Starbucks Illinois mug: Discovery Series
The Illinois mug from Starbucks' Discovery Series sets the state name in yellow over a dark green circle, with pumpkins, an orange fish, a deer in front of an easel and a canoe. Corn, a hiker, a theatre sign, a Route 66 sign and a barn fill the other sides.
- Series
- Discovery Series
- Place
- Illinois, USA
- Type
- Mug
- Released
- Not confirmed
- Capacity
- 14 fl ozstandard mug size
- SKU
- Not confirmed
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The week Libby's warned that Thanksgiving pumpkin might run short
On 17 November 2009, Nestlé announced that it might not have enough canned Libby's pumpkin for the pies [1]. Soggy fields had made it hard for farmers to get harvesting equipment to the pumpkins [1]. Acres still sat unharvested around Morton, Illinois, and fungus meant many would probably be plowed under [1]. Morton's scale shows in older numbers. In the 1990 harvest season the Libby's plant there was processing 500,000 pumpkins a day [3]. Illinois grew about 690 million pounds of pumpkin in 2023, more than the other five pumpkin-producing states combined, according to the USDA [2]. And the pumpkin in the can is not the orange kind. The Dickinson variety, cream-colored and oblong, is the one most often found there [2]. The three pumpkins on top of the Illinois mug (2) are orange and yellow, not the cream-colored kind in the can.
The mug does not label its drawings, so connecting this one to the story is our reading.
What's on the mug
- 1Lettering
ILLINOIS in yellow capitals over a dark green circle.
- 2Pumpkins
Three pumpkins in orange and yellow with purple vines sit on top of the circle.
- 3Orange fish
A large orange fish with a red-patterned body arcs down the left of the circle.
- 4Deer at an easel
A spotted deer with antlers stands on a painter's easel at the right of the lettering.
- 5Painter's palette
A painter's palette with coloured dabs and a brush sits at the lower right.
- 6Canoe
Two paddlers in a canoe cross pale blue water below the lettering.
- 7Angler
A small figure fishes from the shore beside orange and yellow flowers.
- 8Hiker Side view
A hiker with trekking poles and an orange backpack climbs a golden hill at the upper left of the side.
- 9Ears of corn Side view
Two ears of yellow corn grow on tall purple-green stalks in the middle of the side.
- 10Theatre sign Side view
A building with a tall vertical sign of round lights and an arched door stands at the right of the side.
- 11Waterfall Side view
A waterfall drops between blue rocks topped with orange trees at the upper right of the side.
- 12Red barn Side view
A red barn with white trim stands at the left edge of the side.
- 13Route 66 sign Back view
A white shield reading ROUTE 66 stands at the left of the back.
- 14Red convertible Back view
A red convertible with a driver sits below the sign.
- 15Yellow silo Back view
A tall yellow silo-like tower with rows of windows stands beside the barn.
- 16Red barn Back view
A red barn with a white door and a loft window stands at the base of the back.
- 17Purple flowers Back view
Blue and purple flowers on tall stalks rise above the silo.
- 18Hiker with an orange cap Back view
A hiker in an orange cap and backpack climbs a golden hill at the right of the back.
The three photos together cover most of the outside of the mug. The area behind the handle is out of view.
Collector notes
- The inside of this mug is orange, which shows at the rim in the side photo.
- The corn, the hiker and the theatre sign are on the side photo, the Route 66 sign, the convertible and the barn on the back, and the pumpkins, the orange fish and the deer on the lettering face.
Before you buy
The inside of this mug is orange, which shows at the rim in the side photo. The Route 66 sign, the convertible and a barn are on the back, and the corn, a hiker and the theatre sign are on the side. Starbucks also made Illinois mugs in the Been There and You Are Here series, so check the series name before you order.
