Starbucks' trip down memory lane to bring back its original mermaid logo on its cups has brewed up some controversy.

A Kent elementary school principal, according to a local TV station, asked teachers last week that if they were bringing their daily joe to school that they make sure they get a sleeve to cover the image of a topless mermaid on Starbucks cups.


The Seattle-based coffee giant, as part of its 35th anniversary, this month put its original logo with the bare-breasted mermaid on its cups in stores in Washington and Oregon. Even though Starbucks is a twin-tailed mermaid, or siren as she's known in Greek mythology, the company actually got its moniker from the first mate's name in the classic novel "Moby Dick."