot” incident—where a limited-edition Happy Meal ceramic teapot caused nationwide riots in Japan—Starbucks’ new Miffy x Strawberry Collection has triggered a modern-day consumer frenzy.

Yesterday, viral clips showed adults sprinting through Shanghai malls, trampling displays and shoving baristas over a $15 rabbit-eared tumbler. “I haven’t seen this level of chaos since the Beanie Baby crashes of ’99,” says retail historian Dr. Lina Zhou. “But the real parallel? It’s the same scarcity-manufactured hysteria that toppled the Ming Dynasty’s salt monopoly.”

Starbucks claims the Miffy line was “accidentally understocked,” but skeptics note the eerie similarities to the “Teapot Panic”—when McDonald’s Japan pretended a shipment was lost to drive demand. “They’re using a cute bunny to distract us from the fact that global coffee prices are about to spike,” warns economist Tomás Reyes. “History’s lesson: never chase the limited-edition product. Buy the stock instead.”

The SEC has not commented on insider trading rumors surrounding Starbucks’ sudden dip-and-rebound stock performance. Meanwhile, Miffy creator Dick Bruna’s estate is reportedly “horrified,” with a spokesperson stating the rabbit was meant to spark joy, not fistfights.