【Down Town】

LONDON -- A desperate dad has launched a Twitter campaign to find a particular model of cup for his autistic son that he says "keeps him alive."

The Down Townhashtag #CupForBen has since gone viral as the internet races to find a cup that has been out of production for a decade now.

SEE ALSO: 8-year-old autistic boy absolutely slays 'Thriller' dance

Marc Carter's 14-year-old son Ben has refused to drink from anything other than a very specific Tommee Tippee cup since the age of 2.

---

You May Also Like

---

---

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

The 42-year-old dad from Devon, UK worries that the consequences will be dire if a replacement is not found before the current cup wears out.

In a Twitter post, he explains, "Ben hasn’t drunk at school since the age of five, he doesn’t drink outside of the house so we can’t go anywhere.

"People say he will drink when he’s thirsty, but two emergency trips to A&E with severe dehydration say otherwise."

Mashable Trend Report Decode what’s viral, what’s next, and what it all means. Sign up for Mashable’s weekly Trend Report newsletter. By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Thanks for signing up!

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

Carter told the BBC that Ben has had the cup he currently uses for three years now, and he only expects it to last for a few more weeks.

Carter, whose other two children also have special needs, turned to Twitter for help, and the response has been overwhelming.

"It has genuinely moved me to tears," he writes in an update,"It's incredible that you all want to help."

Support and promising leads have poured in from all corners of the globe as people searched their cupboards for the two-handled plastic cup:

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

Several people have suggested that a 3D printer might provide a longterm solution, too, if a cup can be secured to replicate.

Tommee Tippee has also responded to Carter's requests. The BBC quotes its global head of consumer experience Sara Scott as saying, "The cup he previously had was a Tommee Tippee cup that we made for Boots in the late 1990s and our team is currently looking through all our archive product samples to see if we have one that's just right for Ben."

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

Around seven of the tiny blue cups have been collected so far, and Carter hopes to stock up to avoid future desperate hunts.

If anyone has an exact copy of the cup that they would like to send to the family, youy can contact @PMPProject via Twitter.

Topics X/Twitter

• Games
• Digital Culture
• Social Good
• Science
• Shopping
• Deals
• Entertainment
• Life

• NYT mini crossword answers for May 12, 2025
• Spend your Earth Day shopping online and save the planet at the same time
• Google Chrome update mutes annoying autoplaying video for good
• Facebook looks to quietly limit reach of GDPR, EU's tough privacy law
• Ireland fines TikTok $600 million for sharing user data with China
• Amazon partners with Best Buy to sell Fire TVs
• Plastic straws, cotton buds, and drinks stirrers could be banned in the UK
• Healthcare app could help people in India determine risk of diabetes
• Creator job opportunities grew 7x in recent years [April 2025]
• Russian EEC filing indicates Apple may release iPhone SE2 this year

• Neil deGrasse Tyson tried his hand at naming Beyoncé's twins
• Furless Tickle Me Elmo sent from the fiery depths of hell is here to give you nightmares
• Rampaging pig runs from police officer in hilarious dash cam footage
• We could learn a lot about 'The Last Jedi' and new Han Solo movie this weekend
• Toyota's new robotic leg brace will help stroke patients walk again
• This gorgeous bezel
• The Genesis GV80 concept car has a plug
• NASA finds key ingredients for life pouring out of Saturn's icy moon Enceladus
• Netflix and 'Twin Peaks' got into Cannes, there goes the neighborhood
• IndyCar champ Tony Kanaan has special wearable tech to win races

• Musetti vs. Diallo 2025 livestream: Watch Madrid Open for free
• Sony Xperia XZ2 Premium has a 4K screen, dual cameras
• Watch harrowing footage from a couple's dangerous brush with a tornado
• Twitter is down worldwide
• 5 Ways to Access a Locked Windows Account
• Nintendo Labo is changing the way we look at consoles
• Snapchat opens up selfie lens creation to everyone in Lens Studio
• A 'Simpsons' writer showed hitherto unseen lines cut from 'Steamed Hams'
• NYT Strands hints, answers for May 1
• Kendrick Lamar won a Pulitzer for 'DAMN.' and fans are shook

• Today's Hurdle hints and answers for April 17, 2025
• Razer Phone review: A entertainment powerhouse with a lousy camera
• US bans American companies from selling products to ZTE
• Kendrick Lamar won a Pulitzer for 'DAMN.' and fans are shook
• Amazon Prime Grubhub deal: Save $10 off orders of $20 or more
• 'Deadpool 2' pop
• UK cops catch drug dealer after finding fingerprint in WhatsApp photo
• Sony Xperia XZ2 Premium has a 4K screen, dual cameras
• Waymo data shows humans are terrible drivers compared to AI
• RSA conference has a diversity problem