Are we the last generation of Tiki?

I have a 10 year old son and a 7 year old daughter. Both of them think all my tiki stuff is cool. It doesn't hurt that they've been to the Enchanted Tiki Room at Disney World many times. So they've been prep'ed. Will they carry it on after me? Too soon to tell. But there is hope. At the very least, they will have an appreciation for it even if they don't end up being tiki fanatics like dear ol' dad.

Great stories Bongo,
That made me feel good to read, especially the kids part.

Jeff(bigtikidude)

On 2006-03-03 07:49, bongofury wrote:
When we sold our house last year, the young couple had seen it with the tiki bar intact. At the walk through it had been stripped of everything except the matting, bamboo, and seagrass matting. I was half expecting them to ask if we could restore the room back to it's original condition because they wanted to use it as an office, but instead they asked to keep it as is. I gave them the names and websites of where we got our decor. A few months later Holden called to thank me for sending them his way as they bought a bunch of stuff from him and Oceanic Arts.
I also heard that it is not an office, that he had put in a bar.

A few weeks ago some teachers were walking a class of 7-8 year old kids around our block as I was watering out front. The teacher said "looks like he is re-doing his yard" to which two of the children said "it looks like Hawaii!!!" I think there is hope.

See what I mean. We are just leftover caricatures of the REAL tiki generation if there ever was one. Tiki is a cartoon. We are not the last generation because REAL tiki is dead. If you want to live tiki, you live in a hut and hunt wild game and....grow your own and smoke your own....and drink kava and walk around with a loin cloth....in your hand...well, like the natives in New Guinea dammit. blah, blah, blah. THAT'S what I'm talkin' about. Where's Cousin Clem? Get real, get REAL TIKI dammit.

I'm telling you, it's contagious, especially when you give others a chance to play, Tiki is hands on!

(Yeah, ok, I'm cheating, he's been to Kahiki, he already had the madness, and the aloha shirt!)

It was really fun seeing someone who had previously done some bar tending professionally try some of the grog log recipes and serve them in proper bowl/barrel/mugware for the first time, the results were happiness inducing-

And as for it all being contagious, doubly so with those who happen to be the 'smaller' among us-

Naturally, the hats and leis are souvenirs, as are plastic blowfish sippy cups and other Tiki treasures, 'cause going to a Tiki bar always meant coming home with little trinkety tropical treasures.

What surprised me though, was the relatively useless IKEA balls of vines that usually make for 'if you're gentle' footrests, that became instant Tiki fun for the under 10 crowd over New Year's, who'd have thunk? Relatives rolled them around and around all over the Lounge of the Seven Pleasures (under careful adult supervision to ensure Mug safety!), all of which resulted in uncontrollable giggling fits!

There was also some riding on daddy's shoulders so a certain young lady could play with the thatch hanging from the ceiling. After the inevitable 'what's thatch?' question, the next question was the obvious- 'Daddy, why don't we have thatch at our house?'.

No worries. The kids are alright.

[ Edited by: Sabina 2006-03-03 21:09 ]

On 2006-03-02 22:52, tikigap wrote:
No! I think not!

As a perfect example, if I may: Check out PockyTiki - he's a younger guy and enthusiastic! as Monty Python said, "He's not dead yet!"

---

[ Edited by: tikigap 2006-03-03 08:37 ]

thankyou Gap for including me in your message! And to answer the question, No you are deffinately not the last generation of tiki, it MAY get smaller as the years progress, but i'm 18 and i've been bitten by the tropical Tiki termite

Until the entire world is a tropical paradise, new people will be drawn to the mystical ways of tiki. My first encounter was the Kahiki, I was probably 25. I continued to frequent the Kahiki & research what tiki is all about. I had my birthday dinner at the Kahiki on August 25, 2000, and found the tiki news flyers. I had no idea other people gave a rat's ass about the Kahiki and had no idea there was an entire subculture dedicated to tiki.! There are many, many, more like me who are disgusted with the modern world as we know it & regress to escape it. Tiki will always be a viable alternative to the "real" world. My 2 year old son loves his "tiki cup" and prefers his juice served from it. He associates tiki with daddy ... I think that is VERY cool.

[ Edited by: Hotrod Hut 2006-03-03 23:21 ]

HAH ! HAH ! HAH! LOL! That's a good shot! Ha Ha - I can't stop laughing! Ha ha!

Oh man.... !!! Ha ha ha !!!

And hey Pocky! Good to have you around! I'm a newbie, but I'm old!

[ Edited by: tikigap 2006-03-03 23:59 ]

How are we defining who the current tiki generation is?

I ask because neither the Space Kadet or myself from WAITIKI were around back in the 60s, in the heyday of tiki & exotica. Come to think of it, neither was Mr. Ho, Mistress Helenini, Guam Kane, Tupu, The Mayor, the WAITIKI Wahine, or any of the WAITIKI Village Elders. We all came into this game pretty recently, but we're doing our part to keep the tiki culture (& music, especially) alive... And I'd argue that though we may be removed from the first-hand experience of seeing the birth of exotica, we're all pretty close to it on a personal level (i.e. Spacey playing with Martin Denny/Don Tiki; me growing up watching Arthur Lyman; most of us original WAITIKI clan being from the center of the tiki-universe [Hawaii, Guam & Arizona] ... ). Long story short, I say the tiki baby boom is yet to come!

Have some faith in us, alright?

OKONKULUKU!

No, it might simmer down more, but it will never die! Even if it is just us nerds hangin together to a piece of balsa driftwood in the ocean of information that is the internet. Yes, I think the trekkie nerd comparison is accurate at a certain level.

This topic has missed a glaring tiki source of inspiration - the art of SHAG! He's not my favourite artist, but he is extremely popular in the broader community (not just tiki nuts). One can only assume some kids are gonna see his work and be inspired by it. Hes big.

I also plan on writing an article (to post on TC) about the sociological underpinnings that help to make tiki appealing. These are universal to many people. The big one is the romanticism of a far away land. Be it relaxtion on pristine beaches or the danger of a jungle filled with savages that worship heathen tiki gods. Hell, even a home bar can be a romanticised version of the tiki temples of the "good old days". What do people think?

Hey sabina, Those are not balls of vines. They are hanging lights just waiting to happen! Dose ikea still have those?

As long as everyone continues to be welcoming and patient to those new to tiki, there will be many generations to come.

[ Edited by: caerthe 2006-03-10 18:04 ]

It doesn't matter as I have it from good authorty that the world will end on October 28, 1992. WooHoo!

Funny you should mention!

Yeah exactly, their original intent was hanging lights- that's how they came home in the first place. Thing is, our ceiling is lower than I had initially thought :(

So for the moment, they're in a holding pattern until we get the ceiling problem figured out- for the moment, it's WHITE and NOT TIKI, however, it is possible that this will be the year we fix that. (Please, oh pretty, pretty please! For the love of Tiki, de-white my ceiling!) As that project comes along we'll see if we can 'hanging ball light' them perhaps in a corner over a table or something such that guests wouldn't be bumping their heads all the time. I'm actually kinda looking foreward to tackling the trickines of how I'd use them as lights- perhaps with just a simple colored bulb inside, then agian, perhaps we line them with burlap or rice paper (tapa would get overwhelmed by the vine-y-ness, I think.)

I got them about 2 1/2 years back, and haven't checked recently to see if IKEA still carries them, but then, I'm overdue for a basic IKEA run- as spring comes, their 'garden' department sometimes has bamboo fencing and other rattan goodies- keep an eye out!

..lot's of good input here....keep in mind that tiki is an attitude, not a thing. Though it can be symbolized in a variety of forms, it is never any particular one of these and forever remains a frame of mind and as such will endure.....because of the laid back nature of this tiki attitude or perspective, it can never be truly co-opted or destroyed, simply on the basis that those things stand in direct opposition to what the tiki attitude is all about. it's like the term yuppies....yuppies do not exist as an entity in and of themselves,. by definition, I would be considered a yuppie if you are going by a dictionary translation of the term. Rather, to say someone is a yuppie is to comment on a certain type of attitude that that person conveys in their actions. The same can be said of a tikiphile....it's not nessessarily a stereotype but a statement about that persons attitude and all it conveys....tiki spirit touches something in all of us and as such, will continue to effect others......if all trace of tiki were wiped away for 20 years, and suddenly was rediscovered by people, I believe the fascination and connection would still be there....the artists and creative people would stumble upon it first.....tiki is interesting as it is attractive....we understand the visceral and sensual aspects of tiki, but there is a primal connection just under the surface which we do not have a handle on, let alone, control over......it is this, I believe, that is the unconsious source of the draw towards tiki....this may explain why mainstream folks may not "get" the visersal and sensual aspects but still somehow relate at least to the tiki world in general on some level in terms of going to the tiki bars/restaurants, buying party decor for luaus, etc.

I dunno...maybe i'm just drunk......sigh

oh yeah, this thread is now dead since I posted in it.....(see Pockitiki's thread if you haven't already)

This is a great thread! I'm fairly new to TC - 6 months and going stronger than ever. I grew up in Costa Mesa for the most part, from 1969 to 1981, when I moved to Santa Barbara. I have fond memories of Kona Lanes, where I learned to bowl (haha, I still suck at that), homes built with a Polynesian flare, apartment buildings styled ala Polynesia as well. I didn't appreciate them then for the icons that they would become, and I missed out because of that - but hey, I was a kid then, y'know? OH! And of course, the Enchanted Tiki Room - one of my absolute favorite places at Disneyland (right up there with Pirates of the Caribbean and the Haunted Mansion).
Now I've become deeply entrenched in tikiness, and my 13 year old daughter is following in my footsteps. She can't wait for us to move into our new house, which has the perfect back yard to tikify (it's well on it's way because the present owner has done much of the framework to make it so), as well as the perfect kitchen cabinets to display my 50 something mugs!
IMHO, all cultures evolve as time goes by. Tiki is no exception. We have embraced the culture and made it our own, adding our own personal vibe to it over time, each interpreting it in ways that enhance it and make it our own experience. Our kids will probably do the same - keeping the torches lit - albeit with alternative fuels, :) . As they come up, they will draw in their friends, much the way some of us were drawn in by our family and friends - and this is very cool!
The whole nature of tiki - relaxation, friendliness, fun, and some degree of quirkiness make what we do attractive to the younger folks, and all we need to do is keep mentoring the 'youngsters' like Pocky ... and Tiki will survive and flourish. Maybe not the way we 'oldsters' currently envision it, but with their own, unique flavor.
...Just my $.02 worth...

amiotiki

Okay, I'm encouraged by the good vibrations. If Tiki and Aloha helps connect us back to mother earth, that's a good thing. Cheers! :drink:

Well I just turned 25 and I am totally in love with Tiki. I told my bf that when we get married he has to let me get a house with a basement for a tiki room. I showed him some member pics to show him what I was thinking of....

He said that would be fine, so I will be spreading the tiki to my future kids as well!!

This is my first post. Aloha from a Goddess who was Tiki when Tiki was running rampant in SoCal in the 50's and 60's. Should have realized something was up when my favorite attraction at Disneyland was the Enchanted Tiki Room and everyone else in the family was headed for the Matterhorn. Livin' the dream today, livin' on Kauai. Three summers ago, to entertain my then 12 year old niece, I outlined a six foot tall tiki on the carport wall and we painted it in. Added a few chairs, bought a tiki bar that some long gone Tikiphiles built in the '70s and bam...neighbors started wandering in like zombies looking for a place to feed.
The rest is history. Pretty soon, Tiki took over, as Tiki will do, things spiraled out of my control. 50's style puupuu platters were showing up, The Drink of the Day concoctions did, too. Everyone started trying to out do each other. I sat back and let it roll. If you build it, they will come. We have the first official "Tiki Port" in our neighborhood.
At 57 I'm feeling like I'm finally home. As if I've been wandering around in a daze since the fifties and now I'm back. For a while Tiki became a complete obsession (as Tiki will.) The ebay therapy sessions and a cut back in pay have helped curtail it somewhat, but heck, there's always room for more Tiki.
Are we the last of our generation? Heck no. My young niece can't wait to be me!

Nice post, goddess.

Goddess:

I too am new here, I also grew up around Tiki for entertainment, my family had lots of parties with the Tiki traditions, and I grew up in Michigan.....My wife and I have just put in a new pool and re-modeled the back of the house to give it a tropical feel, with a Tiki Bar as the main theme....Not pure Tiki, but we're adding to it.

I really enjoy this site and your post caught my eye, so from one newbie to another welcome and enjoy.....

Each generation of American youth grow up plagued by the suspicion that the best times have already come and gone, convinced that they've missed out on...well..."something". It's a phenomenon evidenced by the periodic resurrection from bygone decades of vintage arts, beliefs and social behaviors. There will always be young people searching the past for what their present lacks. Many will find Tiki and move on but a handful will linger and call it home, and Tiki will survive.

?

Funny this post was over ten years ago!

Many from this old post do not post anymore.

[ Edited by: tikiskip 2017-10-19 03:26 ]

On 2017-10-19 03:25, tikiskip wrote:
Funny this post was over ten years ago!

Many from this old post do not post anymore.

So can we safely assume the answer to this question is "no"? :)

I was thinking the same thing, Skip. More than a decade, that's a long time for cultural trends. A few names I recognize, being a relative newcomer to these boards. What's more curious are the folks who posted just a few times then vanished. I suppose it's like a new relationship--there's a rush of passion early on, but as the novelty wears off the interest wanes. :wink:

I've gotten busier, and I've increased my involvement as a contributor to a cocktail blog. But this whole tiki thing has continued to grow around us. I don't think it will ever become a national #1 trend, but it has staying power because of how enjoyable it is. Does it get much better than chilling and sharing top-notch drinks with friends who also like faux-Polynesian food? And then there's the whloe world of music. There's more to tiki than there ever was with pogs or Beanie Babies or Cabbage Patch Kids or with today's fidget spinners.

We tiki fans have made a helluva dent in pop culture! It's more than just a shallow fad. I think this is going to continue to be around for many decades because so many of us like it and won't forget it in our lifetimes.

We have a theory that us diehards will continue to use TC as long as there is internet, and in time we'll revive every necrothread on the system

And when that's done we'll go back and do it again!

We do miss a lot of the old posters, especially from the early days when we just lurked. (Tiki-Kate, we know you can hear us -- this one's for you.)

As for the original question, one thing we can say is this may be the last generation to enjoy the few 'classic' Tiki establishments that are still left.

[ Edited by: mike and marie 2017-10-19 12:19 ]

mike and marie, you reminded me that tiki of today is not necessarily tiki of tomorrow. What we see today may continue to evolve, or even devolve.

So as soon as I wrote that sentence I realized that this is already true to some extent where today we have "monster tiki," "surf tiki," "hot-rod tiki," "rockabilly tiki," "clown tiki," and any number of other blends and incarnations. Isn't there some Star Wars or "space" tiki too?

Here's to the future! Or, maybe not...

Just say "NO" to Hello Kitty tiki.

On 2017-10-19 10:09, AceExplorer wrote:
There's more to tiki than there ever was with pogs or Beanie Babies or Cabbage Patch Kids or with today's fidget spinners.

I work with kids as an educator and you may be happy to know that, as a child duly informed me, nobody does fidget spinners anymore :wink:

On 2017-10-19 13:09, EnchantedTikiGoth wrote:
...nobody does fidget spinners anymore :wink:

Wow, that was fast! There are probably still many containers of fidget spinners on their way over from China with few or no people to buy them.

By the way, I found that Hello Kitty Tiki and Space Tiki DOES EXIST! See pics below. There are lots of interesting and fun pics on the web. I'm guessing that you can pretty much type any " + Tiki" into Google and get a hit. I tried "naked jello tiki" and got results, lol...

On 2017-10-19 13:21, AceExplorer wrote:
By the way, I found that Hello Kitty Tiki and Space Tiki DOES EXIST! See pics below. There are lots of interesting and fun pics on the web. I'm guessing that you can pretty much type any " + Tiki" into Google and get a hit. I tried "naked jello tiki" and got results, lol...

To be fair, Tiki and Atomic Age retro-space imagery does work together since they originated around the same time :) That was my thought with the Geeki Tikis too... Some of them are just cashing in (Star Wars, Marvel), but some of them do work because the source material is close enough (original Star Trek, Universal Monsters). I'm not a fan of the new batch of Hollywood Godzilla movies, but I am kinda' looking forward to when the next ones come out, because it's pretty much a guarantee that they'll make Godzilla, Mothra, and King Kong Geeki Tiki mugs. I've got a yen for the original Toho films right now, half of which seem to be taking place, in part, on South Pacific islands.

On 2017-10-20 07:44, EnchantedTikiGoth wrote:
To be fair, Tiki and Atomic Age retro-space imagery does work together since they originated around the same time :) That was my thought with the Geeki Tikis too... Some of them are just cashing in (Star Wars, Marvel), but some of them do work because the source material is close enough (original Star Trek, Universal Monsters). I'm not a fan of the new batch of Hollywood Godzilla movies, but I am kinda' looking forward to when the next ones come out, because it's pretty much a guarantee that they'll make Godzilla, Mothra, and King Kong Geeki Tiki mugs. I've got a yen for the original Toho films right now, half of which seem to be taking place, in part, on South Pacific islands.

Great points, I think these are part of the "evolution of tiki" whether we like it or not.

I do struggle with "purist" thoughts at times, driven partly by tiki having originally aspiring to be escapism through imagery from far-away tropical places. On top of that, just because two things existed at the same time period, doesn't make me comfortable mixing the two. While Star Trek was around at the time of tiki, I would personally not mix them. However, tiki as a style became a fun medium for Star Trek fans to honor and enjoy their subject matter. But I try hard not to criticize it since I think I understand how and why that comes to happen. But every once in a while I see something that initially makes me squint my eyes and cock my head and do a double-take. I try to always walk away by comprehending how the tiki style / genre is actually being honored in these situations. But sometimes it takes a bit of effort to do so, and I'm guessing it's because of how strong my feelings are about the original roots and intentions of tiki.

We'll have to see how things develop over the next ten years. But I think tiki is a pretty solid element in our world regardless of which country you live in.

How many of you looked up "naked jello tiki" after I mentioned it in an earlier post? Admit it! :)

Yes, until we all die off and our collections reseed the thrift stores and garage sales for a new generation to discover :D

On 2017-10-20 08:44, AceExplorer wrote:
I do struggle with "purist" thoughts at times, driven partly by tiki having originally aspiring to be escapism through imagery from far-away tropical places. On top of that, just because two things existed at the same time period, doesn't make me comfortable mixing the two.

Maybe I should have been more precise. I didn't mean so much that they just happened to happen at the same time, but that they occupy a sort of contiguous cultural milieu. Tiki, Atomic Age Sci-Fi, Monster Kitsch, Spy-Fi, Lounge culture, Rockabilly, Pin-Ups... a lot of that stuff kind of blurs into the edges of each other. I wouldn't consider original Star Trek or, say, The Jetsons to be Tiki, of course, clearly, but both Atomic/Space Age Sci-Fi and futurism were responding to the same mid-century cultural drives as Tiki and resonate with a lot of the same people. It's not uncommon to see aliens, monsters and exotic locales merging in those old drive-in b-movies. There isn't a huge distance between Googie and Poly-Pop architecture at its core. Monster Kitsch in the mid-century was itself a chimera that blended into everything else popular at the time. The first "Tiki party" I ever held was a Halloween one where I showed Mad Monster Party :)

Of course, it's easy for me to say all that, because I got into Tiki through Disney and I'm a big fan of "Fantasy Tiki" that includes mermaids, sea monsters, pirates (alive and not-exactly alive), Jules Verne, and stuff like that. Nevertheless, it is important to keep a purist heart at the centre of it too. The edges blur, but there needs to be a central reference point for what Tiki even is.

"Yes, until we all die off and our collections reseed the thrift stores and garage sales for a new generation to discover :D"

Ok I was bored and bumpin, that went well.
Not my thread, in fact MM is gone from TC.

This one up top got me thinkin how the stuff that was fetching high dollar at the time of this threads birth are not always the ones the newer? tiki folks are after, think "steve" mug.
Weird the way that went.

But also thought how I used to be into other things and not so much now, like Skateboarding, Punk music, Photography.

These things have not "gone away" but they are all much different than they were when I was into them.

All of them more mainstream back then kind of.
Not many if any Punk bars, Skateboarding is still a thing but seams not as big maybe just cuz I'm too old to skate.

And photography is a thing but very different.

The hype or buzz is gone or at least faded.

I fear the new tiki "scene" won't be enough to maintain places like the Mai Kai and other tiki places.

Don't think anything can be done about it really.

Just wonder if that Buzz or hype will ever come back.

[ Edited by: tikiskip 2017-10-20 17:18 ]

We can always hope that our kids (or grandkids), having grown up with parents (or grandparents) who were into tiki, will someday long for that nostalgia and it will suck them in... even if they think it is "lame" now.

Sorta like how I used to laugh at my grandfather's taste in music, but now enjoy it. Shame I couldn't have reached that level of musical appreciation maturity when he was still alive. I'd bet he would have been into my tiki room, too.

I had this thought in the shower yesterday (where I do my BEST thinking) and I'm glad to see that my unfounded fears were discussed here over 10 years ago. I think we'll be fine, as long as we keep introducing it to new people.

We have parties every six months, and make a point to invite new and random people, and introduce them to this "new" world. People get bitten by the tiki bug very easily... so let's keep converting as best we can.

On 2017-10-24 13:52, Paulynesian wrote:
...I think we'll be fine, as long as we keep introducing it to new people.

We have parties every six months, and make a point to invite new and random people, and introduce them to this "new" world. People get bitten by the tiki bug very easily... so let's keep converting as best we can.

It happens surprisingly easy! I have some friends who go to Walt Disney World fairly regularly, and I sent them on a mission to get me the Nautilus from Grog Grotto... They could have cared less about Tiki before, but in sending them there, I introduced them to it and they went rogue! I didn't get the Nautilus until about two of their trips later, when they got all the mugs THEY wanted! >_<

I think tiki in some form will remain. it will blend in even more with the retro/rockabilly look, and that is popular with the 20+ crowds now. as long a sven stays in there for the next 60-70 yrs to keep them in the right info, I think they will be fine.

I see tiki and rockabilly as two different looks, but they are both retro. I think that statement is generally accepted. So im not sure there could be blending per se, but coexistence side by side.

Rockabilly and “pinup” are blended it seems. Just thinking out loud here whilst sipping some rum...

On 2017-11-02 14:57, ka'lenatiki wrote:
I think tiki in some form will remain. it will blend in even more with the retro/rockabilly look, and that is popular with the 20+ crowds now. as long a sven stays in there for the next 60-70 yrs to keep them in the right info, I think they will be fine.

i agree wholeheartedly with this - it seems it's been taken in and under the kustom kulture umbrella - especially with the 20-30 age group