What is the most popular Tiki mug of all time? - General Tiki

A aquarj Tiki Socialite SF bay area, CA Joined: Apr 02, 2002 Posts: 1125	A aquarj Posted posted on Tue, Mar 2, 2010 12:28 PM It does kinda feel like we've covered this territory before - maybe a little different, like "what's your holy grail?" But it's still fun to think about for a minute, so why not... For me, definitely Tiki Bob. It's an icon, it's very popular without being dime-a-dozen, it's at least somewhat tiki (definitely more than a severed head), and uh, my wife and I just like it. A lot of other iconic mugs have similar qualifications, like the Mainlander or Mr. Bali Hai. I think the Mainlander is a beautiful design, with a strong and unique identity, and it's very well-known. But in some indescribable way, Tiki Bob seems just a little more like a king compared to these other members of the royal court. To me, the black Harvey's Sneaky Tiki is an interesting one. It's so common, but I think it's actually quite beautiful (especially if it still has all the cold paint), and I really like the abstracted tiki design. But even if most people have it, it's probably not the most popular in terms of WANTING to own. Who knows - if it was as rare as the Bumatay Islander, it might be more sought after though. I still don't understand the appeal of the severed head mug. When I was new to tiki mugs, if I saw one of those on a thrift store shelf, I'd pass right by (not that I ever saw one though). Now that the years have brought lots more knowledge from books and communities, plus a little more firsthand knowledge, I STILL wouldn't want that mug. I understand how it connects with the world of poly-pop, and the fact that it's a rarity, but for me there is nothing about it that appeals visually in the same way that tiki imagery does. I think there are actually a lot of people who don't like the severed head, so it's hard to see how that could be the most popular. But people have different reasons for collecting things, and maybe some people react more negatively to Tiki Bob than the severed head mug. Aside from the fact that they'd be WRONG (just kidding), that's why it'd be hard to ever reach a consensus. But it's still fun to see opinions. -Randy [ Edited by: aquarj 2010-03-02 12:31 ]

It does kinda feel like we've covered this territory before - maybe a little different, like "what's your holy grail?" But it's still fun to think about for a minute, so why not...

For me, definitely Tiki Bob. It's an icon, it's very popular without being dime-a-dozen, it's at least somewhat tiki (definitely more than a severed head), and uh, my wife and I just like it.

A lot of other iconic mugs have similar qualifications, like the Mainlander or Mr. Bali Hai. I think the Mainlander is a beautiful design, with a strong and unique identity, and it's very well-known. But in some indescribable way, Tiki Bob seems just a little more like a king compared to these other members of the royal court.

To me, the black Harvey's Sneaky Tiki is an interesting one. It's so common, but I think it's actually quite beautiful (especially if it still has all the cold paint), and I really like the abstracted tiki design. But even if most people have it, it's probably not the most popular in terms of WANTING to own. Who knows - if it was as rare as the Bumatay Islander, it might be more sought after though.

I still don't understand the appeal of the severed head mug. When I was new to tiki mugs, if I saw one of those on a thrift store shelf, I'd pass right by (not that I ever saw one though). Now that the years have brought lots more knowledge from books and communities, plus a little more firsthand knowledge, I STILL wouldn't want that mug. I understand how it connects with the world of poly-pop, and the fact that it's a rarity, but for me there is nothing about it that appeals visually in the same way that tiki imagery does. I think there are actually a lot of people who don't like the severed head, so it's hard to see how that could be the most popular. But people have different reasons for collecting things, and maybe some people react more negatively to Tiki Bob than the severed head mug. Aside from the fact that they'd be WRONG (just kidding), that's why it'd be hard to ever reach a consensus. But it's still fun to see opinions.

-Randy

[ Edited by: aquarj 2010-03-02 12:31 ]

Post #514552 by aquarj on Tue, Mar 2, 2010 12:28 PM