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S is for Sukey’s Mermaid, Starbucks, and Stamps!

April 22, 2016 Claire Annette Noland 2 Comments

S (1)

S in a Mermaid World

Storyteller say,
This happened oncet upon a time,
on a little island off the coast
of South Carolina.

So begins the story of Sukey and the Mermaid, retold by Robert D. San Souci and illustrated by Brian Pinkney.
S Sukey
Sukey was a young girl whose lazy new stepfather forced her to do all the work. Fed up, she ran off to her secret hideaway on the beach. When she sang a song, a beautiful, brown-skinned, black-eyed mermaid named Mama Jo rose up out of the water. This folktale has a Cinderella feel to it with Mama Jo being the mermaid godmother to Sukey.
This story is one of the few which tells of an African American mermaid whose origin most likely was from  West Africa. The illustrations perfectly convey the magic of Mama Jo and her relationship with Sukey.

S is also for Starbucks. Why does Starbucks have a mermaid logo for its coffee?

According to the Starbuck’s website, writer Steve M. explains:

“Let’s go all the way back to 1971, to when Starbucks was first coming to be. In a search for a way to capture the seafaring history of coffee and Seattle’s strong seaport roots, there was a lot of poring over old marine books going on. Suddenly, there she was: a 16th century Norse woodcut of a twin-tailed mermaid, or Siren. There was something about her – a seductive mystery mixed with a nautical theme that was exactly what the founders were looking for. A logo was designed around her, and our long relationship with the Siren began.”

s starbucks logo history

But, that’s not the only explanation out there. Here’s a link to an article from Mental Floss Magazine that spills the beans on Starbucks.

Finally, wouldn’t you love to receive a letter with one of these stamps?

stamps

 

 

 

Filed Under: Blogging A to Z, Books, Mermaids, Multicultural Children's Books Tagged With: African American Mermaid Stories, Mermaid postage stamps, Starbucks Mermaid, Starbucks mermaid logo history, Sukey and the Mermaid

Previous Post: « R is for Russian Rusalka living in a mermaid world
Next Post: T is for Thailand’s Many Mermaids »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Gail M Baugniet says

    April 22, 2016 at 10:18 am

    Liked the siren story, but definitely would love to receive a letter with one of those stamps affixed to the envelope. Surprised to see that even Belgium has one with mermaids.

    Gail’s 2016 April A to Z Challenge
    S is for Saving Our Planet

    Reply
  2. evelyne holingue says

    April 23, 2016 at 12:05 am

    I’d love to receive a letter with a mermaid as a stamp!
    The story of Starbucks was partially familiar to me.
    You are doing a fantastic job with this challenge. Claire. Almost there!
    See you tomorrow for letter T.

    Reply

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