1972 - Corelle Open Handle Cups

(6-7 oz)  Available Patterns:  Butterfly Gold, Snowflake Blue, Winter Frost White, Spring Blossom Green, Old Town Blue, Blue Macrame, Green Macrame, Woodland Brown, Sedgemoor.

top row (l-r): Snowflake Blue, Woodland Brown, Spring Blossom Green.
middle row: Green Macrame, Winter Frost White, Blue Macrame.
bottom row: Sedgemoor, Old Town Blue, Butterfly Gold.

This style was introduced late 1972 and abandoned in 1982.  Hook-handle cups definitely have ardent fans, but on the whole they lacked wide-spread appeal due to their unconventional shape.  The only cups with all the benefits of Vitrelle glass, they also stack neatly and compactly like no other glass or ceramic cup.  Since they are true Corelle, they are break-resistant and lightweight, as well as microwave safe. 
                   
There are 2 possible backstamps, but the markings are not terribly significant in this case as these cups are so easily recognizable.  The older stamp says ‘Corelle Livingware by Corning ... Made in USA’.  The newer stamp says ‘Corelle by Corning ... Corning NY USA … Not for Broiler or Stovetop Use’.

Exceptions:  Beyond 1982, the hook-handle cup was still included in boxed sets destined for international markets.  Domestically, it was possible to obtain plain undecorated hook-handle cups for individual purchase up until about 1995.

History:  The Corelle hook-handle cup was designed by Charles Ketcham.  The first registered design for its shape was filed September 1967, and the illustrations in this document show a cup that is very similar to the one that went into production in 1972.  A second registered design was filed July 1968, but this proposed shape was quite different with flatter sides and a longer handle, and it appears to be taller and more narrow too. 

What does seem clear from these designs is that during the development phase, the original intention was to make cups from Vitrelle.  But this plan must have been sidetracked before mid 1970 when Corelle debuted, perhaps by concerns over consumer acceptance or by the logistics of manufacturing such a shape.  Another registered design was filed August 1970 by Charles Ketcham and Theodore Reyda, but this one was for the Centura round-bottom cup which would become the first cup style instead.


Creamers & Sugar Bowls:

Hook-handle cream & sugar sets were introduced mid 1975.  Both the creamer and sugar bowl are the same size as the cup.  The sugar bowl was paired up with a solid white opaque plastic lid with a handle that was reminiscent of the hook-handle of the creamer.

Available Patterns:  Butterfly Gold, Snowflake Blue, Winter Frost White, Spring Blossom Green, Old Town Blue, Woodland Brown, Sedgemoor.

Corelle Cream & Sugar set in Spring Blossom Green. 

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