Dunkin’ makes bold new change on menu for ‘Short King Spring’

Dunkin' short king spring ad
Dunkin' short king spring ad

Who doesn’t love a short king? We know Dunkin’ does.

Dunkin’ announced that it would be temporarily renaming its small iced coffee to “Short King” for the first week of the season, honoring “Short King Spring.” The menu change is an ode to an online trend celebrating men typically under 5-foot-8.

“Sometimes you don’t need a large, or even a medium, you just need a Short King,” the description reads on the Dunkin’ app.

Dunkin’ renamed its small coffee to the “Short King” for the first week of spring. Dunkin' Donuts
Dunkin’ renamed its small coffee to the “Short King” for the first week of spring. Dunkin' Donuts

Dunkin’ released an ad in which a large and medium coffee put a crown on a “short king” coffee, referring to the short king as “m’lord” because “it’s their season.” Comments saw dozens of Dunkin’ fans tag the short kings in their lives to celebrate.

“We see you for the royalty you are!” Dunkin’ wrote in a press release.

While “Short King Spring” began as a meme in 2018, many women are taking part in the trend of looking past height differences and are pursuing short kings. A dating app called Short King Dating for men 5’8″ and under debuted in 2020.

Christopher Sadowski
Christopher Sadowski

In recent years, “short kings” like Tom Holland have been praised for dating women who are taller than them. Holland is 5’8″ and Zendaya is 5’11”.

Jeremy Allen White from “The Bear” — who is 5-foot-7 — has become a sex symbol for his racy Calvin Klein ad campaign.

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While Short King Spring doesn’t last all year — for Dunkin’ the honorary name change will only be in the app from March 19 until March 26 — the company urges its customers to treat the short kings in their life with a small iced coffee to celebrate.

The short king campaign is the latest in a variety of bold marketing moves from Dunkin’. For the Super Bowl, self-proclaimed Dunkin’ lover Ben Affleck teamed up with Matt Damon and Tom Brady to form the boyband the “DunKings.” The ad finally gave Affleck his own drink on the Dunkin’ menu and the opportunity to act alongside his wife Jennifer Lopez.