Mugshot Monday - “Bob Ross Self-Painting Mug“ by The Unemployed Philosophers Guild with piping hot Morning Glory Blend by Peace Coffee

I grew up watching Bob Ross on public television where he’d teach me how to paint, but I’d also pick up on his subtle clues about how to be a decent human being. He was mesmerizing to me.

Ross would dab some paint on his empty canvas and there would suddenly be a forest of evergreens. And he’d say, “There’s nothing wrong with having a tree as a friend.” He’s not wrong.

And then in another series of dabs he’d suddenly have snow gently clinging to those trees. It just seemed so magical to me. And then he’d say, “Do something every day that will make you happy.“

He actually inspired me to try painting with acrylics. I’ve noticed others are inspired to learn from him, too – recently @wilwheaton posted his progress following instruction from Bob Ross. (Looking GOOOOOOOD, btw! Wow!)

My 3 boys gifted this happy little mug to their mom for her birthday last month. We saw it at Patina in St. Paul and they knew it would be a good gift. It’s just you and Bob Ross until you pour hot coffee and then his painting appears.

What I love is that they know who this man is and they love his vibe. They see clips on Instagram and they see the memes. Their favorite quote:

“We don’t make mistakes, just happy little accidents.”

I can only hope they continue to embrace that mantra so they can lead less stressful lives in these troubling times.

And here’s a Bob Ross quote I’d never heard before: 

"That’s a crooked tree. We’ll send him to Washington.”

😂😂😂 LEGEND!!! Bob left us in 1995, but his brilliance continues to live on.

Have an awesome Monday. Guessing we’ll all experience a few “Happy Accidents”. 😃

The back of the Bob Ross mug:

It’s a heat changing mug! How cool is that? (Buy one here)

Last week, I posted my favorite new space mug, but these space mugs from Think Geek just rocketed to the top of my wish list! 

Solar System spinning mug

Solar Eclipse heat changing mug

Astronaut Helmet mug

Check out all our other out of this world caffeine delivery systems here. 

Mugshot Monday - Ineffectual “Henry VIII & Disappearing Wives“ heat sensitive mug by The Unemployed Philosophers Guild with piping hot Breakaway Blend by Peace Coffee

I outsmarted myself when I bought this mug, but the story makes me laugh.

This summer, we made a quick stop at the Goodwill in Beaver Bay, MN driving back from camping on the North shore. I *thought* I had found a rad Unemployed Philosophers Guild mug for $.50!

It was just a black mug, but it was totally one of those HEAT SENSITIVE designs that change when you pour hot coffee in them.

I confirmed this because on the bottom it was branded “Unemployed Philosophers Guild” and clearly labeled as the Henry VIII disappearing wives mug.

Surely this mug would “come to life” when I poured some coffee in it! Score!

Nope! These mugs are not dishwasher safe because the delicate heat-changing design just melts off. And I’m guessing that’s what happened with this mug, because NOTHING showed up when I eagerly tried it out back home.

In fact, the non-heat changing part of the design is gone, too! Good grief!

My new thrift store Henry VIII Disappearing Wives mug is just a solemn black mug. But now I have this story that makes me shake my head and smile. Cheers!

Here’s what the mug is supposed to look like! 😂

Here’s the bottom of the mug. “For best results use other side” -- Haha! Brilliant!

Mugshot Monday - Fully functional “Henry VIII & Disappearing Wives“ heat sensitive mug by The Unemployed Philosophers Guild with piping hot Breakaway Blend by Peace Coffee

Check this out!

Two weeks ago, I posted my ineffectual “Henry VIII & Disappearing Wives” heat sensitive mug that I giddily bought at Goodwill.

I knew it was a heat changer mug and I naively thought it was all black because -- duh -- the mug was in its cold state. Score! But in reality, that heat sensitive imagery had melted off in someone’s dishwasher long ago.

Well, the fine folks at the Philosophers Guild saw my post on Instagram and decided to help write Chapter 2 of this story. They sent me a working mug!

That’s so cool.

Then I found myself trying to explain what this mug was all about to my kids. I’m no historian, but I told them Henry VIII was a power-hungry misogynist asshole who as a “devout Catholic” had divorced, annulled, or killed many of his wives primarily for not giving birth to a baby boy.

Only I said “jerk” instead of “asshole”.

And biologically speaking, no boy babies was all his own fault anyways.

This mug attempts to at least acknowledge the identities of a few of his “disappearing” wives by displaying their names and fates when you’re drinking coffee.

Cheers to that, Philosophers Guild! And thank you kindly for the rad mug.

Here’s the a panoramic of the empty mug:

Here’s a panoramic of the mug with hot hot coffee: