Starbucks San Diego mug: Discovery Series
The San Diego mug from Starbucks' Discovery Series sets the city name in yellow over a dark green circle, with a roller skater, a sea lion, a leaping fish, a taco, palm trees and a lifeguard tower.
- Series
- Discovery Series
- Place
- San Diego, California, USA
- Type
- Mug
- Released
- Not confirmed
- Capacity
- 14 fl ozstandard mug size
- SKU
- Not confirmed
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Twenty-two years to protect one bright orange fish
In 1971, California's Department of Fish and Game recommended that the Legislature fully protect the garibaldi [2]. For the next twenty-two years, according to California Diving News, commercial collectors kept taking the bright orange fish, which hobbyists loved and which was easy to catch [2][3]. Assembly Bill 77 was introduced in 1994 to put a collecting moratorium in place, and Governor Pete Wilson signed it on October 16, 1995 [2]. The same law named the garibaldi California's state marine fish [4]. Taking one now requires a special permit, not just a fishing license [2]. A male picks a stretch of reef as an adult and lives there for the rest of his life [3]. The name is believed to come from Giuseppe Garibaldi, the Italian leader whose army wore red and orange into battle [3]. The orange fish leaping across the top of the San Diego mug (3) may be one.
The mug does not label its drawings, so connecting this one to the story is our reading.
What's on the mug
- 1Roller skater
A woman with red hair glides on quad roller skates at the left.
- 2Sea lion
A blue sea lion with yellow dots curls across the top left.
- 3Leaping fish
An orange fish leaps at the top centre. It looks like a garibaldi, California's official state marine fish since 1995, which lives on rocky reefs from Monterey Bay to Baja California.[1]
- 4Taco and hot sauce
A taco with a yellow shell sits above the lettering, with a bottle of hot sauce and a lime slice beside it.
- 5Street lamps
Street lamps with orange globes rise at the top right.
- 6Palm trees and cliffs
Palm trees stand along orange-and-purple sea cliffs below the lettering.
- 7Lifeguard tower
A yellow-and-teal lifeguard tower stands at the bottom left beside a curved ramp.
- 8Bicycle
A beach cruiser bicycle at the right is partly hidden by the handle.
- 9Lettering
SAN DIEGO in yellow capitals over a dark green circle.
- 10Comic panels Side view
Two comic-book panels with POW and BOOM bursts hang mid-scene, with a dark purple eye mask below them.
- 11Orange tree Side view
A tree with a purple trunk and orange-and-yellow leaves spreads across the top of this face.
- 12Red-roofed hotel Side view
A large red-roofed seaside hotel with white wings sits on the beach in the lower centre.
- 13Beach umbrellas Side view
Striped beach umbrellas, loungers, folding chairs and a beach ball fill the sand along the bottom.
- 14Wooden coaster frame Side view
The teal lattice of the roller coaster from the back face curves in at the far left edge.
- 15Kite Back view
A red-and-orange diamond kite flies on a long tail, with small clouds around it.
- 16Lighthouse Back view
A white lighthouse with a dark top rises above a wooden structure at the right.
- 17Roller coaster Back view
A wooden roller coaster with a teal lattice frame and a small train sweeps up toward the lighthouse.
- 18Anchor Back view
A purple anchor with a rope trailing from it hangs at the left, with water drops splashing off.
- 19Spaghetti Back view
A bowl of spaghetti topped with dark blue meatballs sits at the bottom left of the scene.
The front, side and back photos together cover the full wrap; only the strip directly behind the handle is hidden.
Collector notes
- San Diego also appears in the Been There, Icon and You Are Here checklists; match the series name in the listing before you buy.
- The inside of the mug is light blue in this photo, taken from slightly above. Not every listing shows the inside, so ask for it if the colour matters to you.
Before you buy
San Diego also appears in the Been There, Icon and You Are Here series, so match the series name in the listing. The inside of this mug is light blue in our photo, and not every listing shows it, so ask if the color matters to you.
