🔥 Unusual Vintage Mid Century Old Hawaiian TIKI Wood Sculpture Statue, 1950s For Sale

When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.

---

🔥 Unusual Vintage Mid Century Old Hawaiian TIKI Wood Sculpture Statue, 1950s:
$2750.00

As Jeff “Beachbum” Berry calls it, this is ground zero for tiki. As far as he’s concerned “Don the Beachcomber is single handedly responsible for giving birth to what we call the tiki drink.” After spending much of prohibition bootlegging, Donn Beach settled in LA in 1934 because, essentially, he had run out of money. He opened a tiny, 24-seat bar, decorated it in a vaguely South Pacific island theme, created a cocktail menu around rum—which was, at the time, the least expensive spirit—and the rest is history. With its central location in Hollywood, the bar was quickly a darling of the movie business and acquired a glamorous caché despite its rustic, island theme. As Berry says, “You had a direct convergence between Hollywood the movie town and Hollywood the tiki birthplace … tiki may never have gotten big if Donn had opened his bar anywhere else.“

Opened in the 1937, the Seven Seas was an elaboration on the Don the Beachcomber concept. Whereas Don the Beachcomber was more of a stand-alone bar, Seven Seas served up live Hawai’ian music and Tahitian dance shows on a nightly basis, as well as a particularly transporting experience that included tropical thunder and lighting sounds that played at regular intervals.

Ask a tiki buff to name a now-defunct tiki bar that they wish they could have visited before it was lost to time (and to the disco era), and you’ll inevitably hear about the Luau Beverly Hills. Every tiki bar is larger than life in its way, but the Luau was over the top in a way that left all others behind. Martin Cate has a particular soft spot for the bar and its legendary owner, Stephen Crane. As he describes, “What Crane built was just crazy. We refer to design like the Luau as ‘high tiki,’ basically an extreme experience. Inside, there are rivers, creeks running under your feet, you walk over bridges, there are macaws in cages, there are waterfalls built out of volcanic rock. It’s a completely immersive, themed experience in a way that the other tiki temples at the time never quite were.”

It’s safe to say that Tiki-Ti might just be Jeff Berry’s favorite bar or, at the very least, where he first fell for tiki. Ray Buhen—one of the original Don the Beachcomber bartenders and a tiki-bartending legend—opened the Tiki-Ti in 1961 and worked behind the bar well into his 80s. Now, you’ll find his son, Mike, and grandson Mike Jr., behind the bar serving Ray’s iconic drinks menu, which was built around the recipes that Ray learned during his tenure at legendary bars like Don The Beachcomber and the Luau. The number one, must-order? That might have to be Ray’s Mistake, a drink that continues to entice and elude the bars loyal patrons, Berry among them. “When I’m at the Tiki-Ti I always start with a Ray’s Mistake. I’ve been trying to figure out what’s in that drink for over 20 years, and I still can’t figure it out. It almost doesn’t matter—it’s just a delicious drink.”

Mai Tais have been flowing at this historic North Hollywood tiki den since 1958, making it LA’s oldest tiki bar still in operation. Thanks to a recent revamp, the bar is once again shining with its original mid-century tropical charm, and the drinks are fresh and bright to boot.

Tiki cultureis anAmerican-originated art,music, andentertainmentmovement inspired byPolynesian,Melanesian, andMicronesiancultures. Inspired byOceanian art, influential cultures to Tiki culture theCaribbean Islands, andHawaii. The name comes fromTiki, theMāoriname for the first human, often represented in the form ofhei-tiki, a pendant and importanttaonga. The hei-tiki was often appropriated by Europeans as a commercialized good luck charm, hence the name of Tiki culture.Despite spanning over 10,000 miles and including many different unrelated cultures, religions, and languages, Tiki aesthetic is considered by some to be amalgamated into one "fantasia of trans-Pacificcultures" and "colonial nostalgia".Because of this, and the simplistic view of the Pacific taken by the aesthetic, Tiki culture has often proved controversial.

Tiki culture initially extended to decoratethemed bars and restaurants, catering to Americans' views of the South Pacific. Featuring Tiki carvings and complex, alluringly named alcoholic drinks,it eventually influenced residential recreation. It became one of the primary ways, although indirectly, thatNew Zealand cultureinfluenced that of the United States. Beginning in California in the 1930s and then spreading around the world, Tiki culture was inspired by the sentimental appeal of an idealized South Pacific, particularly Polynesia, as viewed through the experiences of tourists and Hollywood movies, incorporating beautiful scenery, forofferden love, and the potential for danger.Over time, it selectively incorporated more cultural elements (and imagined aspects) of other regions such asSoutheast Asia.While the decor and ambiance at these establishments largely draws fromPolynesianinfluences, the cocktails are inspired by the tropical drinks and ingredients of theCaribbean.

Tiki culture changed over time, influenced by World War II and the firsthand exposure hundreds of thousands of American servicemen gained during that conflict. In time its appeal wore off, and both the culture and the hospitality industry theme saw a decline. The early decades of the 21st century have seen a renaissance of interest in Tiki culture, including a limited commercial revival. In addition, it has attracted people interested in cocktails, history,urban archeology, andretroism.However, theappropriationof indigenous Pacific cultures has become increasingly challenged as culturally insensitive or racist.

Tikiis thefirst humaninMāori mythology, and also a wooden image of him.

The word "tiki" was used to describe the style of the tropical islands of the South Pacific starting in the late 1930s, a usage that is "unknown to the languages of the Pacific".It was applied early on to "tiki punch", "tiki rooms", "tiki torches", and so on. By the 1950s, restaurants often used the word to describe Polynesian-themed bars "tiki bars" and "tiki rooms".

The term "tiki culture" only appears in the 1990s, to describe the revival of the style.

In 1936, a restaurant owner fromOakland,California, Victor Bergeron, ate at theDon the Beachcomberrestaurant. Bergeron said: "We went to a place called the South Seas...and even visited Don the Beachcomber in Hollywood. In fact, I even bought some stuff from Don the Beachcomber. When I got back to Oakland, I told my wife what I had seen, we agreed to change the name of our restaurant and our décor." The renamed restaurant, as well as his new nickname, becameTrader Vic's. Bergeron adopted the new persona in a manner to imitate Beach's theatrics and further perpetuate the illusions of Hollywood, telling people that the leg he had lost totuberculosishad been the result of being attacked by ashark.

Other restaurants such asClifton's Cafeteriaalso had begun introducing grand decorations based on non-traditional and "kitschy" themes.Clifton's was heavily remodeled in 1939 to become Clifton's South Seas. The exterior and interior were decorated with 12 waterfalls, volcanic rock, and tropical foliage.It supposedly even featured a "sherbet-gushing volcano".

The décor of both the inside and the outside of the restaurants was often painstakingly created with decorations from around the world.Joseph StephenCrane, the owner of the latter, The Luau restaurant, began his menu with a list of the places of origin of his building materials. It included not just Hawaii but virtually all areas ofOceania, as well as furniture fromHong Kongand "man eating clam shells" from theIndian Ocean.

Early tiki restaurants, although not called that at the time, attempted to walk a fine line between the reality and myth of what they were creating, acknowledging that much of it was Hollywood hocus-pocus but also trying to create an atmosphere of authenticity. Crane's later restaurant menus stated: "You have just passed the gangplank into another world – into a segment of Paradise – or such is the illusion we of THE LUAU hope to create. And truly it is more than an illusion for there is authenticity in the adventure you are about to experience... Both food and drink are prepared under the matchless guidance of the one and only Dr. Foo Fong... Our drink specialties, Island Symphonies of rare and distinguished rums, irresistibly claim your fullest respect which is best shown by drinking slowly and reverently".

South Seas genremovies leading up to this period includedWhite Shadows in the South Seas(1928),The Love Trader(1928), andBird ofParadise(1932). Beach frequently interacted with movie stars, inviting them to his home for luau-like dinners and becoming friends with actors such asClark Gable.

Hei Tikiwas released in 1935, with aNew York Timesreview describing the plot as being about "a chieftain's daughter who is declared tabu and destined to be the bride of the war god". It attributed the title to mean "love charm", in reference toHei-tikipendants sometimes associated with fertility.Waikiki Wedding, starringBing CrosbyandMartha Raye, was released in 1937 with the popular song "Blue Hawaii", as wasHer Jungle Lovein 1938, starringDorothy Lamour.

During a time when overseas civilianChina Clipperair travel was still uncommon, theHawaiian Steamship Company's Matson Linealso continued its aggressive advertising campaigns promoting a leisurely but still exotic island lifestyle, led by famous photographers such asEdward SteichenandAnton Bruehland featuring actresses such asJinx Falkenburg(later inSweetheart of the FleetandTahiti Nights). Matson commissioned artists to design memorable keepsake menus for the voyages.

Between the Matson Line's advertising, new restaurants and continual cinematic exposure, the theme began to take on a life of its own. California'sWorld's Fairin 1939 – theGolden Gate International Exposition– celebrated for the first timePolynesian culturein the United States. The feature of the fair was "Pageant of the Pacific", primarily showcasing the goods of nations bordering the Pacific Ocean. At its opening ceremonies President Franklin Roosevelt spoke of friendship and the co-mingled destinies between the United States and Pacific countries, a sentiment physically symbolized in part with the incorporation of a giant, 80-foot statue ofPacifica, goddess of the Pacific Ocean.World War IIwould greatly test those ambitions.

When American servicemen returned home after the end ofWorld War IIin 1945, they brought with them stories and souvenirs from their time in the South Pacific that helped to reinforce the popularity of what Hollywood had set the stage for Donn Beach to create.Beach was himself a WWII veteran, and he had invented the Three Dots & A Dash cocktail, which isMorse codefor "V" (for victory). Women wore "victory roll" hairstyles and people were in the mood to celebrate.

The excitement surroundingThor Heyerdahl's 1947Kon-Tikiexpedition, followed bythe bookin 1948 anda moviein 1950, helped promote tropical exploration. Importantly within the context of tiki culture, it successfully injected the word "tiki" into the popular American lexicon on a large scale (Hawaiians had not used the word "tiki", but rather "ki‘i"). Heyerdahl's work also expanded the theme's mythology to include the west coast of South America in what became an ever-increasing mix of cultural motifs, both real and imagined.Easter Island statues(moai) also became iconic with the publication of his bookAku-Aku.

Steven Crane of The Luau restaurant took advantage of the public's fascination with Heyerdahl and further followed in the footsteps of Beach and Bergeron by building a chain of tiki restaurants in partnership with Sheraton Hotels calledKon-Tiki Ports. Crane is generally credited with also bringing tiki to the forefront of decorations at such restaurants and bars, prominently placing their image on his menu covers, matchbooks, entry ways, and other signage.Southern Pacific themes continued to stray more into the even further imagined realm of the mysterious "tiki".

James Michenerwon the 1948Pulitzer Prizefor his collection of short stories,Tales of the South Pacific, which in turn was the basis forSouth Pacific, the 1949 musical byRodgers and Hammersteinthat included the song "Bali Ha'i" about a mystical tropical island. The Bali Hai restaurant opened a few years later on San Diego'sShelter Island, introducing its faux-tiki mascot and signature cocktail, theMr. Bali Hai.

In addition to the returning World War II veterans, several other factors contributed to the mid-century American explosion in tiki culture. Post-war America saw the rise of the middle class as an economic force. This coupled with ever-increasing affordability of travel, particularly newly established civilian air travel to Hawaii (which had been halted during the war), helped to propel the nation's disposable income into all things tropical.Just as the Matson Line had done with their boats, the airlines aggressively marketed flights to consumers.

Donn Beach moved to Hawaii, where he later lived on a houseboat and was a driving force behind the 1956 creation of theInternational Market Placein Waikiki.He opened a Don the Beachcomber there, along with the Dagger Bar and created a treehouse office in the top of a giantbanyantree that oversaw a complex of multiple thatch-roofed buildings and huts that sold a variety of goods from around the tropical world. Other tiki bars opened in Hawaii as well, staffed at first by native bartenders who didn't know what the alleged Hawaiian drinks were that the American tourists were asking for.Hawaiian bartenderHarry Yeecreated the iconicBlue Hawaiicocktail in 1957. Ultimately, Beach and his ex-wife had at least25 restaurantsin the Beachcomber chain. Bergeron and his Trader Vic's had even more, beginning with his first franchise in Seattle (the Outrigger) in 1949 and going on to have locations all over the world. Steven Crane's franchise also expanded, and "mom and pop" tiki bars flourished in the 1950s well into the 1960s across the country in various forms of shapes and sizes.

Over the 1950s, Polynesian design began to infuse many aspects of the country's visual aesthetic, from home accessories to architecture.The Trader Vic's inPalo Altoeventually even spawned architectural choices, such as the concept behind the odd-looking Tiki Inn Motel,which still exists as the Stanford Terrace Inn.Single family homes, apartment complexes, bowling alleys and other business were heavily influenced by assumed Polynesian aesthetics, in some cases incorporating the motif into entire residential areas and shopping districts.Much of it was accomplished by purchasing material from the company Oceanic Arts, which opened in 1956 by both importing materials and doing original wood carvings in California.

In 1963,Disneylandopened theWalt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Roomattraction, feature Polynesian-style decor, fashion, and music. In 1971, a similar attraction was opened inWalt Disney Worldas well as ahotel resortof the same theme.

If Tiki culture began as a restaurant theme made to look like aHollywood set, alcoholic drinks dressed up in elaborate barware are its cornerstones and main actors.Just as the Don the Beachcomber restaurant is largely credited as being the first "tiki bar" from which all other such establishments "liberally borrowed", Beach himself is also credited as having almost single-handedly created the entire "tiki drink" genre.He was the first restaurateur to focus an entire drink menu on the mixing of flavored syrups and fresh fruit juices withrum, which he called "Rhum Rhapsodies" and were served in fancy glasses, hollowed out pineapples, and drilled coconuts. A social extrovert good at gaining attention, Beach's early success was noted by tiki historianJeff Berry, who said that "Donn was good with names, good with drinks, and good with drink names".

These "exotic" drinks, such as his first, theSumatra Kula, quickly made Beach's restaurant the hot spot for the elite and movie stars from the 1940s well into the 1960s.Howard Hugheswas a regular at the Hollywood Don the Beachcomber, as wereCharlie ChaplinandFrank Sinatra.Over time many restaurateurs had begun to copy, and in some cases steal, Beach's cocktail recipes and template for immersive island decorations coupled with "newly discovered" Southeast Asian/Polynesian food (rumaki,crab rangoon, etc.). Many eventually created their own signature drink and food dishes, but Beach remains regarded as the originator and is credited for having invented many of the most memorable drinks such as theCobra's Fang, Pearl Diver, Pi Yi, Shark's Tooth,Test Pilot, andZombie.Many drink names were meant to sound as having a foreign origin or beingtongue incheekdangerous.

Bergeron was viewed as a Beach contemporary with his founding ofTrader Vic's, and although Bergeron had started by copying the "tiki template" that Beach had created he eventually provided significant additions to the tiki canon. He also ultimately had longer staying power than Beach and over time created nearly as many additional cocktails. He is especially known for creating theFog Cuttercocktail andScorpion bowl, as well as the quintessentialMai Tai. Many were strong drinks and noted on menus as having a "limit of two" per person.

A protracted feud between Beach and Bergeron erupted when both claimed to have invented the Mai Tai, which Beach said was a knock-off of hisQ.B.Cooler.Bergeron eventually won the exclusive rights to distribute a commercial Mai Tai mix for people to use at home.

Some drinks served at tiki bars include co-opting previous cocktails with exotic sounding names or foreign backstories, such as the Bloody Nelson,Blow My Skull,Boomerang,Corpse Reviver,Diki-Diki,Doctor Funk,Planter's Punch, andSingapore Sling. New inventions by Beach, Bergeron, and others included theCoffee Grog,Navy Grog, Lapu Lapu, Outrigger,Pago Pago, Rum Barrel, Shrunken Head, and Tropical Itch.While many were created expressly as "tiki drinks" (although such a term was not used at the time), others were simply new World War II era cocktails made overseas that could quickly be assimilated into the formula, such as the case with theSuffering Bastard.

Beach was very secretive with his drink recipe ingredients, with only a select few of his bartenders knowing them. Some drinks Beach would only make himself, and he frequently placed alcohol into generic bottles labeled with only letters or numbers or premixed "secret" ingredients in a similar fashion so that employees only needed to "mix X, Y, & Z with lime juice" to make a certain drink.

Bergeron was less secretive with his ingredients over time, releasing two drink guides that carried his recipes, one in 1947 and the other in 1972. Despite this, many original cocktail recipes were lost to time, either because the recipes themselves were altered to reflect changing tastes (or restaurant budgets), or simply because memories faded and people died.The disagreement between Beach and Bergeron over who created the Mai Tai was not an isolated incident, and who "invented" what drink and when was frequently obscured by establishments that served cocktails with the same name but in sometimes remarkably different manners.

Tiki drinks, as they are generically called, are typically heavily garnished, with ample fruit, swizzle sticks,cocktail umbrellas, or flowers. Establishments that were part of or influenced by tiki culture also eventually served at least some of their cocktails in decorative ceramic mugs, which came to be known in the 1950s astiki mugsbecause the barware started to bear the shape of a tiki or "faux tiki" approximation. Styles and sizes vary widely, and are generically referred to as tiki mugs even if they are in the shape of a skull, hula girl, or other motif. The cocktails may also be served in hollowed out pineapples, or in large communal drink bowls with long straws that are meant to be shared. Some are set on fire with overproof rum for additional theatrics and flair.

Many restaurants offer a signature drink in a tiki mug that the customer is able to take home or purchase. Both Beach and Bergeron offered in-restaurant "stores" where people could buy not only mugs but drink mixes and other kitsch items. Some mugs were simply stolen and brought home by diners. This led to a large number of 20th-century tiki mugs surviving as souvenirs. Vintage tiki mugs are highly prized finds and are considered to be as much of a symbol of the tiki culture as a tiki itself.

The so-called burgeoning "tiki culture" influenced the clothing choices of mainstream Americans. This held true for both general wear and over time included how to get "dressed up" for going out to get a few drinks and fitting in with the exotic ambience of tiki restaurants.

Sarong inspired dresses became more popular with women and were also associated with actresses and pin-up models used in tourism advertising such as Dorothy Lamour (known as both the "Sarong Girl" and the "Sarong Queen" from her role in the 1937 filmThe Hurricane).Other movies such as Abbott and Costello'sPardon My Sarong, as well asSong of the SarongandSarong Girlwere later released over the course of the 1940s, and served to self-reinforce the popularity of Beach's and Bergeron's tropical escape restaurant motifs during this time.

An increasing emphasis on idealized "wahine" (island women) saw their depiction grow from menu cover placement to their use on tiki barware. The Fog Cutter mug and the Kava Bowl were two of the earliest ceramic tiki drinking vessels bearing the images of such women to be used in Trader Vic's restaurants.ThePago Pago Loungealso created a Sarong cocktail.

For men, the"Hawaiian Shirt"would become an enduring symbol of leisure and were increasingly worn in public.US PresidentHarry Trumanwas famously pictured wearing a Hawaiian shirt on the front cover ofLife Magazine's10 December 1951 issue.

Called "aloha shirts" on the island, the bookAloha Attire: Hawaiian Dress in the Twentieth Centurydescribes how the shirt's history is more than Hawaiian and can be traced to a confluence of cultural influences. As explained by author Linda Bradley, the shirt was actually made with a Western-style silhouette originally inspired by Western sailor shirts, was cut from Japanesekabecrepe fabric (originally used forkimono), was sewn by Japanese and Chinese tailors who immigrated to Hawaii as plantation field workers, and was ultimately worn like a Filipinobarong tagalog(always untucked and outside of the pants).

Gardenia,hibiscus, and florals became a more popular fabric pattern in America, as did palm fronds and similar types of tropical plants or animals such as fish and birds. Beyond Polynesia, other more frequently worn patterns includedBatikand fabrics from differing Oceanic regions.Leisbecame worn more frequently outside of Hawaii, not just at Tiki restaurants but also at backyard barbeques and "luau" pool parties.

OfficialHawaiian statehoodin 1959 became another factor in the popularity of the tropical lifestyle, but also changed how tiki culture was perceived. Hawaii was no longer just a foreign country to the American people, in reality or as imagined, but now a formalized part of their country. Tourism continued ever bigger growth, with the years after statehood becoming a "jet rush" for vacationers snapping up $100 tickets for a now only five-hour flight from Los Angeles or San Francisco without the former restrictions of the formerTerritory of Hawaii. With statehood making travel easier than ever, for many average Americans for the first time the myth of what Hawaii was and what it was supposed to be came face to face as a booming economy and urbanization began to change the lifestyle of its countryside.

During America's honeymoon with the romanticized version of its newly incorporated state came the 1959Warner Bros.TelevisionseriesHawaiianEyeand the 1961 musical smash-hitBlue Hawaii, featuring pop crooner Elvis Presley playing an Army veteran returning to Hawaii to surf, sing, and marry his girlfriend. It contained many plot elements similar to 1937'sWaikiki Wedding, and helped to bring a "Polynesian pop" aspect of tiki to a new generation. This addition came as tiki culture music had begun to split into separate subgenres with the additions ofloungeandexoticain the 1950s, which at that point had amended the typical Bing Crosby style of American-Hawaiian music. The popularity of Elvis nevertheless helped to keep broad tiki culture alive, even as adults began to take it into new directions and their children began to meld it into evolving subcultures such assurf.

Traditional Hawaiian melodies, sometimes called "Hula Music" at the time by mainstream Americans, initially became prominent in pianosheetmusicand also created a dancing fad and obsession withHulagirls swaying to the music of strummedukuleles.

Hapa-haoleis the more proper name for what most 20th century Americans would think of as sung Hawaiian music, where the tune, styling, and subject matter have very distinct Hawaiian elements, but the lyrics are mostly in English.It became sung by both Hawaiians and contemporary performers, such as the Bing Crosby vehiclesSweet LeilaniandBlue Hawaiiin 1937.Alfred Apakawas arguably the foremost interpreter of hapa haole music, melding Hawaiian music with traditional American pop arrangements and English lyrics. Apaka began touring in the late 1930s, and settled more into routine shows at performance rooms created just for him in Hawaii in the 1950s.He would also sing at large luaus being put on by Donn Beach.

Other important singers includeHal Aloma, who had changed his name in response to the 1926 filmAloma of the South Seas, and the legendaryDonHowould follow in the 1960s and 1970s. Music changed with the times with easy listening light instrumentation, with Ho releasing his famous song "Tiny Bubbles", which charted on both the pop (#57 Billboard) andeasy listeningcharts in 1967.Ho also helped bring attention toMarlene Sai, who has been described as a living legend of Hawaiian music.

Yma Sumacfirst appeared on radio in 1942. Born inPeru, she was not Polynesian but she quickly became famous because of her diverse vocal range and in 1946 her home government formally supported her claim to be a descendant ofAtahualpa, the last Incan emperor.With enough "exotic" credibility to be packaged as part of tiki culture, especially after Heyerdahl linked tiki to theAndesin 1947, she released albums with names such asVoice of the XtabayandLegend of the Sun Virgin. These featured tiki-like South American stone carvings and exploding volcanoes on their covers. She also went on to play in minor film roles, such asSecret of the Incas.Voice of the Xtabaywas produced and composed byLes Baxter, who had started to experiment withthereminmood music onMusic Out of the Moona few years earlier.

Baxter began to "tikify" this type of mood music. Most lounge and exotica was chiefly instrumental, and largely the integration of exotic escapism into American Jazz. Other early pioneers includedArthur LymanandMartin Denny, who played live at Don the Beachcomber and other venues. The new theme was blended throughjazzstylings augmented with Polynesian, Southeast Asian, and Latin instruments. The music also incorporated elements ofAfro-Cuban rhythms, unusual instrumentations, environmental sounds, and the lush romantic themes of Hollywood.

Sandra Warnerwas showcased on the album cover forExotica, helping it to reach no.1 on the Billboard charts and eventually giving the entire genre its name.She appeared on the first 12 Martin Denny album covers, 16 overall, and became a lasting iconic association with both the genre and tiki culture.Other important albums in the genre included Jewels of the Sea,Ritual of the Savage, andForofferden Island, matched with similarly evocative covers.

There are two primary strains of this kind of exotica:jungle exoticaandtiki exotica. Jungle exotica was a Hollywood creation, with its roots inTarzanmovies (and further back toWilliam Henry Hudson's novelGreen Mansions). Les Baxter was the king of jungle exotica. Tiki exotica on the other hand was introduced in Martin Denny's Waikiki nightclub jungle noises arrangement in Baxter's song "Quiet Village".

Robert DrasninandKorla Panditwere other important artists in the genre.Just as Bergeron and others in tiki culture had done before him, Pandit invented a new persona (he was born John Roland Redd) by claiming to be a French-Indian musician from New Delhi when he was in fact born in the United States and would be considered by some to be African-American.

The TV detective showHawaiian Eye(1959–1963) prominently featured a tiki during its credits,and although shot mostly in California it helped to promote the island while spinning off tiki motific comic books and games.Harry Yeeis generally attributed with inventing a Hawaiian Eye cocktail named after the show.AHawaiian Eyetiki mug was made as well.

Hawaiian politician turned actor Tiki Santos (born Abraham De Los Santos) was a recurring minor role character onHawaiian Eyeand went on to make appearances in other shows such as the sitcomMcHale's Navy(1962–1966).He played the role of Chief Watara in episodes such as "The Dart Gun Wedding", sitting in a large wicker "throne" behind a large tiki mask.

As the first tiki wave started to crest towards the end of the 1960s, the original air of mystery and exoticism associated with the tiki motif by Americans began to be replaced by more humorous "curse of the tiki" plot devices assitcomsgained prominence on television.The visual iconography of TV seriesGilligan's Island(1964–1967) borrowed significantly from an assumed tiki culture with huts and furniture resembling a fantasy-Polynesian castaway village. An episode had the cast disturbing the resting place of a vengeful tiki god, and attempting to break the curse by invoking "The Great Watubi".A well-known 1972 episode ofThe Brady Bunchentitled "The Tiki Caves" involves a magical, taboo idol which the characters believe to be cursed.

Shows likeI Dream of Jeannie,Green Acres,Sanford and Son, andThe Jeffersonsoften featured special Hawaiian episodes.Tiki carvings sometimes appeared on the shows, including onFantasy Islandbut in increasingly less prominent ways.

The long runningHawaii Five-Oseries hailed back toHawaiian Eye, and was one of a few exception to the sitcoms during this time. The crashing of itsiconic waveduring opening credits ended with its cancellation in 1980, coinciding with the general end of tiki culture's first wave as well.

TheSpongeBob SquarePantsfranchise, created in 1999 by marine biologistStephen Hillenburg, heavily relies on Tiki art, patterns, and music. Tiki-themed elements of the show includeintertitlepaintings; retroHawaiianandhulaproduction music fromAPM; borrowing patterns fromalohaprintsandPolynesian patternsfor backgrounds and skies; and character and background designs which reflectMāori religious influences, such as Squidward's dwelling which resembles areligious Tiki head.Showrunner Stephen Hillenburg referred to Squidward's house as an "Easter Island head" despite the design differences.

Towards the latter part of the 1970s, "tiki restaurants" were well past the apex of their popularity and many started to close.This was true for both many independent tiki bars as well as what had grown into the major chains associated with hotels such as Vic's Outrigger and the Sheraton's Kon-Tiki. The majority of independenttiki barslike thePago Pago Loungewere demolished or shuttered, with only a few such as theTonga Room,Tiki Ti, andMaiKaimanaging to stay afloat. Trader Vic's was the only of the former major chains that was still in large scale operation.

By 1980, most of the tiki aesthetic in architecture and elsewhere had been completely wiped away in the name of progress. Some examples of homes, apartments and restaurant buildings remained, almost exclusively on the west coast. Of those, only a small handful still featured carved tikis.

The allure of escapism and tropical drinks for the average American still remained, but was eclipsed byJimmy BuffettandParrotheadsseeking the closer to home "Margaritaville" instead of tikis further away Bali-Hai islands as their preferredShangri-Lafor relaxing and drinking.

Tiki restaurants and bars had been vital through much of the 1930s into the 1970s, what Jeff Berry called an unprecedented lifespan for a [themed] drink fad.TheChin Tiki, which had been permanently closed in 1980 and falling into disrepair, was finally torn down in Detroit near the turn of the century, just as tiki was beginning to stir once again on America's west coast.

The later 1990s saw the start of a renewed larger scale interest in tiki from a variety of sources, the main being simply based on the curiosity of a new generation whoseWoodstockparents had rejected tiki as old and "square", but for their children was something new to be appropriated and repurposed.This began with people like Bosko Hrnjak, who had been raised in California's San Gabriel valley among its tiki inspired architecture and who in the mid-1990s began to carve large palm logs into tikis for his home bar. He became an influential artist known for his burnt wood carving style and making of homemade tiki mugs, an early catalyst for getting tiki's revival off the ground.Another early artist of the revival period wasTiki Kingfrom the Santa Cruz mountains. He was inspired by his artistic parents and a large tiki given to his family by his surfer uncle. He became known for carving tiki necklaces and starting a mail order tiki business in the early 1990s.

Also towards the end of the century saw a renewed interest in trying to "authentically" recreate older drinks. Jeff "Beachbum" Berry released several drink books starting in 1998 (theGrog Log,Intoxica, and others) that contained researched recipes for many of the signature drinks from the sometimes shuttered bars of previous decades. This was also the beginnings of the "urban archeology" aspects of 21st century tiki culture, based on historical interest and fueled by the "puzzle solving" of trying to discover secrets from the past from a cultural theme that was based in part on the "exploration" of tropical regions.Berry's work is considered to be one of the most important contributions to tiki's renaissance.

Soon after also came the influentialThe Book of Tikiby Sven Kirsten in 2000.Before that, Otto Von Stroheim had been self publishing a 'zinecalledTiki Newsthat helped provide critical mass for books like Kirsten's to be made.Berry created two cocktails named after both Kirsten and Stroheim for their early contributions to tiki's resurgence in his historical drink guides.

In 1995 tiki websites began to grow on the internet; in 1995 Exoticon, a convention of tiki art and exotic music, drew over 1500 people in Los Angeles including local celebrities such asMark MothersbaughandMatt Groening.

Many new tiki bars and retro-Polynesian themed restaurants began to open their doors after the turn of the century.Non-themed bars also started placing tiki drinks on their menus, signaling a broader acceptance of the genre while also engendering discussion over what qualified to be called an "authentic" tiki bar.

Interest in tiki had also proliferated overseas, withThe Book of Tiki'sSven Kirsten hailing from Germany where a tiki subculture is strong.In 2017 noted tiki historians Sven Kirsten, Jeff Berry, Martin Cate, Brian Miller, and Chris Osburn listed their top 15 operating tiki bars in the world, which included four from London, one from Munich, one from Tokyo, and one from Barcelona.

In California and elsewhere, the re-exploration ofrat rodandHot rod culturemelded with tiki, tattoo history, and rockabilly music to create new cultural hybrids such as "lowbrow" that manifested itself in music, art, and a new breed of tiki bars.RockabillyartistBrian Setzerreleased his albumThe DirtyBoogiein 1998, featuring retro tiki bar images on its cover.Taboo: The Art of Tikiwas released in 1999, with artists such asMark RydenandShagalso employing tiki imagery in retro eclectic paintings.

WFMU's on-line channel "Sheena's Jungle Room" plays exotica music as part of its mix of "all things Lowbrow".

Psycho Suzi's Motor Lounge opened featuring motifs of tattooed hula girls sportingsuicide rollsand a parking lot accommodated for motorcycles. It describes itself by saying: "We take lovingly-remembered tiki bar history, a healthy helping of tattoo culture, several measures of kitsch, a dash of voodoo and a passion for good times, stick them all in a blender and hit Liquify".The bar had originally opened in 2003 at a shuttered A&W Drive-In.

The popularity of modern Western tattooing already had its roots in the South Pacific,but aresurgence in tattooingsaw popularity with tiki-related tattoos.Sailor Jerry Rum, named after legendary tattoo artistNorman Collins, was introduced and marketed in part to be used in tiki drinks.

Tiki Art Now!: A Volcanic Eruption of Artwas published in 2004 with an introduction by Otto Von Stroheim. Art galleries held Tiki Art shows, highlighting the works of artists such asSunny Buick, Heather Watts, Derek Yaniger, Flounder, and Tiki Tony.

Lowbrow also spawnedTiki Noir, a literary subgenre of hard-boiled crime fiction in a tiki setting, in which the main character is often a world-weary and deeply flawed detective.Ritual of the Savageby Jay Strongman and the comicHawaiian Dickare two examples.

The rise in popularity for traditional tiki drinks also took hold in thecraft cocktail movement, as well as within certain "retro culture" circles that were associated with it such as withHipsters.Switching tiki drinks back to their original fresh juice origins, which had turned towards more artificial syrups during tiki's decline, helped to give the drinks a new reputation.The craft cocktail movement also saw drink experimentation that moved beyond rum and gin, highlighting tiki cocktails that were made with American whiskey and other different base liquor ingredients.

Duke Carter's catalogue of historical tiki mugs,Tiki Quest, was published in 2003.Goodwill storesand thrift shops saw dusty tiki mugs suddenly whisked off their shelves, becoming stock for new home tiki bars and period-authentic sets forBlast from the PastandMad Men.These bars range from the simple to full-builds which rival their commercial forebears.Modern tiki mug manufacturing in the 21st century also became common and they are frequently purchased on the internet from companies such as Tiki Farm and Munktiki, among others.

The pioneering video podcastTiki Bar TVstarted in 2005, highlighting drink recipes such as the Suffering Bastard and the Boomerang while filling tongue in cheek "prescriptions" for modern day maladies with tiki cocktails. It garnered attention from the Apple Corporation.

Tiki Magazinewas launched, and large tiki-themed conventions began being held.Annual events include Tiki Oasis in San Diego started in 2001 by Otto and Baby Doe von Stroheim;the Hukilau occurs in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and was started in 2002 by Tim "Swanky" Glazner and Christie White in association with the Mai-Kai restaurant. In 2005,Robert Drasninwas invited to perform at The Hukilau, his show consisting of selections from his 1959 albumVoodoo, as well as new material that would form the basis for the release ofVoodoo IIalmost a half century later in 2007.;Tiki-Kon started as the NW Tiki Crawl in 2003, and takes place in Portland, Oregon.Tiki Calientein Palm Springs.The Ohana: Luau at the Lake takes place in Lake George, NY at the Tiki Resort hotel. It is put on in conjunction with TheFraternal Order of Moai, a tiki-themed social club formed in Ohio in 2005.Inhueleis hosted in Atlanta, GA every January. The same organizers also produce an Atlanta tiki home-bar crawl.

A remake ofThor Heyerdahl's 1950 documentary was filmed using two languages and turned into a major motion picture in 2012 with the release ofKon-Tiki.The documentaryBosko and the Rebirth of Tikiwas released in 2018.

With the 21st century revival has come criticism. Some criticize tiki bars as a seductive form ofcultural appropriationwhich can obscure and subsume native traditions and divert attention from the history of violentcolonialismin the region.In 2016,National Public Radioposed the question:Let's talk tiki bars, harmless fun or exploitation?

Marvel Skottie Young Big Marvel Variants (2024) | Marvel Comics | COVER SELECT

$49.88

POSTCARD Weird Creepy Vintage Vibe Dog People Unreal Halloween Unusual 👻 V

$6.29

POSTCARD Weird Creepy Vintage Look Vibe Kids Masks Halloween Cult Unusual Family

$6.29

POSTCARD Weird Creepy Kids Family Old Fashion Vibe Masks Halloween Cult Unusual

$6.29

POSTCARD Krampus Evil Santa Christmas Weird Festive Scary Unusual Creepy XMAS

$6.29

POSTCARD Weird Creepy Vibe Horned Masks Halloween Unusual Strange Cult Family

$6.29

POSTCARD Weird Creepy Vintage Masks Halloween Cult Unusual Family House

$6.29

👻 POSTCARD Weird Creepy Vintage Vibe Kids Masks Halloween Cult Unusual Family

$6.29