Tiki Archeology - The Shield Sign - General Tiki

STCB Sabu The Coconut Boy Tiki Socialite Carson, California Joined: Aug 20, 2002 Posts: 2813	STCB Sabu The Coconut Boy Posted posted on Sun, Feb 5, 2006 11:37 PM Bigbro and I have mentioned this architectural artifact on enough other threads that I think it needs to be discussed in a topic of its own. It looks like there was a company back in the 1960s that manufactured a lighted tiki sign with shields and gas-fed torches that was quite popular with several establishments. Here are the ones I've come across: The Leilani in Wisconsin :down: The Islander in Los Angeles :down: Some had four shields, and some like the Kon Tiki in Tucson, AZ had three. Here's a vintage rendering of the Kon Tiki sign, next to a photo of the actual sign today :down: :up: It looks like the tiki head on top of the sign may have been changed at some time. The artist-rendering leads me to believe that it once looked like the Leilani or the Islander. Here's another puzzle. The second location of the Kon Tiki chain, the one in Phoenix, had this sign :down: The upper tiki mask on this sign matches pretty close the mask on the previous three signs. Could it have been made by the same company? If so, it would be an evolutionary jump from the simpler model. Or did the owners of the Kon Tiki chain have someone else create the sign for Phoenix, based on the one in Tucson? For that matter, which location came first, Tucson or Phoenix? I'm hoping my Arizona specialists can help me out. Finally, there were signs with the same shield and torch arrangement, but with different tiki masks at the top. I still think they were made by the same company, mainly because they have that cross design on the shields. Decide for yourself. Here is the Tahiti in Wildwood, NJ :down: ...And the Trade Winds in Spokane, WA :down: There were other places that used shield shapes in their signs, but I don't know if I'd attribute them to the same company. The Kapu Kai in Cucamonga, CA, for example :down: Does anyone have any insights or information as to who manufactured these signs? Do any of these signs still exist, besides the Kon Tiki in Tucson? Does anyone know of any other tiki restaurants or hotels using this sign that I haven't listed yet. There had to be more. For instance, did the Coral Reef in Sacramento, CA use the same sign? Their logo has the exact same tiki face as the Islander and Kon Tiki Tucson signs. Compare the eyes, the lips, and the lines on the forehead :down: If I found 5 or 6 in just my postcard collection, I'm betting that there were more of these great signs out there at one time. They have a fond place in my heart. Driving up La Cienega Blvd with my parents Sunday nights, on the way to church, we would pass the Islander with that sign illuminated, torches flaring wildly. It was mysterious and exotic and a powerful image for a young boy. It stayed with me years later and influenced my choice to delve back into tiki culture. Sabu [ Edited by: Sabu The Coconut Boy 2006-02-06 00:24 ]

Bigbro and I have mentioned this architectural artifact on enough other threads that I think it needs to be discussed in a topic of its own. It looks like there was a company back in the 1960s that manufactured a lighted tiki sign with shields and gas-fed torches that was quite popular with several establishments. Here are the ones I've come across:

The Leilani in Wisconsin :down:

The Islander in Los Angeles :down:

Some had four shields, and some like the Kon Tiki in Tucson, AZ had three.
Here's a vintage rendering of the Kon Tiki sign, next to a photo of the actual sign today :down:

:up: It looks like the tiki head on top of the sign may have been changed at some time. The artist-rendering leads me to believe that it once looked like the Leilani or the Islander.

Here's another puzzle. The second location of the Kon Tiki chain, the one in Phoenix, had this sign :down:

The upper tiki mask on this sign matches pretty close the mask on the previous three signs. Could it have been made by the same company? If so, it would be an evolutionary jump from the simpler model. Or did the owners of the Kon Tiki chain have someone else create the sign for Phoenix, based on the one in Tucson? For that matter, which location came first, Tucson or Phoenix? I'm hoping my Arizona specialists can help me out.

Finally, there were signs with the same shield and torch arrangement, but with different tiki masks at the top. I still think they were made by the same company, mainly because they have that cross design on the shields. Decide for yourself. Here is the Tahiti in Wildwood, NJ :down:

...And the Trade Winds in Spokane, WA :down:

There were other places that used shield shapes in their signs, but I don't know if I'd attribute them to the same company. The Kapu Kai in Cucamonga, CA, for example :down:

Does anyone have any insights or information as to who manufactured these signs?

Do any of these signs still exist, besides the Kon Tiki in Tucson?

Does anyone know of any other tiki restaurants or hotels using this sign that I haven't listed yet. There had to be more. For instance, did the Coral Reef in Sacramento, CA use the same sign? Their logo has the exact same tiki face as the Islander and Kon Tiki Tucson signs. Compare the eyes, the lips, and the lines on the forehead :down:

If I found 5 or 6 in just my postcard collection, I'm betting that there were more of these great signs out there at one time. They have a fond place in my heart. Driving up La Cienega Blvd with my parents Sunday nights, on the way to church, we would pass the Islander with that sign illuminated, torches flaring wildly. It was mysterious and exotic and a powerful image for a young boy. It stayed with me years later and influenced my choice to delve back into tiki culture.

Sabu

[ Edited by: Sabu The Coconut Boy 2006-02-06 00:24 ]

Post #212901 by Sabu The Coconut Boy on Sun, Feb 5, 2006 11:37 PM