Starbucks New York City mug: Discovery Series
The New York City Discovery mug shows the Statue of Liberty, the Brooklyn Bridge, a skyline with towers like the Empire State, Chrysler and One World Trade Center, the High Line, a yellow taxi, a pigeon, pizza, a pretzel cart and a subway train.
- Series
- Discovery Series
- Place
- New York City, New York, 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 stable hands who named New York the Big Apple
On 3 May 1921 the New York Morning Telegraph ran a racing item saying a trainer's horses were scheduled to start for "the big apple" the next day [1]. It meant the big-money New York tracks [2]. The paper's racing writer, John J. Fitz Gerald, kept the phrase: his column ran under the heading "Around the Big Apple", and on 18 February 1924 he explained there where he got it [3]. According to Fitz Gerald, two stable hands were leading horses around the cooling rings at the New Orleans Fair Grounds when one asked the other where he was heading [3]. The other answered, proudly, that he was headed for the Big Apple. The first man told him to fatten up his horses, or all he would get from the apple would be the core [3]. Fitz Gerald opened that column by saying there was only one Big Apple, and it was New York [3]. He lived on the southwest corner of West 54th Street and Broadway from 1934 to 1963, and in 1997 Mayor Giuliani signed a bill adding the name Big Apple Corner to a sign there [4]. The red apple at the left of the New York City mug (5) may be that nickname.
The mug does not label its drawings, so connecting this one to the story is our reading.
What's on the mug
- 1NEW YORK CITY lettering
NEW YORK CITY is printed in orange capitals across a dark green circle. The pigeon's head breaks into the gap between YORK and CITY.
- 2Yellow taxi
A yellow four-door sedan with a grey stripe along its side, a white roof sign and an orange light drives along the bottom, with blue speed lines behind it. It is drawn as a city cab; the mug doesn't name a model or company.
- 3Pigeon
A grey pigeon with darker grey bands on its wings and tail stands on the taxi's roof sign, facing the pizza slice.
- 4Pepperoni pizza slice
A triangular slice of pizza with a yellow crust and orange pepperoni rounds sits just right of the pigeon.
- 5
- 6Baseball glove and ball
A pale blue fielder's glove with dark stitch marks sits above the lettering, with a yellow ball with red stitching flying off to its right, trailed by grey motion lines. The mug doesn't name a team.
- 7Statue of Liberty
A pale blue robed figure with a spiked crown holds up a torch with a yellow flame; it is cut off at the far left edge of the front and seen at full height at the right edge of the side photo, so it is one figure. The raised torch, the rayed crown and the robe match the Statue of Liberty.[5]
- 8The High Line
A raised walkway with grey railings curves up to the right on thin dark steel columns, its deck planted with orange grasses and yellow trees. A garden built on top of an elevated structure matches the High Line, the park on a former elevated rail line in New York. The mug doesn't name it.[8][9]
- 9Two figures under stage lights Side view
A figure in a wide-brimmed black hat and a long black-and-yellow checked coat stands in front of the Brooklyn Bridge, beside a second figure with a blue head-dress and a dark red patterned dress, under the stage lights (19). Who or what event they stand for is not clear, and the mug doesn't say.
- 10Subway train Side view
The front of a dark teal subway car faces out, with a round route sign on its roof, a lit centre window, a round sign on the right and blue chevrons below; two yellow headlight beams fan out from its lower front. The route letter on the sign cannot be read in this photo.
- 11Tall tower that resembles One World Trade Center Side view
The tallest building on the mug is a slim blue-grey tower with an orange band near the top and a needle spire, with a shorter dark block beside it; the same skyline shows on the back photo at the right. It resembles One World Trade Center, but the drawing does not show that tower's tapering sides, so this is not certain. The mug doesn't name it.[12]
- 12Theatre stage, perhaps Broadway Side view
Red curtains are drawn back to leave a diamond-shaped opening, with a strip of round marquee bulbs at their left and a striped, patterned apron below. It looks like a theatre stage and may be a nod to Broadway; the mug doesn't name a theatre.
- 13Pretzel cart Back view
A street food cart under a red-and-yellow umbrella carries rows of bottles, with pictures of a pretzel and a hot dog on its side panels. A big brown pretzel and a pot of yellow sauce float to its left.
- 14Heart balloon Back view
A red heart-shaped balloon on a thin string floats beside the skyline.
- 15Bunch of flowers or balloons Back view
A bunch of yellow, orange, teal and red flowers (or balloons) is held up by a small figure whose legs show below it, in front of the autumn trees (21).
- 16Brooklyn Bridge Side view
A yellow-and-brown stone tower with tall pointed double arches carries red suspension cables that sweep down to the right over pale water with grey birds. The pointed arches through the tower match the Brooklyn Bridge, which spans the East River between Manhattan and Brooklyn. The mug doesn't name it.[6][7]
- 17Empire State Building Side view
A white tower that steps in at several setbacks rises to a narrow mast, just right of the tall tower. The stepped setbacks topped by a mast match the Empire State Building. The mug doesn't name it.[10]
- 18Pointed tower that resembles the Chrysler Building Side view
A small dark tower between the tall tower and the white stepped one ends in a tiered, pointed crown. It resembles the Chrysler Building's terraced crown, but at this size the crown's arches and windows are not drawn. The mug doesn't name it.[11]
- 19Stage lights Side view
A grey bar with a row of round lamps throws yellow beams down onto the two figures below it.
- 20STARBUCKS wordmark Back view
STARBUCKS is printed in black capitals running up the mug beside the handle.
- 21Autumn trees Side view
Round trees in orange, yellow and red, with bare brown trunks and branches, crowd below the skyline; more of them stand beside the pretzel cart on the back photo. The mug doesn't name a park.
The three photos show the front (a hand holds the handle), the side with the skyline and the Brooklyn Bridge, and the handle side with the STARBUCKS wordmark. The base is not shown.
Collector notes
- The inside of this mug is yellow-orange, which shows at the rim in the photos.
- Going left from the taxi, the drawing runs round the mug: the Statue of Liberty, the theatre stage, the Brooklyn Bridge, the skyline and trees, then the pretzel cart, which stops at the STARBUCKS wordmark beside the handle.
Before you buy
The three photos show the front, the side and the handle side; the base is not shown. The inside is yellow-orange. Starbucks also has a Been There mug for New York City, so check the series name on the base before you order.
Other New York City mugs
More Discovery Series mugs from New York
About the Discovery Series
Sources
- First "Big Apple" citation: May 3, 1921 (Barry Popik)
- First "Big Apple" citation: May 3, 1921 (Barry Popik), on the term's meaning
- First "Big Apple" explanation: February 18, 1924 (Barry Popik)
- Mayor Giuliani signs legislation creating "Big Apple Corner", NYC Mayor's Office, 12 Feb 1997
- Statue Statistics (National Park Service, Statue of Liberty National Monument)
- Brooklyn Bridge (Wikipedia)
- Brooklyn Bridge (NYC Department of Transportation)
- About the High Line (Friends of the High Line)
- About the High Line (Friends of the High Line), on its gardens
- Empire State Building (Wikipedia)
- Chrysler Building (Wikipedia)
- One World Trade Center (Wikipedia)
