Starbucks Minnesota mug: Discovery Series
The Minnesota mug from Starbucks' Discovery Series sets the state name in light blue over a dark green circle, with a lift bridge, a hockey player, apples, an orange animal and a cross-country skier carrying a tater tot casserole.
- Series
- Discovery Series
- Place
- Minnesota, USA
- Type
- Mug
- Released
- Not confirmed
- Capacity
- 14 fl ozstandard mug size
- SKU
- Not confirmed
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The Honeycrisp tree that was nearly thrown on the compost heap
In the late 1970s, a Honeycrisp seedling at the University of Minnesota's research orchard was in danger of heading to the compost heap [2]. It had shown winter injury, and only one seedling tree in 10,000 is judged good enough to become a commercial variety [3][4]. The breeder David Bedford thought it had never had a fair shot: the winter was legendarily bad, and the tree stood in a poor spot [5]. So he took it off the discard list. "I made the decision to save the tree on a whim," he said, "since there was no fruit to evaluate yet" [6]. Then it fruited, and he asked himself what the texture was [7]. The university released the apple in 1991 [9]. By 2007, according to MPR News, it had generated over $6 million for the university [8]. Minnesota named it the official state fruit in 2006 [10]. The state fruit is the one that nearly went to the compost heap; the red apples on the Minnesota mug (5) may be it.
The mug does not label its drawings, so connecting this one to the story is our reading.
What's on the mug
- 1Lettering
MINNESOTA in light blue capitals over a dark green circle.
- 2Lift bridge
An orange steel lift bridge spans the top of the circle.
- 3Hockey player
A hockey player in a red helmet and blue jersey skates at the left with a stick.
- 4Boat with rider
A long flat boat with a person in a red cap sits at the upper right of the circle.
- 5Apples
Red apples, one cut open, sit under the lettering.
- 6Orange animal
An orange animal stands upright beside the apples; it looks like a gopher, though the mug does not label it.
- 7Skier Side view
A cross-country skier in a yellow pom-pom hat and a blue vest strides along on skis, carrying a baking dish in one hand.
- 8Tater tot casserole Side view
A glass baking dish heaped with golden tater tots, with red and purple bits showing between them: a tater tot casserole, which Minnesotans call hotdish.[1]
- 9Hockey player at right Side view
A second hockey player in a red helmet skates at the right edge of this face.
- 10Snowflake tree Side view
A tree covered in pale snowflake shapes stands at the left.
- 11Firs and waterfall Side view
Dark fir trees stand over a small waterfall at the lower right.
- 12Loons Back view
A dark loon with white dots swims at the centre, with a smaller one behind it to the left.
The three photos together cover most of the outside of the mug; the side photo shows the strip around the back only partly, and the Back photo shows little more than the loons.
Collector notes
- The Minnesota design mixes winter and fall: a skier and hockey players on one face, apples and an orange animal on another, so a one-sided listing photo may show only part of it.
- Two dark loons swim on the face opposite the lettering, beside the Starbucks wordmark running up the side; that is the quickest way to confirm a listing shows this mug's back.
- The tater tot casserole on the skier's dish is a nod to hotdish, a Minnesota staple; tater tots are the classic topping, and the state's congressional delegation has held a hotdish contest since 2010. Wikipedia's hotdish article is the source.
Before you buy
The photos together cover most of the outside, but the strip around the back is only partly visible. Two dark loons beside the Starbucks wordmark are the quickest way to confirm a listing shows this mug's back. A Been There Series Minnesota mug also exists, so check the series name in the listing.
Other Minnesota mugs
About the Discovery Series
Sources
- Wikipedia: Hotdish
- Landscape Arboretum: The legacy of a one-in-a-million apple
- Landscape Arboretum: The legacy of a one-in-a-million apple
- Landscape Arboretum: The legacy of a one-in-a-million apple
- Landscape Arboretum: The legacy of a one-in-a-million apple
- Landscape Arboretum: The legacy of a one-in-a-million apple
- Landscape Arboretum: The legacy of a one-in-a-million apple
- MPR News: Honeycrisp apple losing its patent protection, but not its appeal
- Landscape Arboretum: The legacy of a one-in-a-million apple
- Landscape Arboretum: The legacy of a one-in-a-million apple
