Starbucks Cebu mug: Been There Series
This Cebu mug from Starbucks' Been There Series has CEBU in dark teal capitals above a blue whale shark, with a snorkel and mask, a palm tree, a basket of oranges and a row of buildings below.
- Series
- Been There Series
- Place
- Cebu, Philippines
- Type
- Mug
- Released
- Not confirmed
- Capacity
- 14 fl ozstandard mug size
- SKU
- Not confirmed
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The fishermen who couldn't fish because a whale shark ate their bait
In July 2011, fishermen in Tan-awan, a village at the southern end of Cebu, found they could not fish. A whale shark had started eating the tiny shrimp they used as bait, according to village councillor James Marimat, and then more sharks came [1]. So the men fed the sharks shrimp in other parts of the sea, to lead them away [1]. In September a fisherman led one in front of a diving shop, and Korean guests had a field day having their pictures taken with it [1]. By December tourists were flocking to the village [1]. What began as a way to protect a day's catch became an industry. Researchers later identified 208 juvenile whale sharks there over three years, and nine of them stayed year-round [2]. The local government's logbook, cited in the same study, counted at least 182,000 visitors in 2015 [2]. The blue whale shark across the middle of the Cebu mug (2) may be one of those animals.
The mug does not label its drawings, so connecting this one to the story is our reading.
What's on the mug
- 1Lettering
CEBU in dark teal capitals with a hatched texture runs across the top.
- 2Whale shark
A blue shark-shaped fish with a wide back fills the middle band.
- 3Snorkel and mask
A diving mask with an orange snorkel sits at the lower left.
- 4Palm tree
A tall palm tree is drawn in dark teal below the whale shark.
- 5Basket of oranges
A woven basket of orange fruit sits near the handle.
- 6Building facade
A line drawing of a building with arched windows runs along the lower right.
- 7Orange sun
A small orange sun with rays sits in the sky between the buildings and the palm.
The photo shows the front only. The back, the opposite side, the inside and the underside are out of view.
Collector notes
- The blue whale shark across the middle is the largest drawing and makes this mug easy to pick out from the other Been There mugs of island places.
- The photo is taken against a stone wall with a cardboard base under the mug, so the inside colour is not clear; do not rely on this photo for it.
Before you buy
The photo shows the front only, so the back, the inside and the underside are out of view, and the inside colour is not clear. Cebu also appears in the Relief and You Are Here series, so check the series name before you order. This one is the Been There Series mug, 14 fl oz.
