Post #479262 by bigbrotiki on Mon, Aug 24, 2009 11:06 PM

Never seen the slit in the mouth, that one looks rather recent too.
I could write a whole chapter on the cannibals, but I am still on a shoot and don't have the time. There are four basic styles in carving:

1.) The original Don The Beachcomber style:

2.) The Steve Crane Luau and Kon Tiki style:

3.) The Tahitian tourist Tiki style (seen at O.A.):

4.) The "Asian eyes mistake" Bora Bora post style:

The last ones grew out of the sloppy rendering done of Don's Tikis done on the original Don the Beachcomber menu, which failed to recognize the Marquesan "wrap around eyes":

... a mistake which was perpetuated by the Luau:

The Mai Kai artist did more justice to the Don style cannibals:

But the graphic history of the cannibals is another story. Back to the CARVINGS:
The original Don cannibals were his only pet Tikis, he had them in his back bar in Hollywood..

in his home in Encino:

...and used them as POSTS in his bars in Chicago:

...and Waikiki:

Darn....sorry, gotta go to work, -to be continued