Post #538261 by woofmutt on Tue, Jun 22, 2010 2:10 PM

I'm surprised a major corporation made the connection and used it in their copy since it's unlikely the majority of Sears customers have any idea what the phrase "artistic bohemian lifestyle" would be referencing. (I myself have no idea what "designer resin" is.)

While Polynesian Pop is general associated with the squares from a previous era part of the appeal back then was a vague tropical free wheeling fantasy often associated with a bohemian beachcomber lifestyle. Flowery shirts, unkempt hair and beard, straw hats, and an untended easel or typewriter.

And of course plenty of mid century and earlier artists of every discipline...The true "bohemians"...Found inspiration in Polynesian culture.

Ironically the bohos (a term from Tom Wolfe) in the 80s got into Polynesian Pop because it was amusing in its mid century white middle class cartooning of Polynesian cultures. (It was also cheap and fairly easy to find.)

All the artist types I knew back then seemed to have a bit of Tiki here or there not as objects to inspire beach combing daydreams but as humorous artifacts from the days of the Patiohemians (a term I just made up). Some of us then took the joke a little too far and here we are today.

And this is just a humorous citation of the bohemian Poly Pop connection: In the earl 90s my friend Gael owned the New Bohemian coffee house in Anacortes, Washington. She mostly served espresso drinks in standard coffee cups but if you were someone she really liked you might get your latte in one of a few Tiki mugs she kept around.

But not all bohemians like Polynesian pop. You can read here what Gael's then husband J___, a very talented painter, did to the Tiki mugs when there were moving.