Last week, for the second time in three years, Starbucks again unveiled a new (or, rather, retro) logo which, at least temporarily, abandons the trademark green color for a coffee brown, and harkens back to the company's 1971 origins.

In addition to attempting to induce nostalgia for the chain's early days, the change also heralds the return of founder Howard Schultz to head the company.

The new version of the old logo has been reportedly "sanitized" to remove such lurid details as the twin-tailed Greek mermaid's navel, and in the lady's 2006 release, her hair was lengthened to cover other "indecencies".

David Thometz