Explore Cups: Design, Materials, and Shapes!

[playful music and click of button to record]
Jordan: Shhhh. She's coming.
Jessie: Good morning.
Jordan: Morning. I made some hot cocoa. Want some? Go grab a mug.
Jessie: Oh yeah, sure. Jordan.
[cat meows and hisses]
Jordan: It sure is muggy outside, isn't it?
Jessie: Jordan, please tell me you did not put all of our mugs outside just to mess with me.
[loud sip of hot cocoa]
Jordan
Jordan: Come on. It's funny. It's muggy outside. Get it?
Jessie: Yes. But now I want hot chocolate.
Jordan: Just go grab a bowl. Why do we even have to use cups?
Jessie: Well, because, well, we use cups because. Well, It's obvious we use cups because… Why do we use cups?
[upbeat music]
Jessie: I just can't stop thinking about cups. And why are they shaped the way they are shaped? What is it about their engineering that makes them so great to drink out of? Oh, why do some have handles and then others don't? And what other cups have they used throughout history?

Like these, for example, and these are all very fancy cups, probably used for special occasions, but some of them just look like today's mugs. Huh? And then there's even older cups that look really difficult to drink out of. I dunno how you're supposed to, like on the horn? This guy looks like he's got it figured out. Hmm.

And then there are all of these. Huh. These ones have all these bumps all over them. Kind of like those uh, rubber grippies that you have on socks that prevent you from slipping.

Ivy: Good eye!
Jessie: Oh, hey Ivy.
Ivy: Hey Jessie. Those little bumps were actually called prunts. They helped keep a firm grip on the cup, which was especially important before silverware was used.
**Jessie: Oh, because before silverware your hands would get all greasy and then you might slip on the cup.
Ivy: Smart, right?
Jessie: Yeah. Artistic and functional.
Ivy: Wanna see my favorite?
Jessie: Oh sure. Yeah.
Ivy: That guy.
Jessie: Huh? Oh, I thought you meant a cup. But that's a cool clown.
Ivy: It is a cup. Take a closer look.
Jessie: Wait. Really?
[record scratch]
It doesn't look like a cup.
Ivy: It's a “joke glass”. Figuring out how to drink from it was a part of a game. It was made over 400 years ago. And although he looks like a clown, he was actually dressed as a fancy man of his time.
Jessie: Sorry buddy. Yeah, I see the little metal sword he has now. That's kind of cute. I just don't understand how you would drink out of it. Like there's a hole in his nose, but then there's the seam at his neck. So if you tipped him over, he would just spill.
Ivy: Take a closer look right in his chest.
Jessie: Oh, okay. I see. He just has a straw going down his chest, basically. So you would just have to drink out of his nose. Ew. Like you're drinking through a straw. Ew. It's disgusting. I like that it was a work of art, but also a game. It's so cool how people from the past took this thing that we used every day and added this element of fun. There's all these creative cups from the past. I feel like we must have some stuff like that today.
Carla: There is! Somebody designed this cup to keep my coffee warm.
Jessie: Oh, that's a really good point, Carla. Yeah, somebody would've had to engineer this specifically in order to keep the liquids inside warm.
Carla: Mm-Hmm.
Jessie: Oh, thank you.
Carla: You are welcome.
Jessie: I wonder what other kinds of cups are made today.
Hey Figgy.
Figgy: Hi. How are you?
Jessie: Good, how are you?
Figgy: Good.
Jessie: I heard you have an epic water bottle.
Figgy: I do. This is my water bottle.
Jessie: It's huge.
Figgy: Yeah. I drink a lot of water and it's very convenient because it has this handle and a straw.
Jessie: Good engineering. It's like a giant sippy cup.
Figgy: Exactly.
Jessie: Hey Cody.
Cody: Hey Jessie.
Jessie: I came to see if you have any cool cups, you could show me?
Cody: Oh, mine's silly. I am left-handed. So if you drink from this mug with your left hand, it works fine. But if you flip the handle around and you drink it right-handed the holes on that side means the water spills all over you.
Jessie: That is funny.
[ding sound]
Oh, I have an idea.
Cody, do you mind if I borrow that for a couple days?
Cody: Sure.
Jessie: Are you thinking what I'm thinking?
[cat meow and click to record]
Okay. Okay. Oh, she's coming
Jordan: Late! I'm running late!
Jessie: Oh, don't forget your hot cocoa.
Jordan: Oh, thank you. You are the best.
[record scratch]
You're the absolute worst.
Jessie: We did it!
[phone clicks off]