Starbucks Universal Epic Universe mug: Discovery Series
The Universal Epic Universe Discovery Series mug sets the park name over a green circle with Toothless carrying a rider and the Pizza Moon sign. Around it: the Chronos tower, a yellow coaster, Frankenstein's Monster, Count Dracula and a burning windmill.
- Series
- Discovery Series
- Place
- Universal Epic Universe, Florida, USA
- Type
- Mug
- Released
- Not confirmed
- Capacity
- 14 fl ozstandard mug size
- SKU
- Not confirmed
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The Hebridean island Cressida Cowell refuses to name
Cressida Cowell grew up in the centre of London, in a home without a garden [1]. Each spring and summer her family was dropped off by boat on a tiny Hebridean island, and they camped there until her father had a house built [1]. By candlelight she wrote stories, or listened to him tell of the Vikings who once ruled Scotland's west coast [1]. Little ruined houses stood on the island, and she often wondered how the people who had occupied them had lived [1]. When DreamWorks turned her book How to Train Your Dragon into a film, she would not tell the BBC which island it was. "Once you give it a name it then seems less exciting," she said, according to the BBC [1]. Universal has since built Isle of Berk inside Epic Universe, where its press release says guests can soar with dragons amid Viking adventures [2]. The Hollywood Reporter calls Berk a sea-faring people's 8th Century Viking village [3]. The dark dragon with a rider on the Epic Universe mug (3) may be headed for Berk.
The mug does not label its drawings, so connecting this one to the story is our reading.
What's on the mug
- 1UNIVERSAL EPIC UNIVERSE lettering
UNIVERSAL EPIC UNIVERSE in teal capitals, stacked in three lines over a dark green circle.
- 2Teal-and-yellow dragon, possibly Stormfly
A dragon with a teal head and a teal-and-yellow striped body and tail flies across the left of the green circle, with a yellow wing raised behind it and a black spiked shape with green spots above. It may be Stormfly, Astrid's Deadly Nadder from How to Train Your Dragon, whose world has its own land in the park, but the drawing is too stylised to be sure. The mug doesn't name it. The same dragon shows at the right edge of the Side photo.[8]
- 3Toothless the Night Fury, with a rider (probably Hiccup)
A black dragon with large yellow-green eyes and dark blue wings swept up towards the handle flies to the right of the lettering, with a small rider in dark clothes just above its back. The round face and big eyes match Toothless, Hiccup's Night Fury from How to Train Your Dragon, and the small separate rider above its head is probably Hiccup, though nothing in the drawing marks it. The mug doesn't name them.[8]
- 4Pizza Moon sign
An orange moon face with a wide grin and its tongue out sits in a round frame, with a yellow slice spotted green stuck over one eye. This is the moon from the sign of Pizza Moon, a restaurant in the park's Celestial Park, where a slice of pizza hits the moon in the eye. The mug doesn't name it.[7]
- 5Gold-and-teal star
A gold-and-teal star with four long points sits above the lettering, with smaller orange and blue stars beside it.
- 6Gold sun with a face
A round gold sun with a face and pointed rays sits at the lower left, over a blue arcade decorated with round medallions. The same sun shows at the right edge of the Side photo.
- 7Orange sheep
A round orange animal with a woolly, spotted coat and curled dark horns stands at the lower right. It looks like a sheep. The mug doesn't name it.
- 8Spired tower over a round gateway
A tall blue tower with a gold spire rises behind a teal round arch, set on yellow ground with small blue trees to each side. It may be one of the park's portals, the gateways that lead from Celestial Park into each land, but the drawing does not say which. The mug doesn't name it.[4]
- 9Yellow roller coaster, probably Stardust Racers Side view
A yellow coaster track twists and loops in the air above the buildings, with a blue train trailing yellow streaks like a comet. It is probably Stardust Racers, the park's dual-track coaster, whose Photon track is painted yellow, though the second, green track is not drawn. The mug doesn't name it. The same track shows at the top right of the Back photo.[6]
- 10The Chronos tower Side view
A tall blue tower with gold edges carries a gold disc inside teal rings near the top, and a round EPIC UNIVERSE badge sits at its foot over a gold arched gateway. This is the Chronos, the tower that marks the park's entrance and stands as its icon. The mug doesn't name it.[4]
- 11Frankenstein's Monster Side view
A green-faced figure with a flat-topped head, a blue coat and tall laced boots reaches out a clawed hand. The flat head and boots are the classic Universal look of Frankenstein's Monster, one of the creatures in the park's Dark Universe land. The same figure stands at the right of the Back photo. The mug doesn't name him.[4]
- 12Spire on a dark hill, possibly the Dark Universe portal Side view
A thin blue spire rises from a dark hill cracked with orange lightning, over a round dark arch and a blue arcade with round medallions. It may be the portal into Dark Universe, the land of Universal's classic monsters, but the drawing does not say so. The mug doesn't name it.[4]
- 13Gothic manor, possibly Frankenstein Manor Back view
A long blue building with pointed towers, a tall central tower and glowing orange-and-teal windows spreads across the middle of this side. Between Dracula and Frankenstein's Monster it may stand for Frankenstein Manor in Dark Universe, but the drawing could also be the village around it. The mug doesn't name it.[4]
- 14Count Dracula Back view
A dark-haired figure in a blue suit and a long teal-lined cape with a high collar leaps forward with both arms out, at the left of the manor. The cape and collar are the classic look of Count Dracula, another of the monsters in Dark Universe. The mug doesn't name him.[4]
- 15
- 16Bats Back view
Five small dark bats fly over the manor's towers.
- 17Gold disc with a crescent-moon face
A round gold disc framed in blue holds a sleeping crescent-moon face, at the lower left of the green circle.
- 18Ornate blue-and-gold archway
A blue arched doorway trimmed with gold scrollwork stands at the lower right, near the handle. It is seen at an angle and cannot be identified from these photos.
The three photos cover the front, the side opposite the handle and the panel on the far side of the handle. The print that runs up to the handle at each end is seen only at an angle, and a line of sideways text beside the handle on the Back photo is cut off and cannot be read.
Collector notes
- The inside of this mug is cobalt blue, the same blue used for the dragons, the Chronos tower and the monsters on the other sides.
- The Side and Back photos move from the park's hub to its monster land: the Chronos tower and a yellow coaster on one, Frankenstein's Monster, Count Dracula, a gothic manor and a burning windmill on the other.
Before you buy
The inside of this mug is cobalt blue, matching the dragons, the Chronos tower and the monsters. The three photos cover the front, the side opposite the handle and the panel on the far side of the handle; the print right beside the handle is seen only at an angle. We list no other series for Universal Epic Universe.
About the Discovery Series
Sources
- BBC News: Secret Scottish isle inspired dragon tales
- Comcast: Universal Orlando Resort shares first official look at Universal Epic Universe
- The Hollywood Reporter: Behind Universal Epic Universe's Attractions
- Universal Epic Universe (Wikipedia)
- Frankenstein (1931 film) (Wikipedia)
- Stardust Racers (Wikipedia)
- WDW News Today: Review of Pizza Moon in Celestial Park at Epic Universe
- How to Train Your Dragon (2010 film) (Wikipedia)
