31 DAYS OF COFFEE MUGS: Vintage B. Kliban Cat Coffee Mugs

The famous B. Kliban cat was created in the 1970s as a cartoon character and went on to appear on a host of merchandise including coffee mugs…so for this entry in the 2016 version of 31 DAYS OF COFFEE MUGS, I bring you this vintage "Love a Cat" B. Kliban coffee mug. Whether you are just window shopping, searching for a Kliban mug or you are collecting all of them, I know this one will make you smile.

A few of my favorites include the B. Kliban-themed travel mugs, which include Hawaii and San Francisco; the athletic mugs, including a colorful football mug in which Kliban declares his love of football by clinging to it; and the Christmas mugs that include Bah, Humbug! Peace, Season's Greetings, Pizza on earth and Christmas antlers. Of course, I also love this simple Love a Cat mug and the Sigma Taste Setter figural mugs, the high class cat mug, the chef cat mug...

Some of these mugs are rarer than others. They are, after all, vintage mugs from the 1970s and 1980s. A few of the most valuable ones sold in December, 2015, were the New York themed 'I Love New York' mug that sold for $77 and the 'Big Cat Pink' face and 'Love that Java' mugs, which sold for $50 around that same time frame. Today, you can find Kliban's New York and L.A. themed mugs here on eBay.

If you are also a fan, I recommend clicking all of the B. Kliban cat mugs that are available on eBay by clicking here. 

Do you have a favorite? Or do you like them all like me?

You never know what
coffee mugs I might
have in store for you!
Brenda

More Cats:

More B. Kliban Collector's Items.
You've Cat To Be Kitten Me Right Meow Coffee Mug.

Vintage B. Kliban Collector's Items

The artist B. Kliban created Kliban the ultimate cartoon cat in the 1970s and his black and white cat achieved huge popularity from the publication of the first book and was eventually featured on every type of merchandise conceivable from calendars and t-shirts to mugs and cookie jars. (Shown above is the first B. Kliban book called Cat.)

The book The Collectible 70s says that official B. Kliban merchandise, that is merchandise marked BKliban, was only manufactured for about 6 years. Since Kliban the cat has retained his popularity, merchandise bearing his likeness is highly sought after, especially the older pieces marked BKliban. After the artist's death, other manufacturers produced pieces using Kliban's likeness and some of those items will be marked JKliban or BKcats. Find your copy of The Collectible 70s here on Amazon.

I love the striking teapot shown above, which was previously sold (and no longer available) on eBay by seller lkg0vvu.  However, that one has since been sold. You can, however, check for it and see what other Kliban teapots are available here on eBay. What Kliban collector wouldn't like to own a themed teapot?

I rarely find Kliban merchandise myself when I am sourcing but at one point, I did have the fun cookie jar shown above, which was manufactured by Sigma and Tastesetters in the shape of a pair of pants with not one but rather three Kliban the cat figures on top. If you are interested in a Kliban cookie jar, you can check eBay here and you can find oodles of other Kliban merchandise on eBay by clicking right here 

Pretty good, don’t you think, for a cat that is not considered particularly cute or mysterious but simply very funny?

Brenda
Treasures By Brenda