My fascination with identifying props from Twin Peaks started in the early 2010s after seeing the Twin Peaks Props website run by brother Jerry Horne. One of the first I found was the hot dog serving platter at the Johnson house followed by Special Agent Dale Cooper’s milk glass. One of the more obscure background items was found during searches in summer 2012 – a decorative mug from the Timber Falls Motel.
TIMBER FALLS MOTEL SULTAN MUG FROM JAPAN
In Twin Peaks episode 1.001, Ben Horne is speaking with Catherine Martell at the Timber Falls Motel. He is standing next to a dresser with a mirror that has shelves. Look carefully and you’ll spot several mugs and other decorative items. One of those items is a human head-shaped mug.
After putting on his suit jacket, Ben returns to the dresser to refill his glass. We get a second look at the mug during this shot. It’s the only time the mug is seen in this episode. When Catherine and Ben return to the Timber Falls Motel in episode 1.004, we don’t get a good look at the mug.
It took weeks to find a match (and I called in the help of a friend in California to assist). We scrolled through pages and pages of what we thought were Toby Mugs. Eventually, we found it.
The ceramic mug measures approximately, 5 1/2-inches tall and is about 1 1/2-inches in diameter. The handle measure 1 1/2-inches by 1 1/4-inches.
The bottom stamp in white has the word “Japan” most likely meaning it was manufacture in Japan.
For the longest time, I believed this could have been a Royal Doulton Toby Mug. In the 1930s, Doulton’s Art Director, Charles Noke, had an idea for making face jugs which were later marketed as Character Jugs. In 1934, Doulton celebrated the launch of its first character jug with John Barleycorn, the personification of malt liquor.
The challenge with this mug is there was no mark on the bottom signifying it was made by the company. It only had a “Japan” stamp.
As I was researching this article nearly 12 years later, I discovered it could be a Japanese Majolica mug. I’ve seen references to it being made in the 1970s. Most likely, it was purposely made to look like a Toby Mug by a company in Japan for the mass market.
I found several of these mugs still available, though there is debate as to how to describe the mug. Some call him “Blackbeard the Pirate” and list the mug as a Toby Mug. Others have him described as a “Sultan” or “Wise Man”, which is the more believable description to me.
This is definitely one of the more unique items in my Twin Peaks replica prop collection as it has very little screen time.
Additionally, I long to see more information about the mug. Without a manufacturer’s mark and only made up entries for online auction sites, it’s difficult to say when or where the mug was made.
For example, I found a slight variation to this mug with a different “Made in Japan” label. Was this variation created before the one seen at the Timber Falls Motel? Without physically having the item from the show in my hands, I’ll probably never know.
But you can still find him to add to your collection, especially if you are a completist like me.
