Did you know that the white café-style coffee mug only came into being during World War Two? It appears that it was made for naval requirements by the Victor Insulator Company in North America. The mug had to have thick walls for insulation, which also helped it survive falls and avoid tipping while aboard ship. The company also pioneered a unique “non-slip” bottom surface, a rougher base that minimized sliding, which quickly became an essential feature in beverage containers.
Today we are fortunate enough to be able to have a wide variety of coffee mugs. There are delicate bone china mugs, more sturdy porcelain and earthenware mugs, and mugs made of metal, glass, bamboo, and plastic.
In 1992 white café style mugs began to appear with colourful company logos on their sides. This led to a plethora of snappy or uplifting sayings to be displayed on mugs – a quick inspection of mug collections in local charity shops is guaranteed to dazzle, delight and occasionally dismay the casual observer.
According to the Guinness Book of Records, the person with the biggest collection of different mugs is a fellow by the name of Bob Thomson, who began collecting mugs in 1995, and in 2006 had a grand total of 6,350. Now that’s a lot of coffee!
