The Best Novelty Mugs to Give as Gifts (or to Get for Yourself)

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I love a good novelty coffee mug, I won’t lie to you. Every morning, I drink my coffee from a large pink mug with the Golden Girls’ faces on it because the Golden Girls bring me joy and I am not a morning person. I imagine like most people, I have my fair share of goofy coffee mugs in my cupboard. Some were gifts from friends and reference inside jokes; others just make me chuckle. If you, too, would like to bring some joy to your own morning or you’re looking for an easy gift for a friend, you have come to the right place.
I’ve put together a few suggestions for novelty mugs that I would not hesitate to purchase for myself or a loved one. Some are clever, some are mugs shaped like things that are not mugs, some change color, and some reference beloved television shows. None of them include rude or insulting phrases like “I can only help one person per day and today is not your day,” because novelty mugs are about bringing joy and rudeness does not bring joy.
I’m sure your personal tastes do no align specifically with mine, which is fine, but consider this list a good starting point for mug-shopping. Sure, they may be a bit cheesy, but that is really half the fun.
1. You’re Awesome Mug
I bet there’s a person in your life who could use a reminder that they’re doing a good job with this whole life thing. Maybe you’re that person. In either case, I’m a fan of both inspirational messages and cursing. Hence, this “You’re Awesome” mug.
2. Schrute Farms, Bed And Breakfast
In case you want a winking reference to The Office but you find Dunder Mifflin branding too overplayed, why not pick up a Schrute Farms mug to bring back fond memories of Cousin Mose.
3. Paladone Game Boy Heat Changing Coffee Mug
Remind your loved one of simpler, more innocent times, when everyone played Pokemon on a Game Boy instead of their phones, with this fun mug. Bonus, the screen lights up when you pour hot liquid inside. Could anything be more pure?
4. Exceptionlab Inc. Ceramic Cup
If you were to grab a cup of coffee from a cart on the streets of New York City there is a good chance it would be served to you in an iconic cup that looked just like this. With this ceramic replica version you can just pretend you hastily purchased this $1 cup of coffee at 8 in the morning on your way to a meeting that this foot traffic is making you late for.