The humble mug. A simple gift to get for somebody when you have absolutely no clue what to give as an alternative. Its emergency gift status has followed it around for far too long; many a cupboard is filled with mugs emblazoned with the banal ‘you survived the toilet roll shortage of 2020’ type quotes. Not to mention the various different ways to write ‘you’re a mug’ upon the side of the porcelain. It’s all very funny, ha-ha and all that jazz.
However, there are more interesting things out there; Mugs that go a bit further, interactive mugs, mugs that aren’t going to gather dust at the back of a cupboard like that sad penguin thing from Toy Story. (I don’t know his name, it’s been a while) But I digress, let’s get started and take a look at 11 different mug ideas that will make great gifts for the hot beverage drinkers in your life.
1.) The classic ‘drink out of somebody’s head’ mug
Image via Amazon
This mug comes courtesy of Paranoid Fish on Amazon, there are loads to choose from; Dumbo, Winnie the Pooh, and captain miserable himself, Eeyore but this one is my favourite. Baby Groot first blasted onto our screens in Marvel’s: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 and immediately stole our hearts. Now he’s here in mug form for you to delightfully hoover up your hot beverage from his little wooden head. Perfect for Marvel fans of all ages. (Or anybody fond of monosyllabic, anthropomorphic pieces of tree).
2.) Grow your own coffee Mug:
Image via Not On The High Street
Here’s one for the hip, trendy coffee drinker in your life. We love to save the planet nowadays and this Mug from Not On The High Street comes with its very own coffee plant for you to grow your own coffee inside; after drinking out of it to your heart’s content of course.
Recycling in action, oxygenating your house, growing plants, this all helps the planet, yes? I haven’t got a clue but whatever. Send a letter to Greta Thunberg and tell her you’re doing your bit, she won’t know. You can choose whether you want to buy the Planter on its own or with the free coffee plant.
3.) Magic Colour Changing Mugs:
Yes ok, ‘magic’ is a bit of a stretch to describe these mugs but the lovely colour change effect is enough to make a grown man go ‘oooh’ in wonder so that’s something I suppose. These are always fun as you can see from the one above because I mean…well just look at it.
There are endless opportunities for recipients: mum, dad, best friend or anyone that smells really!
4.) Odd shaped Mugs that travel through time and space:
Image via Amazon
Variations from the traditional mug shape are always a conversation starter, take this Tardis Mug for example, complete with lid and sassy handle. Its seemingly bigger on the inside design is also a bonus. Look at the size of it, you could store biscuits and all sorts in there.
You could even throw it out of a window and see if it suddenly starts to make mechanical elephant type noises and whiz through space. It’s unlikely and I wouldn’t recommend it but you could give it a go, stranger things have happened.
5.) Cake in a Mug:
Image via Etsy
Mug cake? Erm absolutely yes please I’ll have ten. The mug comes with a recipe printed on the side explaining exactly how to make the perfect quick and easy cake in a mug using simple ingredients many of us have probably got in our cupboards already. (Apart from cocoa powder, I’m not Nigella Lawson). Again, available cheap from Etsy, so you save money and help out a small business.
6.) Whacky, inventive Mugs
Image via Red Candy
This mug literally made me go wow. I was staring at it for a good 2 minutes, his little skew-whiff white and blue eyes penetrating my soul. What a marvellous invention, it’s a mug and there’s room for cookies or any other variety of smaller biscuity type snack. Perfection.
7.) Fun Mugs for kids: (and big kids like me)
Image via studio.co.uk
This beauty is ideal for kids because it comes with a 100-piece Minion jigsaw puzzle. (they’re the little yellow guys from those films) If you think Minions are annoying then first of all; you’re wrong and second of all, Minion mania is enough to keep your kids occupied for hours. Especially if you hide a few of the jigsaw pieces.
Studio have plenty of designs but I have a feeling this cute, yellow piece of beverage holding yellowness is sure to make your little family members smile.
8.) Iconic Artwork Mugs:
Image via Zazzle
These mugs are for the more discerning, civilised beverage drinker. The kind of person who orders a soy latte and says words like ‘bequeath’ and ‘minimalism’. Zazzle has a wide range of iconic artworks to choose from, lovingly printed on an array of different products, such as the standard mug, paper cup, teapot, and their latte mug (I told you).
Whether you’re a neo classical kind of person or you’re more of a Triumvirate of Philippine modernism type of gal, there’s something there to suit all artistic tastes. Like this beautiful print of Van Goghs ‘Starry Night’, immortalised forever in mug form. I’m sure it’s what he would have wanted.
9.) Mugs that educate:
Image via MS Mugs & John Lewis
Dual purpose mugs are a big win in my book, especially these two; with the periodic table and King and Queens of the UK printed on them. Anything to help with stressful revision, learning about history or soaking up facts simply for trivia purposes can only be a good thing.
Q from James Bond even had the periodic table mug on his desk in ‘No time to die’. Now if 007’s right hand man is making use of this Mug then you need to get it pretty sharpish as well. You can pick it up from Zazzle, and if you fancy brushing up on royal history; get your King and Queens Mug from John Lewis
10.) Cute hidden message Mugs:
Image via Kate Ceramics
A simple way of sending a bit of love to someone. Kate Ceramics has a whole range of Mugs featuring sweet hidden messages on the inside.
One review even mentions using the hidden message mug as a way of having a little bit of contact with a loved one during the pandemic lockdown. Now if that’s not cute, I don’t know what is.
11.) Interactive Mugs:
Image via Wonder Awe
You should know by now; I love me an interactive mug and this one fits the bill perfectly. What better way to alleviate the toil and boredom of work than to try and find the missing words on your very own word-search mug. Grab a pen, make sure your boss isn’t looking and search away. (It might get boring after the first time but pass it around your friends, it’s an ice breaker, a team building exercise, it passes 10 minutes.)
So, there you have it, I hope the choices above have inspired you in your Mug searching endeavours and convinced you that mugs CAN be cool. No more ‘I survived the toilet roll shortage of 2020’ and a lot more ‘drinkable tree head’.
Bio:
LimaLima are a small online greeting cards company in the UK. Not only will they provide you with a card for any occasion that you are unlikely to find anywhere else but also provide you with some utterly splendid ideas on what to write in it.
