Post #30440 by bigbrotiki on Tue, Apr 15, 2003 8:12 PM

A very very good question...I could never answer it. What seems likely is that Trader Vic was the first who decorated a cocktail container with Tikis, with his Tiki Bowl, in the 40s. This concept was obviously based on old Hawaiian chief's drinking bowls that had Tikis as supporting figures (BOT p.93).

But WHO was the first to come up with the (logical) next step, to make Tikis into cocktail containers?

It is interesting that none of the "Big Three", Don, Vic and Steve, had Tiki Mugs on their menu:

Don The Beachcomber never had them.

Trader Vic was very late with his "Suffering Bastard/Mai Tai" mug, and it was never used for serving in the restaurants.

Stephen Crane's Luau had the S&P shakers, but did not serve in the Florian Gabriel mugs until his Kon-Tikis opened.

Was Tiki Bob the first..?

And WHEN? I would guess not earlier than the mid-to-late 50s, when the Tiki became the figurehead of Polynesian pop.