Starbucks Kentucky mug: Discovery Series

What's on the mug

1. 1
   KENTUCKY lettering

   KENTUCKY in orange capitals over a dark green circle.

2. 2
   Kentucky Derby hats

   Two wide-brimmed hats sit above the lettering: an orange-and-green striped one with a yellow flower and blue ribbon, and a tilted blue one with a yellow bow. Big decorated hats are the best-known dress tradition of the Kentucky Derby, and the julep-style glass on the same face points the same way. The mug doesn't name them.^[7]

3. 3
   Slice of pie

   A slice of pie with an orange crust and a dark filling, topped with a swirl of blue-white cream, sits on a green plate at the upper left. It could be one of several Kentucky pies; the drawing gives no way to tell which.

4. 4
   Banjo (bluegrass music)

   A banjo with a blue head, an orange-and-green rim and a long neck runs diagonally at the left, with music notes floating beside it. It most likely stands for bluegrass, which Kentucky made its official state music in 2007. The mug doesn't name it.^[8]

5. 5
   Glass that looks like a mint julep

   A straight-sided glass of yellow-green drink with ice, mint leaves and a striped straw sits below the lettering, with blue drops splashing from the straw. It looks like a mint julep, the drink served at the Kentucky Derby in a souvenir glass, but the mug doesn't name it.^[4][5]

6. 6
   Turkey

   A large turkey in blue, green and yellow, with an orange head and wattle and a fanned tail, stands at the right of the circle. The mug doesn't say what it refers to.

7. 7
   Car with racing stripes

   A blue car with orange panels and decals, seen nearly head-on, sits at the far left, near the edge of the photo. The mug doesn't say what it refers to.

8. 8
   Pot of stew that may be burgoo Side view

   A blue two-handled pot of green pieces, carrot slices and white curls, with a green ladle and a small white cup with a round dark logo tucked in, sits in the middle of the side; a smaller blue bowl of the same with a green spoon sits just left of it. A big pot of stew like this may be meant as burgoo, a Kentucky stew, but the mug doesn't name it.

9. 9
   Jockey draped in a garland of roses Side view

   A rider in a round helmet with goggles pushed up, a blue striped top, orange breeches and tall blue boots raises both arms, draped in a long band of round green-gold blooms while flowers fly around. It looks like a Kentucky Derby winner with the garland of roses that gives the race its nickname, the run for the roses, though the real garland goes over the horse and the winning jockey gets a bouquet. The mug doesn't name it.^[14]

10. 10
    Carrots Side view

    Two orange carrots with green tops point up at the left of the side photo; the same carrots show at the right edge of the back photo, beside the bat.

11. 11
    Waterfall that looks like Cumberland Falls Side view

    A wide, short curtain of blue water drops over a green ledge into a blue river that runs along the base of the side. A broad falls like this resembles Cumberland Falls on the Cumberland River, 125 feet wide with a 68-foot drop, but stylised art fits other falls too. The mug doesn't name it.^[9]

12. 12
    STARBUCKS wordmark Back view

    The vertical STARBUCKS wordmark runs beside the handle on this side.

13. 13
    Bucket of fried chicken Back view

    A blue striped bucket with steam rising holds golden pieces of fried chicken, with an orange drumstick on the ground beside it. Fried chicken in a bucket may point to Kentucky Fried Chicken, whose recipe Harland Sanders worked out at his café in Corbin, but the bucket carries no name or logo.^[10]

14. 14
    Baseball bat, possibly a Louisville Slugger Back view

    A long pale wooden bat lies across the back, with a blue ball and orange motion lines flying above it; the same blue ball shows at the top left of the side photo. A wooden bat on a Kentucky mug likely nods to the Louisville Slugger, made in Louisville, but the bat carries no brand.^[11]

15. 15
    Boxing gloves, possibly for Muhammad Ali Back view

    Two boxing gloves, one grey and one orange with a green cuff, sit to the left of the bat. They may honour Muhammad Ali, who was born and grew up in Louisville, but the mug doesn't name him.^[12]

16. 16
    Low sports car like a Corvette Side view

    A long, low yellow-orange sports car with blue and green trim and a green wheel runs along the right edge of the side photo. Its wedge shape resembles a Corvette, which is built only in Bowling Green, Kentucky, but the car has no badge.^[13]

17. 17
    Green hills with a blue building

    Rounded green hills with a blue building and a yellow-orange tree sit at the upper left, above the car; the same hills continue at the upper right of the side photo. We could not identify a specific place.

18. 18
    Blue stone wall

    A low wall of blue stone blocks runs along the bottom left, behind the banjo. It could be one of Kentucky's dry-stone fences, but the drawing is too plain to say.

19. 19
    Green and blue mound Back view

    A rounded blue mound on a green base sits under the gloves and the bat. We could not tell what it is meant to be.

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 lime green, which shows in the side photo.
• The back photo shows the mug in its dark box, printed STARBUCKS DISCOVERY SERIES, with a bucket, a bat and two mitts on that face of the mug.

Other Kentucky mugs

Different series, different mugs. Check the series name before you buy.

Hidden Starbucks cup

Starbucks says a to-go cup is hidden in every Discovery Series design. On the side of the mug, a white to-go cup with a dark green logo sits among the greens in the blue pot. Where the hidden cup is on other mugs

About the Discovery Series

• Discovery Series vs Been There Series: the differences
• How to display and store a Starbucks mug collection
• Where the hidden cup is on each Discovery Series mug
• Starbucks Discovery Series mugs list