Pearl City Tavern Monkey Mug

I picked this up at a thrift shop yesterday for a buck! On eBay right now there is a listing for one. Here is a partial description: "...The Pearl City Tavern opened in 1939. It had the popular "MONKEY BAR"...which was home to a group of live monkeys. The bar was frequented by servicemen. Locally known as PCT, the bar closed in 1993, and the building was later demolished..."

Was it a "tiki bar"??? It would be cool to see any pictures of the place.

It wasn’t a tiki bar I was there in the late 80‘s, if I remember right it had a lot of plants inside of it and even a separate room that led to a small garden with a Japanese theme to it (Think bonsai and a very organized bordering on anal garden). The main attraction to the joint was a plexiglass shield behind the bar was that housed about 20 monkeys and a few banana themed drinks. Say what you want but kicking back a few drinks and starring at these simians was my idea of a good time, but I quickly learned not to sit at the bar, and found a nearby booth more to my liking as I didn’t enjoy the odor of a zoo while nursing a cocktail.

Thanks for the story! It reminds me of going to the zoo "back in the day" and staring at the monkeys....After a while they start resembling friends and/or acquaintances! Back to the PCT...I'll bet it was pretty cantankerous back in the 40's!

Nice one; that's a favorite of mine. Is the glaze black/gray or brown? I have one that's more on the brown side. Also, curious if yours has any markings on the bottom; mine doesn't and I'm curious as to who the manufacturer was.

I did a search and found some info about Pearl City Tavern HERE.

LOL & B.B. Thanks for the info! It definitely makes me appreciate this little bugger more! And this is the lighter colored one...I notice the ears are not white like the darker ones. There are no marks on the bottom and it has a very good glaze on it. Almost new!

A Google image search gave me this - Pearl City Tavern.

Boris!!! Good find! You get a "WooooHoooooo!" :wink:

THANK YOU! :wink:

I've also seen a variation of this mug with eyelashes, giving the monkey a more feminine look. I don't know if the eyelashes were original to the mug or painted on afterwards by some owner.

For me, it looks a little too cutsie with eyelashes!

Looks like these mugs came in different styles and glazes. Here's some past posts on the Pearl City Tavern and its monkey mug.
Hawaii PCT Monkey Mug
Show me your mugs... (has a pic of the fem version about 1/2 way down the page)
Tiki Finds