Post #10006 by PolynesianPop on Sat, Oct 5, 2002 12:59 AM

Martin,
I happen to collect Senor Pico mugs. I have the Honi Honi style mug as well as a ceramic cup with the same graphics as the Honi Honi but without the protruding base. Oceanic Arts has quite a few things from Senor Pico's for sale. Oddly enough, they don't sell very well. Some of the really cool stuff they have (like the large ceramic face bowl with grill top - sorta like a hollowed out pumpkin) have sat on their shelves for months. I have a feeling that nobody really knows they are a Trader Vic's restaurant.

I believe Senor Pico's was only open in the United States for something like 2-3 years with only two locations. The restaurant failed miserably here although they are still in business in other countries. I would think that with such a short life span in the US their items are less common and as such, more collectible (from a rarity standpoint). Of course, if nobody wants the stuff, then nobody will preserve it - which makes it even harder to find!

BTW - Mama Gruber's Fishouse was another TV failure. They had a drink called The Potwasher with a special mug depicting an old lady (Mama Gruber) carrying a frying pan. When this restaurant closed, the drink was moved to the Senor Pico menu. I don't know if its still served in the Senor Pico restaurants overseas but Oceanic Arts had a whole case full of these mugs.

Here are some images of the mugs:

The Senor Pico ceramic cup. The Honi Honi mug has the same image but in color.

Mama Gruber in all her splendid glory.