Starbucks Chile mug: Discovery Series
The Chile mug from Starbucks' Discovery Series sets CHILE in pale mint capitals over a dark green circle, with a condor, a wine glass and bottle, a hiker, red mountains and a large red shape. A rider on a teal horse, a penguin and glass domes fill the other sides.
- Series
- Discovery Series
- Place
- Chile
- Type
- Mug
- Released
- Not confirmed
- Capacity
- 14 fl ozstandard mug size
- SKU
- Not confirmed
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The Czech engineer who made a concrete moai walk
Before 1986, a Czech engineer named Pavel Pavel and his friends cast a moai in concrete and tried to make it walk. It stood 4.5 metres tall and weighed 12 tonnes, according to Radio Prague [1]. The idea came from a legend: on Easter Island, the story goes that the stone statues reached their platforms by themselves [2]. Pavel took it literally. With a system of ropes, tilting and twisting, he and sixteen others moved the statue forward [3]. Thor Heyerdahl's 1956 expedition had used 180 people to pull one on its back [4]. In January 1986 Heyerdahl invited Pavel to try the method on a real statue on the island [5]. Heyerdahl claimed that was how the islanders moved them several hundred years ago [6]. The tall teal stone head on the Chile mug (6) may be one of those statues.
The mug does not label its drawings, so connecting this one to the story is our reading.
What's on the mug
- 1Lettering
CHILE in pale mint capitals sits on a dark green circle.
- 2Condor
A large bird with dark, finger-tipped wings spread wide flies across the top of the circle.
- 3Wine glass
A glass of red wine stands at the right of the lettering, with a bunch of grapes above it.
- 4Pouring bottle
A red wine bottle tips over the glass at the top right, a trickle of wine falling toward it.
- 5Hiker
A figure with a backpack and a blue jacket walks across a red-and-purple slope below the lettering.
- 6Teal stone head
A tall teal stone head with a long face and a heavy brow stands at the right of the wine glass.
- 7Large red stone head
A big red stone head with a long face and speckled surface fills the area beside the handle.
- 8Pink bell flowers
Pink and red hanging flowers droop from long stems at the left edge of the front.
- 9Rider on teal horse Side view
A rider in a red hat and a red patterned poncho sits on a spotted teal horse.
- 10Red mountains Side view
Rows of red ridges stand in front of a round red sun.
- 11Round red fruit Side view
A round red fruit covered in cells sits at the lower left, with a cut fruit showing dark seeds beside it.
- 12Tree with branches Side view
A tall tree with dark, spreading branches stands at the right edge of this side.
- 13Penguin Back view
A purple penguin with a red belly stands at the left of this side.
- 14Glass domes Back view
Three teal domes with fine vertical ribs sit in front of a night sky.
- 15Night sky Back view
A dark red sky is dotted with white stars and a pink moon.
- 16Two figures on a platform Back view
Two small dark figures stand on a flat teal platform at the centre of this side.
The photos show the front, one side and the back by the handle, taken from a slight angle. The Front photo cuts off the print right of the lettering behind the handle.
Collector notes
- The inside of this mug is coral red, matching the red mountains and fruit on the outside, so the colour carries across the whole design.
- Unlike the dark green circle on the front, the other two sides have no circle: the scenes run straight on the white body, so the rider and the penguin are on separate faces.
Before you buy
The inside of this mug is coral red. The photos show the front, one side and the back, and the front shot cuts off the print right of the lettering behind the handle. The Been There Series also has a Chile mug; this Discovery one has a dark green circle behind CHILE and a rider on a teal horse on one side.
Other Chile mugs
About the Discovery Series
Sources
- Radio Prague International: Czech who made Moai statues walk returns to Easter Island
- Radio Prague International: Czech who made Moai statues walk returns to Easter Island
- Radio Prague International: Czech who made Moai statues walk returns to Easter Island
- Radio Prague International: Czech who made Moai statues walk returns to Easter Island
- Radio Prague International: Czech who made Moai statues walk returns to Easter Island
- Kon-Tiki Museum: Thor Heyerdahl
