Tag: Prototype

You Are Here – London Gold Outline

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It seems that the capital of Great Britain had a special place in the hearts of Starbucks designers, because the You Are Here London Gold Outline is yet another prototype created for the city that unfortunately never reached store shelves. This example appears to be exceptionally rare and could very well be a one-of-a-kind surviving piece. Unlike the regular London mug, which uses the familiar bright You Are Here palette with solid blocks of red, blue, green, and gray, this prototype keeps much of the same overall composition but adds thin metallic-gold outlines around many of the shapes.… Read more

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You Are Here Ornament – Moscow

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Another interesting find is the You Are Here Ornament – Moscow, an unreleased prototype dedicated to the Russian capital. Even though it was never officially released, a certain number of copies were produced, which gives collectors a rare opportunity to acquire a genuinely unusual Starbucks piece. The city itself was first mentioned in 1147 and gradually grew into the political and cultural center of Russia. Over the centuries, Moscow became known for its Kremlin walls, grand squares, historic churches, and impressive public architecture.… Read more

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You Are Here Christmas – London Gold on Black

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The You Are Here Christmas London Gold on Black is another very interesting unreleased Holiday Edition mug for the capital of the UK. This prototype uses a striking matte black exterior with metallic gold artwork and lettering, giving the familiar You Are Here design a much more elegant and festive appearance. Based on the sticker on the bottom, it was probably planned for the 2017 holiday season, but unfortunately never made it to stores. Interestingly, Starbucks later used a very similar black-and-gold color combination for the Pike Place mugs later, so the idea clearly was not abandoned completely.… Read more

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You Are Here Christmas – London Speckle Debossed

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The You Are Here Christmas – London Speckle Debossed mug is a fascinating prototype from a private collection, and it is currently being offered for sale. That makes this a rare opportunity to acquire a truly unique piece of Starbucks memorabilia, especially since this version never made it to store shelves. The design itself is unlike anything Starbucks ultimately released in the You Are Here series: the surface is covered with subtle speckles, while the vertical STARBUCKS wordmark is debossed directly into the ceramic instead of being printed.… Read more

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You Are Here Ornament – Tokyo

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People who have followed my blog from the very beginning might remember this post from 2019, when I was excited to review what appeared to be a new mug from Japan, only to realize that it was an unreleased prototype. It was especially disappointing because Japan never received any city-specific You Are Here releases. The only YAH items released there were the mini set of five country mugs and ornaments: one regular version and four seasonal editions, one for each time of the year.… Read more

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You Are Here Disney – Magic Kingdom Adventureland / Frontierland prototype

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Thanks to my favorite seller, we have a chance to review some of the prototypes that were never released to stores. This You Are Here Magic Kingdom Adventureland / Frontierland (2016 prototype) is one of them. The design seems to focus mostly on Frontierland and Adventureland, combining attractions and imagery from both areas rather than covering the entire park evenly. This approach makes even more sense in hindsight, as Starbucks later released other Magic Kingdom designs with a stronger focus on Fantasyland and Tomorrowland

– Splash Mountain is one of the easiest attractions to recognize on the design, with its steep rocky peak and waterfall.… Read more

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You Are Here – Katowice (prototype)

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Yet another very interesting and unique find from the private collection that is being offered for sale. It seems that You Are Here Katowice was originally planned for release much earlier than we previously believed. The prototype’s design is significantly different from the version that was ultimately approved in 2024. As you can see in the comparison photos below, the final mug features a more vibrant color palette, while the marching band’s hat from the prototype was replaced with the full marching band.… Read more

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You Are Here Ornament – Seoul (prototype)

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Some prototypes differ from the production version by a color, a missing detail, or a small design tweak. Others are far more intriguing because they represent a product that was never released at all.

This You Are Here Ornament Seoul falls into the second category.

If you’ve been following my recent posts, you already know that Starbucks never officially released a You Are Here mug or ornament for Seoul. Instead, South Korea received its own Korea Real City collection, making any Seoul item from the YAH series something that simply wasn’t supposed to exist.… Read more

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Icon – Jeddah (prototype)

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When I first learned that a private collection containing several Starbucks prototype mugs was being offered for sale, I expected to find color variations or minor manufacturing differences. What I didn’t expect were design changes that reveal part of the creative process behind the final mug.

This Icon Jeddah prototype is one of those fascinating examples.

At first glance, it looks almost identical to the production mug. The city name, colors, and the historic Nasseef House featured on the front are all there.… Read more

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You Are Here Seoul – an opportunity to own one of the rarest Starbucks mugs ever released

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As many collectors already know, Starbucks never officially released a You Are Here Seoul mug. South Korea received the Korea Real City series instead, making a Seoul YAH mug something that simply wasn’t supposed to exist.

Well… one does.

This is not a production mug that somehow slipped through retail. It is believed to be a prototype/sample created during the development of the You Are Here collection before the series was discontinued. To date, this may be the only known example to have surfaced publicly, although its exact production history remains unknown.… Read more

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