Starbucks Siren Takes It All Off

Starbucks Siren Takes It All Off

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Story Published: Aug 30, 2006 at 4:29 PM PDT

Story Updated: Aug 31, 2006 at 8:36 AM PDT

By Travis Mayfield

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SEATTLE - It's a party at Starbucks.

The local coffee legend is celebrating its 35th anniversary and as part of the event, they're handing out their old logo.

The problem, some folks found that original logo offensive.

"This is degrading to the women of today," says regular Starbucks customer Theresa Miyahara.

The 1971 original is "a twin tailed mermaid, or siren as she's called in Greek mythology," says Starbucks Carol Pucik. The siren also has bare breasts.

Pucik says every hot beverage cup in their Washington and Oregon company owned stores will feature the original logo over the next two months.

"Its really for nostalgia," says Pucik who agrees they meant no offense.

Before Starbucks was ubiquitous worldwide, the old logo was still well known around Seattle. You can still see it at the first Starbucks in Pike's Place Market.

But in the early 1990's, there were growing complaints about the appropriateness of the original logo and the company gave her a 'modest makeover.' That's the logo used widely today more focused on her face and barely showing her fins or chest.

Sitting outside a downtown Starbucks, Ken Lacy laughs off the coffee controversy: "most great art in the world is, some of the nudes."

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