Stanley Hudson is the crossword-loving, pretzel-eating salesman at Dunder Mifflin Scranton in The Office. Some would say Stanely's a background character considering he didn't have any major storylines but his presence is felt throughout the series' nine seasons.
While the show focused primarily on the relationship between Jim and Pam, Michael's managerial skills, and the love/hate relationship between Jim and Dwight, there are subtle things fans didn't realize about Stanely (or simply forgot). Fans were reminded he had a mustache thanks to a solid cold opening in "Welcome Party" but what else don't we know about this silent salesman? Keep scrolling to see 10 things we didn't know about Stanley.
He Was Still Married To Teri When He Took Cynthia To Andy's Garden Party
For anyone who's a little cloudy on Stanley's relationship status — here's a refresher. When we meet Stanley, he's on his second wife Teri. Stanley brings her to the Dundies where we meet her for the first time and Michael is completely confused who she is because he doesn't understand interracial relationships at this time.
By season six, we learn that Stanley is actually having an affair with a woman named Cynthia whom he met when he was in rehabilitation. When he brings Cynthia to Andy's Garden Party, we all laughed when Dwight introduced her as Stanley's mistress but that's actually what she was. Stanely was still technically married to Teri at this point and was still sneaking around with Cynthia. There's even a deleted scene of Stanley trying to break things off with Cynthia at the party and she tells him to call his wife to come pick him up because she was leaving without him.
Stanley Only Likes Michael One Time A Year
It's no secret that Stanley despises Michael. He ignores everything he says and is in his own little world throughout the workday. However, there is one day (and one episode) out of the year where Stanely and Michael actually get along: pretzel day. On this day, free soft pretzels are handed out in the office's lobby and both Stanley and Michael can't contain their excitement.
As Stanely said, "I wake up every morning in a bed that’s too small, drive my daughter to a school that’s too expensive, and then I go to work to a job for which I get paid too little, but on pretzel day? Well, I like pretzel day..." This is the rare episode where we see these two get along.
He's A Croc Lover!
The characters on The Office wear the same kinds of outfits every day. The women wear pencil skirts and sweaters while the men wear suits. Kelly and Phyllis are the only ones in the office who add any kind of fun coloring to their ensembles.
And since Stanely is sitting down for a majority of his time on the show, we mainly only see his suit jacket and tie. But one eagle-eyed Reddit fan noticed something unique about Stanley's work outfit: he wears Crocs! Crocs are the breathable slip-on shoe that can be worn by people of all ages. And funny enough, Stanley appears to be a fan of the comforting shoe because if you zoom in, he is, in fact, wearing Croc-like slides.
He's Constantly Using The Same Crossword Book
If you do a quick Google search of Stanley and his love for crosswords, you'll notice he's using the same crossword book throughout the series' nine seasons!
Sure, sometimes he's doing the crossword in the local paper but Stanley is often seen with the same brand of book. It makes you wonder how many crosswords Stanely accomplished throughout his time at Dunder Mifflin (and how much work he actually accomplished).
He Worked At Dunder Mifflin For Almost 30 Years
Surprise! Stanely's Fandom page claims Stanley has worked at Dunder Mifflin Scranton for the past "26 years." With a young daughter in a private school, it's clear Stanley only went to work every day to pay for her schooling (and to probably hide from his wives...and mistresses).
However, what's interesting is that in the ninth season, Stanley claims to have worked for the company for 17 years, so it makes you wonder if this was a writer's flub or if Stanley literally forgets how long he's worked for the same company.
Stanley's Manhood Has Been Discussed By Writers...
This has got to be one of the strangest tidbits we have of Stanley Hudson but it's one worth noting. In a 2014 interview, the actor who portrays Stanley (Leslie David Baker) had a body part that was 13 inches long (if you catch our drift).
While fans could have taken Leslie's comment in jest, Randall Einhorn (one of the directors of The Office) confirmed this bodily fact that same year! No wonder he has so many women chasing after him.
It Appears His Heart Attack Affected His Retirement Plan
All Stanley wants to do is collect his paycheck and retire. He hates working hard and just wants to live the good life in a warm climate. We all saw how Stanley came alive in Florida! However, one fan had an intriguing theory about Stanely.
In the third season, Stanley was hoping the Scranton branch would close so he could collect his severance and retire early. Two seasons later, Stanely has a heart attack from the fake fire Dwight created at the office. The theory goes that after his heart attack, Stanley realized he didn't have enough money to retire from Dunder Mifflin and finding a new job would be silly due to his age. Does this mean Dwight is the cause of Stanely's extra years at Dunder Mifflin?
Stanley's Dream Is Already His Reality
Just as Mindy complains about being single or heartbroken, Stanley also complains about going to work every day. He does the bare minimum because A) he can (especially with Michael Scott as a boss) and B) because he still reaches his sales goals (even though we never see him working). One quote that perfectly encapsulates Stanely is: "I have been trying to get on jury duty every year since I was 18 years old. To get to go sit in an air-conditioned room, downtown, judging people, while my lunch is paid for...That is the life."
However, what Stanely doesn't even realize is that's literally his life at Dunder Mifflin. He sits in an air-conditioned room while doing his crossword in peace. The only thing that's off is him having to pay for his lunch. But let's be real, Scranton has so many office parties that Stanely gets free food all the time.
Is Stanley A Car Fanatic?
If fans take the time to zoom-in on Stanely's desk, they'll notice there are small cars placed around his desk. Now, we all saw the joy on his face when he got to drive to a convertible around Florida for their business trip but perhaps it's a passion of Stanely's we never explored before.
These small car figurines could also be gifts from Dunder Mifflin clients but why would Stanely keep them if he didn't care about them? He explained this when he threw out his own Dundie!
Did His Character Change Throughout The Series?
Did Stanley change from season one to season nine? Some fans said that Stanley was once a calm and cool salesman but over time he became so infuriated with Michael that it brought out a mean-steak in him.
We saw this when he screamed "Did I stutter?!" to Michael, when he cussed out Ryan for talking to his daughter, and his hatred for Dwight when he didn't want to go on a sales call. It appears that his longevity at Dunder Mifflin had made him angry as opposed to the sweet and quiet man Phyllis is familiar with.