Been There Ornaments – country of origin

Not sure how important this information will be for most collectors, however, I feel obligated to bring this new interesting fact to your attention. If you collected Been There Ornaments from the very beginning, you probably noticed that all the US and Canada ornaments have a “Made in Thailand” label on the bottom. It was different, however, for some ornaments from Asia, like the Philippines, these were made in China. For instance, you can see Pennsylvania and Philippines ornaments side by side at the very top of the collage.… Read more

Been There – University of Missouri

The latest addition to the Campus Collection is Starbucks Been There – University of Missouri mug, designed using black and “MU Gold” colors. The latter, as you could guess, is an official custom color of the University.
The University of Missouri (Mizzou, MU, or Missouri) is a public university located in Columbia. When founded in 1839, it was the first public university west of the Mississippi River. As many as 30,000 students enroll in more than 300-degree academic programs at Mizzou, each year.… Read more

Mainland China Been There ornaments

What you see is the picture of the brand new Been There Ornaments released for Mainland China. There are thirteen cities and one country ornament revealed so far. The city ones match the design and the color palette of the bigger mugs (I reviewed them in my previous post). The country ornament, however, is special in at least two ways. First, there is no matching bigger mug for it, at least for now. And the second distinctive feature is the use of gold colors in the design.… Read more

Been There Series comes to China

The reveal of the new mugs for China is always a huge deal. When Starbucks was done with releasing YAHs from Zhongguo (the Middle Kingdom/country in Mandarin), we were left with eighty-one regular mugs and that not counting six Christmas mugs. And just to give it more context, it is even more than the US subset! That just shows us how valuable the Chinese market is for Starbucks and how confident the company is in the demand for these mugs.… Read more

Been There Ornament – Cebu

And last, but not least out of four Philippines ornaments is Starbucks Been There Ornament Cebu. Cebu province consists of the main island and 167 surrounding islands and islets. Its capital, Cebu City, a.k.a. “the Queen City of the South”, is the oldest city and first capital of the Philippines.
Very much like its full-sized brother, the ornament is featuring a giant Whale Shark on the front. Cebu seems to be a perfect spot to have a swimming/diving tour with these majestic giant animals.… Read more

Been There Ornament – Manila

Starbucks Been There Ornament Manila looks similar to the full-size mug and comes with the red string. Manila is the capital of the Philippines and the most densely populated city proper in the world.
The design of the ornament is dedicated to a great mix of the city’s architecture that shows a wide range of styles from different historical and cultural periods. While browsing the city, you can notice American, Spanish, Chinese, and Malay influences everywhere.
I would like to mention the Rizal Monument (Motto Stella, “guiding star”).… Read more

Been There Ornament – Boracay

Starbucks Been There Ornament Boracay is the second out of four Philippines ornaments released back in 2020. Boracay is a popular touristic destination and I made a review of the bigger mug two years ago.
The design of the ornament is all about the wide range of activities the island of Boracay can offer.
Willy’s Rock is probably the island’s most popular landmark. It is located in shallow waters near the beach and represents a tidal island with a statue of the Virgin Mary on top of steps that are carved into the volcanic rock.… Read more

Been There Ornament – Philippines

Two years ago, I’ve mentioned that as many as seventeen mugs and four ornaments were released for the Pearl of the Orient Sea. And while I reviewed all regular-size mugs back then, the ornaments had to wait for their turn. I am finally able to add all four mini mugs to my collection.
This is Starbucks Been There Ornament Philippines. You can see my review of the bigger the bigger mug here. From what I can see, these two have many common elements, which is not always true for Been There mugs.… Read more

Been There – Georgetown University

Even though Been There – Georgetown University has been already released, I am not seeing a lot of inventory just yet. But that just makes the hunt even more exciting!
Georgetown University is a private research university founded in 1789 as Georgetown College. It is ranked among the top universities in the US, admitting only 10-12% of the applicants each year. Here’s an interesting fact, two of Georgetown’s students became US presidents later: Bill Clinton and Lyndon Johnson. It is worth mentioning, however, that Lyndon Johnson quit after the first semester.… Read more

Been There Ornament – Nevada 2

I am excited to see the release of Been There Ornament – Nevada v2 that is following the update of the bigger mug that was released last year. The most obvious change is the color scheme, which was changed from red-orange to blue. The bird on the front of the ornament is also different, however, I can’t tell what bird that is.
I wonder if that will be the new norm for the new versions of the existing ornaments and mugs?… Read more

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