Starbucks Chicago mug: Discovery Series

By The Starbucks Cups team · Last checked 2026-10-08 · How we make these pages

Starbucks Discovery Series Chicago mug with an elevated train, a baseball bat, a Ferris wheel and purple flowers around the word CHICAGO — Front view · numbered markers match the list below Show markers

The Chicago mug from Starbucks' Discovery Series sets the city name in orange over a dark green circle, with an elevated train, a baseball and bat, a Ferris wheel, purple flowers and a sailboat. A MICHIGAN street sign and a clock tower fill the back.

Series: Discovery Series
Place: Chicago, Illinois, USA
Type: Mug
Released: Not confirmed
Capacity: 14 fl ozstandard mug size
SKU: Not confirmed

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The night an engineer sketched a wheel to beat the Eiffel Tower

In 1892 Daniel Burnham, the Chicago fair's chief of construction, challenged America's engineers to build something to rival the Eiffel Tower ^[1]. That very evening a Pittsburgh engineer named George Ferris sketched a revolving wheel on a piece of paper ^[2]. The fair's committee found the idea unrealistic, yet Ferris found investors for $400,000 and won approval on 29 November 1892 ^[3]^[4]. The footings went in during January, in freezing weather, with steam used to keep the concrete from freezing ^[5]. For 19 weeks the wheel turned more than 10,000 times without incident, and about 1.5 million people rode it ^[6]^[7]. Ferris did not see its end. According to the Hyde Park Historical Society, he died of typhoid in 1896 after going bankrupt ^[8], and the wheel was dynamited in 1906 ^[9]. The Ferris wheel at the left edge of the Chicago mug (6) may recall that evening's sketch.

The mug does not label its drawings, so connecting this one to the story is our reading.

What's on the mug

1
Lettering
CHICAGO in orange capitals over a dark green circle.
2
Elevated train
A purple train runs along a steel elevated track above the circle.
3
Baseball and bat
A baseball sits above an orange-and-navy striped bat that slants down to the left of the lettering.
4
Purple flowers
Two dark purple chrysanthemum-like flowers sit below the lettering.
5
Sailboat
A sailboat with a pale sail crosses blue water at the lower left.
6
Ferris wheel
A Ferris wheel stands at the left edge, with café tables and umbrellas below it.
7
Striped food items
Two navy-striped items, a wedge and a filled bun, tip over at the upper right with orange food spilling out.
8
Skyscrapers
Skyscrapers, one orange and white, stand at the right, beside the handle.
9
MICHIGAN sign Back view
A green street sign reading MICHIGAN is mounted on a pole beside a bridge.
10
Blue animal Back view
A blue animal leaps at the left of the back.
11
Red-orange disc on a stand Back view
A round red-orange disc with a white rim sits on a tall pale stand.
12
Musician Back view
A musician in a blue uniform plays an instrument, with music notes beside them.
13
Clock tower Back view
A dark blue clock tower stands at the base of the back.

The two photos show the front and the back. The area behind the handle is out of view in both.

Collector notes

The inside rim is periwinkle blue, which shows in the back photo.
The back photo shows the mug in front of its dark box, printed STARBUCKS DISCOVERY SERIES; the train and the bat are on the front.

Before you buy

The inside rim is periwinkle blue. Chicago also appears in the Been There, Icon and You Are Here series, so look for the Discovery Series name on the box shown in the back photo. The area behind the handle is out of view in both photos.