Fun & Fabulous Wizard of Oz Coffee Mugs

Wizard of Oz fans will be tripping over their ruby red slippers to try and find some of these fantastic Wizard of Oz-themed coffee mugs! Unfortunately, most of them are retired but they are still available outside of ordinary retail locations. Read on!

THE MOVIE, THE BACK STORY

On August 18, 1939, the New York Times highly praised The Wizard of Oz calling it a movie that left 'youngsters' eyes shining' and that lent a 'quietly amused gleam' to the eyes of the older folk. They called The Wizard of Oz the best film since Snow White. Starring Judy Garland, Ray Bolger, Jack Haley, Bert Lahr and Frank Morgan, this MGM film is a musical that was based on the 1900 L. Frank Baum book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. It won two Academy Awards: Best Song and Best Original Movie Score but lost Best Picture of the Year to the also enduring movie called Gone with the Wind. I am sure that no one anticipated the tremendous staying power that this film would have. The Library of Congress would eventually call it the most-watched motion picture in history.

Fans and collectors of The Wizard of Oz are fortunate in having a wide range of top-quality merchandise with which to celebrate this iconic film. Whether you are familiar with The Wizard of Oz from the movie theatre, from watching it every year when it was aired on television as I did or you are a more recent enthusiast, you will enjoy this selection of the best Wizard of Oz coffee mugs available on-line.

WICKED MUG BY LORRIE VEASEY AND OUR NAME IS MUD 

What a WICKED mug this was, LOL! This green and purple mug was by Our Name is Mud and featured the positively wicked witch of the west. It was Amazon's most popular Wizard of Oz mug having gained extra popularity, I expect, from the Broadway musical of the same name. The front features the wicked witch on her broomstick and the back warns you not to make her call the flying monkeys. Unfortunately, this mug is now out of production and you will have to turn to eBay to find it.  Click here to search for Lorrie Veasey's Wicked mug on eBay. Note that the company produced a few styles of wicked mugs.

DING DONG THE WITCH IS DEAD SCULPTED MUG BY VANDOR

This Ding Dong the Witch is Dead coffee mug by Vandor featured one of the most popular lines from the Wizard of Oz. The song that was sang by Glinda, The Munchkins and Dorothy Gale was written and composed by E.Y. Harburg and Harold Arlen. The mug was a very attractive piece, holding 14-ounces of your favorite hot beverage. Like the previous mug, it too is discontinued but you can click here to look for this Ding Dong the Witch is Dead coffee mug on eBay. If you are able to find one and you plan on using it, note that it needs to be hand washed.

RAE DUNN GLINDA THE GOOD WITCH MUG

So many nice mugs! I'm featuring just one of the Rae Dunn Wizard of Oz-themed coffee mugs and that is this pretty-in-pink Glinda the Good Witch mug. I think that it is fabulous but if this is not the one you are looking for click here to see the full collection of Rae Dunn Wizard of Oz themed mugs available on eBay.

IRMA STAR TWISTER OR TORNADO MUG

Here's an interesting hard-to-find, handcrafted mug. It depicts the twister or tornado and Dorothy's house landing on the Wicked Witch of the East. Also featured are the Tinman, Scarecrow and Cowardly Lion as well as Miss Almira Gulch on her bicycle. 

Creator Irma Starr is a potter based in Kansas City who crafts pieces in an old-fashioned style. Her work is featured in museum gift shops around the world with this piece from The Oz Collection sold at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. 

Look for your Irna Starr Wizard of Oz tornado mug here on eBay. I expect it was fairly limited in distribution and may or may not be available on eBay right now. As I write this, I note that there is a Scarecrow ornament available by Irma Starr but that there are no mugs.

CAN A COFFEE MUG BE TOO NICE TO USE?  

When I saw that first mug I could not help but wonder, can a coffee mug be too nice to use?  I was definitely thinking, "Yes."  Since then, I found a great solution to this problem and that is buying two of the coffee mugs that you love. One for display in your collection and one for everyday use and enjoyment.

'WITCH' WIZARD OF OZ MUG IS YOUR FAVORITE?

Finally, I close with asking, 'witch' Wizard of Oz movie mug is your favorite? Honestly, I cannot pick one. I like them all. If you are undecided on which one, click here to see all of the Wizard of Oz themed mugs available on eBay today. As I write this, there are more than 3,100 new, used and vintage mugs available.

See you
at the movies!

MORE WIZARD OF OZ READING

The Wizard of Oz Centennial Edition Book

The Wizard of Oz Book & Movie T-Shirt

Why are Ruby Slippers so Popular?

The New York Times Original 1939 Movie Review

The New York Times original 1939 movie review that I quoted in the introduction really is a very interesting read (and not too long, either.) If you ARE a Wizard of Oz fan, I encourage you to check it out. I enjoy reading all of the original movie reviews.

31 DAYS OF COFFEE MUGS (2020): Ten Great Grinch Coffee Mugs

Everyone knows Dr. Seuss' The Grinch Who Stole Christmas and anyone who knows and loves the classic Christmas story will want to add one of these fun coffee mugs to their collection.

THE STORY & HISTORY

The Grinch Who Stoles Christmas lives alone near a fictional town named Whoville. He hates both the people who live there and Christmas. In the town lives a little girl named Cindy Lou Who who loves Christmas and the spirit of Christmas and goes about trying to reform the Grinch.

The story has seen many versions but was first published in 1957 as both a book and a magazine story.  It became an animated cartoon on television through the now classic television special starring the voice of Boris Karloff in 1966. In 2000, there was a live action version starring Jim Carrey.  In 2007, it was made into a musical. In 2018, it was released again as an animated version starring Benedict Cumberbatch. Finally, in 2020, it was released once more as an animated movie starring Matthew Morrison. 

THE COFFEE MUGS

I did not have to look far to find some interesting Grinch-themed coffee mugs and I am happy to share them here as number 14 in my 31 Days of Coffee Mugs series. You'll find cups here by Dept. 56, Vandor, Williams Sonoma and Lohtu Ceramics. 

DEPARTMENT 56 MUGS

Shown above are three fun Department 56 Grinch coffee mugs. If you'd like a collection of similar but different mugs, this series would be a great choice and these three are just a few from the series. 

I am amazed at how many Grinch-themed mugs Dept. 56 has made. The Grinch mugs shown below including the hand gripping the coffee mug and the mug with all of the grumpy text are also by Department 56.  Find all of Amazon's Department 56 Grinch-themed mugs here.

This hand-shaped mug appears to be retired now. However, if you want to add it to your collection I see a couple of them available right now by clicking here to eBay.

This Expressions mug with all of the words on it from nope to pleasee to really, what?! and why? appears to be retired as well. However, you can find it here on eBay. 

VANDOR GRINCH COFFEE MUGS

Shown below are two of Vandor's recent Grinch-themed mugs. Vandor has created a number of uniquely barrel shaped mugs that include the Naughty or Nice mug and the face shaped or sculpted mug shown below them. You will find all of Amazon's Vandor Grinch mugs here.

The Grinch Nice and Naughty Vandor mug as well as the face-shaped mugs have both also been retired but you can find them by following this link to eBay for the Nice and Naughty mug and this link for Vandor's Grinch-faced themed mug. There have been a few versions of these mugs. I think you will be pleased with the selection of new, used and retired pieces.

WILLIAMS SONOMA GRINCH MUG

I also found this more classically styled Grinch mug from Williams Sonoma. I gather that it was a part of that company's line of the Grinch Who Stole Christmas items, which has been discontinued. If you'd like to add this mug to your collection, you'll have to use eBay's Saved Search feature and wait for one to show up. Meanwhile, you can see if one is available and check out Williams Sonoma's complete Grinch line by clicking here to eBay.

GRINCH MUGS ON EBAY

Once a mug is retired, like the ones I have mentioned above or the Vandor Merry Grinchmas one shown below, eBay is a great source. Click here to see all of the Vandor Grinch mugs available now on eBay. 

VINTAGE GRINCH MUGS

I looked for vintage Grinch coffee mugs and was unable to find any older pieces. It would appear that famous franchises like this one were not producing movie merchandise in support of their endeavors in the 1950s and 1960s.  However, there is a Hallmark Grinch mug that is somewhat vintage that is available on eBay. If you're after the Hallmark Grinch mug, you will find it here on eBay. Add the word vintage to your search to see what might be available. 

ART POTTERY GRINCH GREEN MUGS

The final mug that I will share with you here today is a beautiful handmade art pottery mug from Etsy. It is for those who want to have a mug in the color of the Grinch but that that is a little more subtle in design. I love all of the mugs on this page but this is, in my opinion, the handsomest one. If you appreciate a handcrafted piece of pottery, find this one by Lianna Klassen Art here on Etsy.  I think a mug like this one is a great substitute for Grinch green! 

If you could pick one Grinch-themed coffee cup, which one would it be?

Brenda
Treasures By Brenda
You never know what mug
I might have in store for you!

31 DAYS OF COFFEE MUGS: A Squirrel Mug

We regularly watch the antics of our neighbourhood squirrels out our kitchen bay window. They frequently make us smile although sometimes they make us frown. This week they have not found a way on to the bird feeder yet so we're still smiling at them.

The episode of the never-ending show outside our window this week involved a black squirrel carrying a bagel all over our yard. We were not sure what he was up to nor where he found the bagel so we presumed that there must be a squirrel coffee shop in the neighbourhood that we do not know about but that the squirrel does. Maybe it came from the same 'shop' from which he was given a muffin a few days ago.

Anyway, after much fussing, Mr. Squirrel finally stopped running about the yard and carefully placed the bagel in a crook of our smaller tree and left.  I was amazed that he would abandon such an obvious treasure. My husband figures that he could only eat so much at a time and that he had to put it down somewhere.  I thought it was more likely that he had forgotten the peanut butter and had gone back to the squirrel coffee shop to retrieve some...

Remarkably, the bagel sat there untouched by other squirrels and birds for hours.  Someone eventually removed it because when I looked again it was gone.  Hopefully, Mr. Squirrel returned with his peanut butter and finished it off.

Anyway, it was because of that squirrel that I went in search of a squirrel themed mug for this post, the seventh in my series, the 31 DAYS OF COFFEE MUGS.  I found a couple of mugs that I liked, including this lovely, realistic squirrel mug by Emma Bridgewater but I settled on the mug shown on this page because of the humorous slogan and handsome design.

The mug shown here is by Canadian artist Mia Lane and Wild Wings reads, "This place is a nut house."  Even if that is only sometimes the case in your home, you are bound to like this mug if you enjoy the antics of the squirrels in your yard.  I love the image, the quotation and the sculpted handle. You can find it on Amazon by clicking right here.  It turns out that Wild Wings has a large assortment of sculpted Canadian wildlife themed coffee mugs and even a couple of very interesting mug racks. You can see them all on Amazon by clicking here.

I know that the quotation on this mug was not intended to actually reflect the action in my backyard this past week but if the shoe fits...

Are squirrels a source of entertainment in your home?

Brenda 
Treasures By Brenda 
You Never Know What I 
Might Have in Store for You! 

P.S. If you'd like to see all of the mugs featured in my series 31 Days of Coffee Mugs, you can click on the tab at the top of this page.

Quick Links:

Order this mug from Amazon.