Mug Map

Monday, April 28, 2014

Batman Forever - Batwing

For the next three weeks of installments of the Mug Blog, I will be posting a set of three mugs.  These are some of my all time favorites, as they are also some of the oldest.  They were produced at the time the movie Batman Forever (Val Kilmer as Batman) was introduced  on DVD (1996). Each mug shows one of the vehicles that were used in the movie.  

The first is the Batwing, Batman's iconic stunt plane.  
The mug when cold shows the Batman/Ridler question mark logo on the back and the BATWING name in green on the front.
When hot liquid is added, the green Batwing area turns clear and shows a stylized drawing of the BATWING itself. 

These were a gift and I've kept them in their respective boxes for storage.  Each of the mugs also still sports the "VEHICLE MAGICALLY  APPEARS" sticker on the front.

DESIGN:  1+ Sided
THERMOCHROMIC: 1 Color
TYPE: Retail, promotional

Monday, April 21, 2014

I Love Lucy - TV Show

One of a growing number of retail purchase mugs, this mug advertises or celebrates the TV Show "I Love Lucy." I Love Lucy was an American television show starring Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz, Vivian Vance, and William Frawley. The black-and-white comedy originally ran from October 15, 1951, to May 6, 1957, on CBS but can still be seen in syndication in many areas of the world.  

On the 1st side, you see (above) the main logo of the show, the words "I Love Lucy" in a heart shape.   Lower to the right, that smudge is really some printing.  It is some VERY small print which says "CBS Inc.  1998. All Rights Reserved.  I Love Lucy & Design are Registerd trademarks of CBS Inc. Imges of Lucille Ball & Desi Arnaz are used with permission of Desilu, too LLC. Under License to Unforgettable Licensing." Below is the 2nd side, a cartoon drawing of an old type television with 50s style rabbit ears antennae.  
When hot liquid is added, the TV screen clearsto show two cartoon drawings of the main characters Lucy and Desi.  These two are from the animated title sequence from original  'I Love Lucy' released in 1951.
This mug is in terrific shape and the color change is quick and perfect!



DESIGN:  1+ Sided
THERMOCHROMIC: 1 Color
TYPE: Retail Purchase


Monday, April 14, 2014

Orudis - Arthritis Pain Medicine

This mug is one of those mugs which first got me interested.  It is from a pharmaceutical company advertising Orudis Pain Medication. It is a 2 sided mug, with the same design on both sides. Above you can see it says "WHEN ARTHRITIS FLARES...WHEN THE SPRAIN'S A PAIN" above a picture of a knee and ORUDIS with the generic name below it "ketoprofen."  There is a rectangle above the name, and there is also a star burst pattern on the knee.  This is an old mug and the color change has been affected by microwave or uv damage.  I expect that the thermographic ink would have been a bright red or pink indicating the pain on the knee. 
When hot liquid is added, the rectangle clears to show "PUTS OUT THE FIRE FAST" and the star burst pattern also clears to show a normal knee (no pain.)

This is no doubt a free mug, given to doctors' offices by reps advertising the pain medicine.

DESIGN:  2 Sided
THERMOCHROMIC: 1 Color
TYPE: Advertising, Freebie

Monday, April 7, 2014

BRIM Coffee

This is a very simple, and from what I can tell, very old magic mug.  It is from a coffee company named BRIM. Brim was made by General Foods from 1961 to 1995.  I put this mug at somewhere around the 1990s.  It shows the words FILL IT TO THE RIM"  above a stylized coffee cup.
When hot liquid is added, the coffee cup clears to show the words WITH BRIM, using the BRIM logo.  The phrase "Fill it to the rim, with BRIM" was the advertising catch phrase for the coffee company for most of it's 34 year run.

This is a great mug, very old and one of my favorites.


DESIGN:  1 Sided
THERMOCHROMIC: 1 Color
TYPE:  Advertising, Freebie