Fun Facts about (Drink) Coasters!

What do you think about when someone says “coaster?” The ever-present drink coaster as we know them today has been around nearly 140 years!

A Brief History

In 1880 Friedrich Horn, a German printing company, designed the first cardboard beer mats, as they are sometimes called. Shortly after, the Robert Sputh Company of Dresden started making them out of wood pulp.

Today you can find drink coasters protecting tables and bars from condensation in nearly every bar, restaurant and home. They come in many materials, including wood, cardboard, bamboo, cork, marble, sandstone, slate and unglazed ceramics. The best drink coasters are porous and absorb condensation from the glass.

Caricaturist - Goofy Faces Caricature CoastersBut the very best coasters are by Goofy Faces Caricature Artists!

How did It Start? 

Goofy Faces has been offering caricatures on 4×4 cardboard squares since 2017. That year Lear Corporation hired us to help them celebrate their 100th birthday at their headquarters in Southfield, MI. Instead of traditional caricatures or even eSketches™, they asked us to draw on 4×4 pieces of cardboard.

While it was a new medium for us, we discovered a few exciting things about drawing on such a small space.

  1. Volume – a traditionally drawn caricature can take 4-5 minutes. One artist can draw about 15 caricatures per hour. A coaster can be done in about 90 seconds, so we can draw up to 35 people per hour!caricaturist
  2. They’re easy to take home. Just drop it in your purse or slip it into your wallet, it’s less likely to wrinkle!
  3. Branding – Hire a Goofy Faces caricature artist for your next corporate event and we’ll help you get your logo or promotional message printed on the back! Find the right artist here.
  4. Goofy Faces Caricature Coasters are better as drink toppers! Set them on top of your glass or mug so you remember which drink belongs to whom. (To protect the artwork, we don’t recommend setting your drink on the coaster.)
  5. Coincidentally, and because you’re probably wondering, the first roller coaster opened at New York’s Coney Island just a few years later, in 1884. It cost just 5 cents and went all of six miles per hour. We sure have come a long way!

Book your coaster caricature artist today! Contact michelle@goofyfaces.com or use the artist request form on goofyfaces.com.

Robert Bauer