(Bloomberg) -- HBO confirmed that a disposable coffee cup spotted by fans in last night's “Game of Thrones” was a mistake. The network joked it should have been an herbal tea.
“In response to inquiries from those who saw a craft services coffee cup in Sunday night's episode of ‘Game of Thrones,' ” the network admitted, “the latte that appeared in the episode was a mistake.”
The presence of the cup triggered a storm of social-media chatter, with some fans wondering if it was put there intentionally to promote Starbucks Corp. Others figured it was a mistake, and still others were perplexed that such a goof could slip through on such a costly production.
Viewers of Sunday night's episode of the hit drama on AT&T Inc.'s HBO spotted the takeaway cup with the plastic lid bearing what looked like a Starbucks logo in front of series co-star Emilia Clarke, who plays the dragon queen Daenerys Targaryen.
The incident coincides with a wide array of on-purpose product tie-ins and promotions for the show's six-episode final season, from athletic shoes to Scotch whisky to handbags.
Starbucks declined to comment. But the chain did refer to the incident on its Twitter account, taking the opportunity to tout its dragonfruit-infused Dragon Drink.
By Tuesday, the cup had been removed from the scene.
--With assistance from Gerry Smith and Leslie Patton.
To contact the reporter on this story: John J. Edwards III in Geneva at jedwardsiii1@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Nick Turner at nturner7@bloomberg.net
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