Mai Kai - Tiki Archeology

QUOTE "I just wish I'd gotten there a little sooner and found a chunk of it's head. All that was left when I found it was pieces of the back which were non-descript and this arm, which is more butt than tummy actually."

SWANKY ,
Do you remember when I made a comment on how bad of shape that Tiki,and others in the garden were in? and I was was pretty much told I didn't know what I was talking about,by you? and others.
Back in '04.

"Pets are welcome,Children 'MUST' be on leash" TD

[ Edited by: TIKI DAVID 2009-09-15 14:20 ]

On 2009-09-15 14:16, TIKI DAVID wrote:
QUOTE "I just wish I'd gotten there a little sooner and found a chunk of it's head. All that was left when I found it was pieces of the back which were non-descript and this arm, which is more butt than tummy actually."

SWANKY ,
Do you remember when I made a comment on how bad of shape that Tiki,and others in the garden were in? and I was was pretty much told I didn't know what I was talking about,by you? and others.
Back in '04.

This thread
No one said they weren't rotting and being eaten by termites. What was said was they were in fact actively caring for them, as they are now.

Unfortunately for this tiki, no one ever got on a ladder to see what was going on at the top of his head. I think it acted like a big bucket that funneled water into it for years. I also think it is a bad decision to concrete the feet. That seems like a way to lock in moisture and cause more rot. Air flow and drying is key to keeping an outdoor wood carving intact for a long(er) time.

But, it stood for about 50 years. That's pretty good considering. I just wish someone was still making and selling pieces this large so a replacement of the same magnitude could be had.

On 2009-09-16 09:36, Swanky wrote:
I just wish someone was still making and selling pieces this large so a replacement of the same magnitude could be had.

Well, if someone is willing to send a huge redwood log out this way, I know some guys who are quite capable of carving a worthy replacement!

On 2009-09-16 09:36, Swanky wrote:
I just wish someone was still making and selling pieces this large so a replacement of the same magnitude could be had.

I wish someone would give/transport a log that size(does not have to be Red Wood - Live Oak comes to mind), please contact me I have the perfect place to put it!!!

[ Edited by: AlohaStation 2009-09-17 12:21 ]

On 2009-07-07 15:29, GatorRob wrote:
Here is another picture of the tiki now in the gardens when it was indoors in the Surfboard Bar:

Big mahalo to Bob and LeRoy for sending me this next image from the ARTS OF THE SOUTH SEAS book (Museum of Modern Art, Simon and Schuster, 1946). If the Mai-Kai tiki is a mid-century interpretation of a genuine Papua New Guinea carving, this may very well be the image it was derived from:

I just got this postcard rendering from the Mai Kai that shows the Tiki out front.

Here is a close, looks just like teh one sent over by Bob and Leroy.

DC

Yeah, I love that rendering. BOT p. 136. Good find on that statue, DC, it really looks like it was copied straight from that book by the artist! That book really was the bible of Tiki designers back then.

I wanted conclude the story that began this thread, but I hope to continue with more archeology projects in the near future. The original story of the tiki encased in Rubber has come to an conclusion. Will managed to take the rubber that was removed from the tiki and complete the molding process. He had to build a rigid case for the rubber to set in. He had some trouble but eventually figured it out. He started creating his "Army" of tikis. They looked like soldiers sitting in his yard.

Will has recieved some flack about the paint jobs on previous casts so he decided to keep the colors and paint simple. These are the finished product. They have been placed in several locations throughout the Mai Kai. So next time your their take pictures and post them up - in situ.

On 2009-10-09 15:58, Dustycajun wrote:

Wow, if there is a heaven, it looks like this photograph. I wonder if there is still an original version of this rendering around. It would make an amazing art print. I'd buy one in a heartbeat.

On 2009-10-15 09:16, AlohaStation wrote:

Nice work! I need some of those for my yard.

I saw this on my Flickr contact Agility Nut's photostream and thought you all would enjoy it too! I did a quick check to see if anyone else had posted this but didn't see it. Enjoy!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/agilitynut/4083762759/in/set-72157622631929975/
you can click on the link for a close up!

Woaaah!!

8-foot hands holding a 24 foot bowl!!! :o

That's one hell of a Mystery Bowl!!! :)

Thanks for posting.

Cheers and Mahalo,
Jeff

That has to be one of the coolest billboards I've ever seen! I can only imagine how much this must have cost the Mai-Kai. Must have looked spectacular at night with the colored floods. I suspect it stood somewhere along U.S. 1, but since it doesn't have an address on it, maybe it stood just to the side of the Mai-Kai in what were back then vacant, sandy lots.

Nice rendering on a vintage frig magnet given to me as a gift from my sister.

Here are some photos I took on my last trip to Mai Kai:

1969 photo showing the carving in the calendar drawing that we have been confusing with the piece from the Surf Bar and now in the gardens.

The little hut you see right by the street was lost in the 2005 hurricanes.

And notice the roofline.... the thatching does not cover the entire roof. The part closest to the street is not covered. That allowed the inside gardens to be what was effectively a giant terrarium. It was a lush (miniature) tropical rain forrest.

And, if any of you carvers are looking for inspiration, here is another shot of that Tiki that stood guard over the driveway.

Also, check out the fernwood tiki right behind him.

On 2010-05-22 09:18, Swanky wrote:
1969 photo showing the carving in the calendar drawing that we have been confusing with the piece from the Surf Bar and now in the gardens.

I didn't realize there was any confusion over that. Yes, they are (well, were) two separate carvings. The one that was outside was much different.

Just to clarify the Mai Kai photos from the archives posted by DustyCajun, that's Bob(owner)Thornton playing football with Linda(who did the mystery girl thing), Cathy( who also sometimes did the mystery girl thing, but without the upper attributes) and Pam.
The knife dancer is Taafili with Heitapu in the backround.
Dancers are Tuai, Mireille(Bob's wife) and Kainoa.
Last picture is Toti, Mireille, Heitapu and Lundy Nelson(show leader and MC)beside the toere.

My wife and I are headed to Molokai bar Tuesday to have a Barrel of Rum.
Okole Maluna

[ Edited by: nibblegribitz 2010-06-06 12:06 ]

[ Edited by: nibblegribitz 2010-06-09 09:28 ]

The maiden in the gardens(on this page)is Linda Perdue.

On 2009-03-10 11:24, Dustycajun wrote:
Awesome restoration! Great Job.

Here are a few more Mai Kai photos from the archives.

DC

Just to clarify the Mai Kai photos from the archives posted by DustyCajun, that's Bob(owner)Thornton playing football with Linda(who did the mystery girl thing), Cathy( who also sometimes did the mystery girl thing, but without the upper attributes) and Pam.
The knife dancer is Taafili with Heitapu in the backround.
Dancers are Tuai, Mireille(Bob's wife) and Kainoa.
Last picture is Toti, Mireille, Heitapu and Lundy Nelson(show leader and MC)beside the toere.

Nibblegribitz

On 2009-03-10 11:24, Dustycajun wrote:
Awesome restoration! Great Job.

Here are a few more Mai Kai photos from the archives.

DC

Just to clarify the Mai Kai photos from the archives posted by DustyCajun, that's Bob(owner)Thornton playing football with Linda(who did the mystery girl thing), Cathy( who also sometimes did the mystery girl thing, but without the upper attributes) and Pam.
The knife dancer is Taafili with Heitapu in the backround.
Dancers are Tuai, Mireille(Bob's wife) and Kainoa.
Last picture is Toti, Mireille, Heitapu and Lundy Nelson(show leader and MC)beside the toere.

Nibblegribitz

I just got a new menu off Ebay and emailing with the seller it turns out they are in TN, but were in FL from 63-77 and visited the Mai-Kai regularly. They are looking through photo albums for pics and the first ones are from 1984 when they were down visiting relatives:

Good to see Barney in better days...

From a visit this past weekend

[ Edited by: tikifred 2010-11-09 19:46 ]

On 2010-11-09 19:44, tikifred wrote:
From a visit this past weekend
[ Edited by: tikifred 2010-11-09 19:46 ]

These types of posts should go in the Mai-Kai thread.

http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=10334&forum=2

I did a little Mai Kai matchbook archeology.

Here is an early version with a simple rendering on the cover. Looks like a typo on Hiway.

The three cannibals.

And the back of the matchbook with a simple explanation of "Mai Kai".

The next version has a much more detailed rendering with the sign and the covered hut area.

The cannibals.

The back of the matchbook now advertises Cantonese Cuisine and Tropical Drinks. The drink of the house is the Derby Daiquiri.

(pic from Swanky on Ooga Mooga)

The last matchbook I have has the same front as above, and the back now includes Tahitian Shows and the house specialty is the Mystery Bowl.

(Ooga Mooga pic)

DC

You know, with this one all blown up big like that, it strikes me that this drawing cleaned up plus the text would make for a really nice framed wall hanging.

On 2011-02-03 18:18, Dustycajun wrote:

Rob,
"it strikes you"
Don't forget to close cover be for striking.

On 2011-02-04 15:52, GatorRob wrote:
You know, with this one all blown up big like that, it strikes me that this drawing cleaned up plus the text would make for a really nice framed wall hanging.

Here you go Rob. All cleaned up.

or this. Sorry about the derail.

"Anyone who has ever seen them is thereafter haunted as if by a feverish dream" Karl Woermann

[ Edited by: uncle trav 2011-02-05 08:03 ]

Nice! Okay then, where's the ready-to-frame print? :wink:

I took the cleaned-up digital scan of the Mai Kai matchbook cover that Trav posted to the local CVS Pharmacy do-it-yourself photo center and got a perfect 5x7 print suitable for framing...

Here is a bit of computer archeology about both the Mystery Bowl and the Mystery Girl. First is a small mention of the Mystery Bowl in a newspaper piece from 1959.

Here a mention of Myna Weber being picked as the new Mystery Girl from 1958.

A description of the ceremony surrounding the "Surprise Drink" from 1958. This obviously has to be the Mystery Bowl. Good stuff.

Excellent, I love it when Tiki ceramics get dates found for them! So WHERE is that Esquire article that shows that "whimsical" collage of their mascot "Esky" with the Mai Kai bowl!? :)

There were 2 articles on the Mai-Kai in 1959 in Esquire. I posted the Derby Daiquiri HERE and just got the other one mentioned in this posting and will add it soon.

The November 1959 Esquire article about the Mai-Kai

I'm soooo excited to have the opportunity to make it back to Mecca...er, um...The Mai-Kai next week!!!!
Coincidentally, here are a few recent "in the wild" finds.
Has anyone ever seen the wooden swizzle with the 3 cannibals on it?? (I love that it's fruit-stained towards the tip!)

On 2011-06-03 11:21, JONPAUL wrote:
I'm soooo excited to have the opportunity to make it back to Mecca...er, um...The Mai-Kai next week!!!!
Coincidentally, here are a few recent "in the wild" finds.
Has anyone ever seen the wooden swizzle with the 3 cannibals on it?? (I love that it's fruit-stained towards the tip!)

Nope. Not seen that pick and not seen that Derby Daiquiri coaster. I need to pay more attention as I have seen that one and thought it was the blue one I already had!

On 2011-06-03 11:21, JONPAUL wrote:
Has anyone ever seen the wooden swizzle with the 3 cannibals on it?? (I love that it's fruit-stained towards the tip!)

There is some debate at the Mai Kai on that being a swizzle/garnish pick....

Someone in the kitchen said it was a Steak/Meat Marker used to mark special orders. If that's the case, it wouldn't be fruit stained it would be meat stained. :)

Marker... Garnish pick... Either way its still cool as hell and I wish I had a couple of them.

On 2011-06-06 13:36, Chip and Andy wrote:

On 2011-06-03 11:21, JONPAUL wrote:
Has anyone ever seen the wooden swizzle with the 3 cannibals on it?? (I love that it's fruit-stained towards the tip!)

There is some debate at the Mai Kai on that being a swizzle/garnish pick....

Someone in the kitchen said it was a Steak/Meat Marker used to mark special orders. If that's the case, it wouldn't be fruit stained it would be meat stained. :)

That's debatable too....after all, Tiki/Polynesian cuisine always came heavily garnished too,sometimes with maraschino cherries and pineapple. :)

It was nice to go to the Mai Kai on Sunday. Rarely do you get an opportunity to walk through the restaurant with the lights on and doors open. They set up a nice display on the stage which gave me some personal satisfaction. I heard someone ask if they had prints of the painting and couldn't help but feel that was a fantastic idea. That place truly is a treasure.

I grabbed a postcard from the Mai Kai featuring the Derby Daiquiri and the Don Q rum bottle.

The back of the card provides the recipe and cites the $100,000 Florida derby and the 1959 Esquire Magazine article.

Swanky,

I don't remember seeing this one before. Does it count as a "new" Mai Kai postcard?

DC

I don't recall if I've seen that postcard specifically, but a lot of similar magazine ads. The Derby Daiquiri and it's recipe got a lot of press.

Gator Rob,

As I'm sure you know, Swanky has collected images from all of the Mai Kai postcards on his Swankpad blog.

http://www.swankpad.org/postcards/maikai.htm

I'm thinking this one belongs on that list too.

As for the Derby Daiquiri, it was so popular that they made a frozen canned version to mix at home as seen in this ad!

DC

[ Edited by: Dustycajun 2011-10-09 10:53 ]

I've seen this card, but to me it is a Don Q card that mentions the Mai-Kai and not really a Mai-Kai card.

It does also show the clear version of the glass which they also used at the Mai-Kai along with the more widely known amber one.

The Mai-Kai and Rums of Puerto Rico (including Bacardi) have been very closely tied for a long time.

I found some old Mai Kai ads from the early 1960s that featured a series of artist renderings.

The Islanders

Esky from the Esquire magazine article.

The Samoan Room.

Kings Chair.

DC

A 1978 article from the Mai Kai featuring mixologist Mariano Licudine.

He came over from the Don the Beachcomber in Chicago and started at the Mai Kai since opening day in 1956.

Swanky, do you know who long he stayed at the Mai Kai?

DC

On 2012-01-23 11:58, Dustycajun wrote:

Swanky, do you know who long he stayed at the Mai Kai?

DC

1980?

http://beachbumberry.com/2009/01/08/2008-the-year-in-rum/

" The last of the palatial Polynesian supper clubs, the Mai-Kai is a faux-Polynesian wonderland, perfectly preserved since its opening day in 1956. From that day to 1980, the head bartender was a rum connoisseur named Mariano Licudine."

When it comes to the history and bios of mid-century Tiki mixologists, Jeff Berry's works really have it covered. But of course, when it comes to the Mai Kai, Swanky is the one who is digging even deeper.

He died soon after retiring. The old timers tell me the drinks went downhill fast after he left. I take that with a grain of salt. There is bias there when you grow up with Mariano in the back and you know the Thorton's well. I have Mariano's hand written recipes for a few drinks and make them and what I get at the Mai-Kai is as good or better than I make. If they took shortcuts, it would show.