Cry Over Spilt Coffee, Not Milk.
Mondays. Oy vey! If it were a Monday and I spilled my cup of joe, yes I would tear up. How do I know? It’s happened. Mondays have enough challenges without wasting your morning energy lifeline and often without immediate replenishment nearby. Se la vi. It’s Mug of the Day Monday! So why the milk idiom? For today’s mug I am taking it back… way back. In fact, so far back, to be honest I don’t even use this mug for my morning coffee. Instead I proudly display it in a curio cabinet among other nostalgic Disney relics of the past. It’s not that I’m afraid to use it, however, it would take a very special occasion to pull it out and use it. It’s utility as a coffee mug has waned in light of its present status as a vintage collector item.
Without further ado, I present to you the Disneyland souvenir milk glass mug, personalized with the name of, well… yours truly!
One of the features I find intriguing of milk glass is that it is opaque and diffuses light through it in a mesmerizing sort of way.
Opaque glass originated in Venice back in the 16th century, while this white variety didn’t gain prominence until the Victorian era. Victorians are credited with coining the term “milk glass.” The popularity of milk glass took quite a hit during the Great Depression and it wasn’t until the end of World War II that it experienced a resurgence in popularity. It was during this time period that milk glass began mass production and even to this day pieces from the 50s and 60s can be still be acquired at reasonably low prices.
Walt Disney was no slouch when it came to recognizing the fads of the day. As such, milk glass souvenirs found their way into Disneyland and in their heyday were quite popular. I believe that this mug comes from that same time period following the resurgence - perhaps from the late 50s to mid 60s. This mug falls under the amazing “Walt Disney Productions” era for collecting and is copyrighted underneath the Disneyland name, both in gold foil.
These milk glass souvenirs can be found on eBay, but it may be tricky to find a specific name you are looking for. Often, these mugs are sold blank without any personalization. Mugs printed with “Grandma” and “Grandpa” as well as “Mom” and “Dad” seem to appear with a fair amount of regularity. Also “His” and “Hers” I have seen often. A pretty hilarious one I have seen simply says “Boss” as the personalization. I have also seen a milk glass souvenir ashtray emblazoned with Disneyland under Sleeping Beauty Castle and Tinkerbell for sale as part of this same souvenir line. There are a couple different shapes of these mugs and some simply have color Disney characters printed on them which I think actually looks quite nice. If you’re interested in perusing some listings of these milk glass souvenirs, simply CLICK HERE.
While these mugs pop up periodically on secondary market venues, there is a bit of a story about where my mug came from which only adds to its value for me on a personal level. I used to have a career as a pharmacy technician and had the privilege of working under the supervision of several great pharmacists. One of these amazing pharmacists, who definitely ranks as one of the top pharmacists I have ever met and I now keep in touch periodically as friends, is Gillian. One of Gillian’s passions is the city of Palm Springs, CA, in all of it’s mid-century modern glory. She has made a bit of a hobby curating spaces on some occasions at the Antique Galleries of Palm Springs as well as the Palm Springs Vintage Market. To find the pieces she displays in these spaces for sale she will search out vintage markets and flea markets, perhaps even estate sales, when the opportunity arises. It is a bit of a treasure hunt to say the least. It was on one of these treasure hunts that Gillian came upon this mug and thought of me right away as it literally had my name on it. Gillian knows I love all things Disney and so she shot me a message online to see if I was interested. Of course I didn’t hesitate! Gillian purchased it, wrapped it up very nice, and gifted it to me. I definitely was not expecting it and was (and still am) completely thrilled! I couldn’t thank her enough and now this holds a special and proud place in my Disney collection. Thank you again, Gillian, and happy Mug of the Day Monday!
