Starbucks Epcot mug: Discovery Series
The Epcot mug wraps Figment, Spaceship Earth, the EPCOT logo, Remy from Ratatouille and Olaf from Frozen around a pastel park scene, with a car that may be a Test Track vehicle and rock spires that may be Journey of Water.
- Series
- Discovery Series
- Place
- Epcot, Florida, USA
- Type
- Mug
- Released
- Not confirmed
- Capacity
- 14 fl ozStarbucks's Discovery Series launch story calls it the 14-ounce ceramic mug
- SKU
- Not confirmed
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The dragon who needed a voice, and a little person to give it
Tony Baxter's team auditioned women to voice a purple dragon two and a half feet tall, and Baxter remembered that the actress Connie Stevens was one of them; it just didn't work [1]. Randy Bright, who ran Epcot Films, saw the problem: Figment was tiny, and every voice came from someone big [1]. He suggested a little person. Billy Barty answered that not every little person is an actor, but he was one [1]. Baxter said they were lucky to get him, and that they pushed his voice up about ten percent in pitch, though it was still his voice [1]. The ride that carried Figment, Journey Into Imagination, closed on October 10, 1998 [2]. The outcry was enormous, Baxter says, and it helped bring the dragon back [1]. On June 1, 2002, the ride returned as Journey Into Imagination with Figment [3]. The purple dragon at the far left of the Epcot mug (2) looks like the character they were casting.
The mug does not label its drawings, so connecting this one to the story is our reading.
What's on the mug
- 1EPCOT logo and lettering
EPCOT in purple capitals beside a round purple logo with a small globe at its centre, over a pale mint circle. This is printed text and the park's own logo.
- 2Figment, the purple dragon
A purple dragon with an orange crest, small yellow wings and a wide grin rises at the far left, one arm raised. This is Figment, the small purple dragon who hosts the Journey Into Imagination ride in the Imagination pavilion. The same figure wraps onto the side view.[3]
- 3Spaceship Earth
A pale mint sphere covered in raised triangles stands on short purple legs behind the lettering. This is Spaceship Earth, the geodesic sphere that is the park's symbol and stands on three pairs of legs. The mug doesn't name it.[4]
- 4Fireworks
Two bursts of teal and purple fireworks sit either side of the top of the sphere. The drawing gives no clue to a particular show.
- 5Car that may be a Test Track vehicle
A low open white car with purple trim, a circuit-line pattern on its side and teal wheels drives along the bottom, two figures aboard and a trail of sparks behind. It looks like a ride car from Test Track, the car-testing ride in the park, though the drawing is stylised and the mug doesn't name it.[8]
- 6Remy from Ratatouille
A teal rat with a pale belly and long tail stands at the lower right, beside the handle, holding up a tall yellow-and-purple object with a round lilac head dotted with holes, yellow specks falling from it. The rat is Remy from Pixar's Ratatouille, star of Remy's Ratatouille Adventure in the France pavilion. What he holds looks like a giant salt shaker.[5]
- 7Flowers
Yellow, purple and teal daisy-like flowers sit at the lower left, above the car. They are decoration and do not match one named garden.
- 8Figment and EPCOT logo (side) Side view
The same purple dragon with an orange crest seen from the side, leaning toward the round purple logo and the letters EPCOT, which the curve of the mug cuts off. It is Figment, element 2.[3]
- 9Rock spires that may be Journey of Water Side view
Pale mint rock spires with white streaks, a purple spiral and orange windows rise at the left of this side. They resemble Journey of Water, Inspired by Moana, a walk-through water attraction with rock work, and the spiral looks like a Moana motif, but the mug doesn't name it.[7]
- 10Same car (side) Side view
The white car with the purple stripe from the front sits at the lower right, below Figment, with yellow and purple flowers beside it. It is element 5 seen from the side.
- 11Spiked tower with orange rays Back view
A tall tower with rows of purple windows has orange and teal spikes fanning out from its top. It does not match one park building closely enough to name.
- 12Croissant and fork Back view
A round teal badge holds a golden croissant and a fork, left of the tower. It is a food symbol; the mug doesn't tie it to a restaurant or festival.
- 13Hot-air balloons Back view
A cluster of patterned mint, purple and orange hot-air balloons floats at the upper right of this side. Below them, right of Olaf, small orange, purple and brown buildings are cut off by the curve of the mug. The drawing gives no clue to a particular event.
- 14STARBUCKS wordmark Back view
The vertical STARBUCKS wordmark runs beside the handle on this side.
- 15Olaf from Frozen Back view
A pale snowman with a carrot nose and stick arms stands right of the tower. This is Olaf from Frozen, who appears in Frozen Ever After, the boat ride in the Norway pavilion.[6]
- 16Tiny snowmen that may be Snowgies Back view
Several tiny white snowmen sit at Olaf's feet. They may be the Snowgies from Frozen Fever, who also appear in Frozen Ever After, but they are too small to be sure.[6]
- 17Paintbrush, music note and orange box Side view
A large purple paintbrush with a teal ferrule lies across the top of this side. Below its tip are a purple music note and a large orange box with a band of dark triangles at one end, and at the far left a small orange piece with a ridged teal cap.
- 18Lake that may be World Showcase Lagoon Side view
A mint lake with small boats and tiny buildings along its shore runs off the left edge of this side. It may be World Showcase Lagoon, the lake the nation pavilions surround, but the buildings are too small to name.[7]
- 19Yellow roof with arches
A curved yellow roof with ridges sits above the EPCOT lettering, between Figment and the sphere, with a short row of white-and-purple arches on a brown band below it. It does not match one park building closely enough to name.
- 20Pond with purple rocks Side view
Below Figment's foot, patches of mint water and purple rock with white ripple lines fill the bottom of this side, with small orange shapes along their edges.
The three photos (front, side and back) cover most of the wrap, but one strip is in no photo: the part between the lake at the left of the side photo and the balloons at the right of the back photo, where a mint figure is cut off.
Collector notes
- This mug uses purple and mint instead of the dark green circle of many Discovery mugs, so it is easy to tell from a distance.
- The purple dragon is at the far left edge and wraps toward the back, so a photo from the handle side misses it.
- The Side and Back photos show the mug on its Discovery Series box, which carries a Disney Collection mark.
- The photos do not show the whole wrap: the strip between the lake at the left of the side photo and the balloons at the right of the back photo (where a mint figure is cut off) is in no photo, and the yellow roof with purple arches above the front lettering is not identified.
Before you buy
The photos show the front, the side and the back, but a strip between the lake and the balloons is not pictured. This one uses purple and mint where many Discovery mugs have a dark green circle. Epcot also appears in the Been There Series, so check the series name before you order.
Other Epcot mugs
About the Discovery Series
Sources
- Tony Baxter interview on Journey Into Imagination (The MacGyver Project, December 2015)
- Journey into Imagination with Figment (Wikipedia)
- Journey Into Imagination (D23, Disney A to Z)
- Spaceship Earth (Epcot) (Wikipedia)
- Remy's Ratatouille Adventure (Wikipedia)
- Frozen Ever After (Wikipedia)
- Epcot (Wikipedia)
- Test Track (Wikipedia)
