Harry Potter Marauder's Map #2

This week's mug is a great Thrift Store Find.  It is related to the first Harry Potter Mug I have (To see that mug, click here!) Both mugs are taken from the Harry Potter books/movies and highlight the 'Marauder's Map' which is a magical map introduced in the book "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Askaban." Not only did it show every classroom, every hallway, and every corner of the castle, but it also showed every inch of the grounds, as well as all the secret passages that were hidden within its walls and the location of every person on the grounds, portrayed by a dot.

When cold, the mug appears an all over blood red color, and on the right side of the mug is a stylized portrayal of Hogwarts School of  Witchcraft and Wizardry. 

When hot liquid is added to the mug, the entire surface clears (even behind the mug handle!) to show footprints and labels in map styles all over the mug.  Above and in the drawing of Hogwarts the names of those students who invented the map appear using their nicknames. "Mssrs Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot & Prongs are proud to present" and inside the school grounds appears "The Marauder's Map." 

color change even behind the handle! 

The mug is well used and some areas of the 'color change overlay' are torn off, but this is still a good addition to my collection.  The color change is still good, though with a strong light, the footprints and map area can be seen - most likely used in a microwave.  

DESIGN:  3+ Sided
THERMOCHROMIC: 1 Color
TYPE: Promotional

Star Trek - The Next Generation

This week's mug is a wonderful thrift store find!  It is celebrating the TV show (US) Star Trek - the Next Generation (1987-1994)  On the right side of the mug is the Logo for the show, floating among the stars.  On the left side of the mug is the starship Enterprise as seen in the show.  

When hot liquid is added to the mug, on the right, the star field clears to reveal the Borg Logo, as first seen in Season 6, Episode 26, Descent Part 1.  On the leftside of the mug a space above the Enterprise clears to reveal a Borg Cube.  

This mug is in great condition, and is quite rare as TNG mugs go. 

DESIGN:  2 Sided
THERMOCHROMIC: 1 Color
TYPE: Promotional/Retail

Teltech - The Knowledge to Compete

This week's mug is a true find!  I came across it while out browsing thrift stores.  On the left side of the mug is the company name, TELTECH.  (My research finds it to be Native American Women owned!) along with the phone number and "...the knowledge to compete

On the right side of the mug is a chaotic scene of a man trying to get work done on time, but is having trouble as his priorities and deadlines are getting away from him, and his desk shows more problems than solutions.  His laptop is sleeping on the job, the clock shows LATER and LATER in red and tells him 'No Lunch' and 'No Dinner'. The pressure of his day is making him red in the face. 

When hot liquid is added, the chaotic scene disappears.  The missing priorities and deadlines are gone, as is the time issue.  The clock now says everything is On Time and Under Budget. The man is now whistling while he works! 

What makes this such a find, is that the color change is TWO COLOR!  The brown areas and red all turn clear to reveal the solution being TelTech.  These mugs were, most likely given to customers as a way to emphasize their affect on the customer's business.  

The Company was founded in 1999 so these mugs are from around that time or early 2000s.  The mug is in almost new condition. 

DESIGN:  1+ Sided
THERMOCHROMIC: 2 Color
TYPE: Promotional

Great Gays - Out of the Closet

This week's mug is another great gift!  The mug has fourteen dark closet doors of various sizes and design, each with a pop of color from  such things as flowers, symbols or words.  

When hot liquid is poured into the mug, the closets clear to reveal fourteen great Out and Proud Gays of history.  Willa Cather, Michelangelo, Walt Whitman, James Baldwin, Pyotr Illyich Tchaikovsky, Freddie Mercury, Oscar Wilde, Sappho, Alan Turing, Audre Lorde, Andy Warhol, Michel Foucault, Yukio Mishima, and Gertrude Stein.  

The mug is brand new, of course, and comes with its own full color box.  

The mug is produced by a company named "The Unemployed Philosopher's Guild" and what I really love about their magic mugs is the phrase on the bottom of the mug which states: For Best Results, Use Other Side."

DESIGN:  3 Sided
THERMOCHROMIC: 1 Color
TYPE: Retail

Super Dad

This week's mug, like so many, is a special mug as it was a Father's Day gift from one of my daughters. She knows me so well. 

The mug is totally black on the outside, white on the inside and on the handle.   On the right side of the mug is the word DAD in stylized design.  On the left of the mug is a list of "Facts" with check boxes beside them. 

 

                    Facts: He

                       □     ALWAYS PROTECTS

                       □     ALWAYS KEEPS SECRETS

                       □     ALWAYS LISTENS

                       □     ALWAYS HELPS

                       □     ALWAYS GIVES GOOD ADVICE AND SOME MONEY

                       □     WILL ALWAYS LOVE YOU.  . 

The front of the mug is blank. 

When filled with hot liquid, the entire black area clears.  On the left side, it now says "MY CHILD TELLS ME THAT I'M A SUPER DAD" with Super and Dad now inside an iconic 5 sided Pentagon.  And on the right, all the checkboxes are checked. 

On the front of the mug, now appears a silhouetted figure with a cape, similar to SuperMan and bearing a striking resemblance to yours truly. Additionally, the entire background contains imagery suggesting buildings in a city. 

This is a terrific mug (hey, she's a terrific kid!) and one of my new faves.  It is brand new, comes in a plain white box and the color change is nearly perfect. 

DESIGN:  3+ Sided
THERMOCHROMIC: 1 Color
TYPE: Retail

Former Palace / Forbidden City

This week's mug is a special find in my not-so-local thrift store.  My wife and I haunt the thrift stores both local and up to 45 min away, looking for bargains.  When I spied this on the shelf just a few days ago, my eyes lit up!  

The mug has a full wrap around design of black, emblazoned with two Chinese characters, which translate to "Forbidden Palace" or "Former Palace."  The characters ae red on the black background.  (I'll note here that the mug has seen better days.  The magic thermochromatic ink has been rubbed or scratched off in two places; but this does not keep the ink from changing when the mug gets hot!) 

When hot liquid is poured into the mug, the entire black background AND the red letters become clear showing a wide angle drawing of the Forbidden Palace.  The Forbidden City is a palace complex in Dongcheng District, Beijing, China, at the center of the Imperial City of Beijing.

Though the ink is a bit beaten up, the mug is in great shape and the color change is quick and full. I'm impressed as this is one of the very few mugs I have with a DUAL color change (black and red.) 

DESIGN: 3 Sided
THERMOCHROMIC: 2 Color
TYPE: Retail (I expect this is a souvenir sold in areas around the Former Palace itself.)

Amazing Dad

 

This week's mug is another Dad mug.  When cold, the mug is totally black, inside and out, with a nice red "Dad" on the left side.  Above the 'a' in Dad is a heart.  

When hot liquid is added to the mug, the entire outside of the mug turns white, with the addition of the words "TO MY AMAZING" Dad.  A great gift, and a great addition to the collection. 

The mug is in mint condition. 

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

You're the Man, Dad!

This month's mug is a gift from my daughter. Isn't she lovely?  Y'see, we've got this running gag going since she was a kid when she looked at me and said "You're getting old, Dad."  I was about 30, so she's kept up the joke for neigh on 40 years now.  Yeah, wonderful child.  

Ok, so the mug is brand new and has on both sides the great phrase "YOU'RE THE MAN, DAD"  No exclamation point. It's a nice, big mug, too. 

When hot liquid is added to the mug, the bottom half of both sides clear to reveal the addition, "THE OLD MAN, BUT STILL THE MAN"  again, no exclamation, not even a period.

I love my daughter. She's a hoot.  

No, it wasn't a surprise, the mug warned me what was about to happen.  It came in this great full color box.  

DESIGN:  2 Sided
THERMOCHROMIC: 1 Color
TYPE: Retail

Seattle Seahawks

This month's mug is a wonderful thrift shop find.  It shows the word "HAWKS" stylized with stripes of gren and blue in a wrap around design. 

Once a hot beverage is added to the mug, the entire mug clears to show the logo/mascot eyes of the Seattle Seahawks.  Go HAWKS! 

The mug is in incredible condition and a great addition to the collection. 

DESIGN:  3 Sided - Wraparound
THERMOCHROMIC: 1 Color
TYPE: Promotional/Retail