eBay...How Is This TIKI??? Oh PULEEEZZZ!!!

I couldn't help but to ask the Eternal Question, How In The Hell Is This TIKI? I'm looking for answers. Can any of you TC'ers help with this?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3245190446&category=35713&rd=1

Don't you know about the Wild West Tiki tribe? ...
I'm excited to know that all I have to do to beef up my tiki collection is wait around for The Calgary Stampede next Summer! Yee Haw!

seems as long as it is ceramic and figural, its tiki these days. ive got some old flower pots, er ah, tikis for sale.

What are you talking about? They may not look tiki to the untrained eye, but those are rare Steve Crane mugs, designed in 1953. Buy them before EdgeofTexas does!!!

Actually, I gotta say: Those are Nugget Prospector mugs, made for a specialty drink sold at the Sparks Nugget a long time ago. Same place that has Trader Dick's.

And...those mugs are made by OMC!

So there's your tiki. Sorta.

[ Edited by: martiki6 on 2003-10-03 08:17 ]

and I'll point out that Al of Alnshely very proudly pointed his out to me when he pointed out his coolest mugs in his tiki mug collection. So without being tiki, they are very much tiki collectables, believe it or not!

Could they be cosidered "Pre-Tiki"?
Being as how they were made for the same reason - To hold a specialty drink... And they are from the the old Nugget casino which it has been pointed out, then became the home of Trader Dicks.
I agree that they are not "tiki" in the sense that they are actual tikis, but I would also think that they do deserve a spot in any reputable collection of mid-century ceramic drinking vessles. Show the little man some respect.
Aloha,
:tiki:

i won't say that the prospector mugs arent great ceramic mugs, but i would not describe them as a tiki, unless the definition for tiki mug is a ceramic drinking vessel that is figural. many of vegas' casinos had or still have ceramic figural mugs for their cocktails, but have no connection to a islander, polynesian, eastern, or nautical theme. not that they arent cool mugs, but mugs being the operative word. stephen crane and OMC probably did a number of non-polynesian designs, but their involvement doesnt automaticaly make it a tiki.
not to jump on anyones back, i just think that its funny what is listed as a tiki mug sometimes. for example, ive seen ceramic cowboy boot "tiki" mugs. but the great thing in the end is that you can collect whatcha want, names aside.

To me: "anti-Tiki". sorry...

em

maybe not "anti-tiki", but perhaps "parallel tiki?"

Those guys look a little like menehunes wearing cowboy gear to me.

http://universist.meetup.com

Looks a little like the tiki is wearing a Santa costume to me.

On 2003-10-03 16:55, tikigreg wrote:
maybe not "anti-tiki", but perhaps "parallel tiki?"

How about "parallel to Tiki, as in 'Eames', but having nothing to do with Tiki"? Sorry guys, but I think if you broaden your definition to include cute little Yosemite Sam-looking prospector figurines...well, I dunno. Personally I don't think it's even a good thing to inlcude African, Native American, Mexican, Bulgarian, or Tierra del Fuegan artifacts under the rubric of "Tiki". How about this, and don't be shy about telling me I'm unreasonable if you think so -

"Tiki": 1) genuine Polynesian cultural artefacts or literature pertaining to it, OR
2) Polynesian artefacts reinterpreted by Western cultures, primarily (though not limited to) Polynesian-themed restaurant and bar memorabilia, and literature pertaining to it.

em-elitist-snob-space.

You know, this is similar to the connection with the Ren Clark Severed Head mug. I've never thought this mug was tiki. It's simply a souvenir from his magic show - the final act involved a guillotine trick hence, the severed head mug. Yes, his restaurant was Polynesian themed but the mug isn't. Does this make it a tiki mug? Not in my opinion. And yet, its one of the most sought after by tiki mug collectors... hmmm...

What sort of a knob has a magic act with a guillotine in a Polynesian restaurant anyway? Would I go to an Irish pub to listen to hip-hop acts? Would I want a Hofbrauhaus to have Tiki mugs?

Yuck,
em.

it seems like a number of us are like minded about what the "umbrella" of tiki contains, though african and south american art has woven its way into tiki design from the start. as thor heyerdahl proved with the kontiki trip, south america is responcible for the whole shabang. its when people list items that are obviously native american totem, a chotchke ceramic shoe, or cowboy inspired mug as tiki that it gets a little frustrating.
the ren clark decapitated head, on the other hand, i believe has a place in the tiki "umbrella." some forms of savagery, such as cannibalism and trophy headhunting are part of the history that tiki derives its past and design from. look at the name of some of the drinks: "headhunters kula," "headhunter," shrunken skull," blood of the kapu tiki," "zombie," etc. there are a couple of other mugs based on these themes as well.
p.s. if anyone has a ren clark head mug for sale, let me know.

On 2003-10-04 17:50, emspace wrote:
What sort of a knob has a magic act with a guillotine in a Polynesian restaurant anyway

Actually, Ren Clark was quite an acclaimed magician in his day. He was the President of the International Brotherhood of Magicians, President of the Fort Worth Magicians Club, helped found the Texas Association of Magicians and opened and ran Ren Clark's Polynesian Village.

His restaurant was known as the place to see a quality magician's show in Austin in the 1960's (similar to the way Magic Castle in Hollywood, CA is today). Ren Clark was the featured magician there and his signature trick was the final stunt in his act, where he took a volunteer from the audience and "cut" their head off in a guillotine.

A souvenir from this trick was the, now sought after, severed head mug pictured here:

Here is a somewhat recent thread discussing an eBay auction of this mug.

Here is a webpage listing Ren Clark's credentials and his somewhat significant contribution to the magic industry.

I hope this info answers your question.

**Poly-Pop ***

He who dies with the most broken mugs WINS!

[ Edited by: PolynesianPop on 2003-10-04 18:13 ]

hey polynesian pop,
thanks for hosting a picture of the mug. i hope to add one of those to my collection someday. is that a photo of one you own, and if so, how many fluid ounces does it hold? and how is it for drinking out of?
thanks

[ Edited by: tikitanked on 2003-10-04 18:39 ]

No problem agreeing about the influence of African, etc., though I think it's debatable whether or not Thor proved anything, there's plenty of Polynesian monumental sculpture scattered across the Pacific - and we'll never know for certain for that matter. I think bottom line though is, misguided in presentation or not, the intent to appear "Polynesian" was what Tiki was about.

I absolutely agree that a good severed head could have a Tiki quality - and I have no opinions on whether or not Clark was a qualified magician, I just don't know why he put his magic act in a Polynesian place. Those who read my posts (you poor buggers!) know me as a kind of purist; that's why things like "Afro-Celt Sound System" make me throw up, and I never put soy sauce on my sushi.

:)
aloha, em.

P.S. people who pay hundreds for even the Tikiest of Tiki ceramics seem crazy to me - but if I had arseloads of cash it might seem very different.

Why don't you put soy sauce on your sushi? They do in Japan!

On 2003-10-04 18:52, emspace wrote:
I absolutely agree that a good severed head could have a Tiki quality - and I have no opinions on whether or not Clark was a qualified magician, I just don't know why he put his magic act in a Polynesian place.

Yeah, I know what you're saying. I too agree that a severed head (shrunken heads, etc) could have a Tiki quality. The only thing is, this is a severed head from a guillotine trick -- how that is tiki, I will never understand. The thing I do understand however, is that the act was in a Polynesian restaurant. But why Ren Clark chose to open a Polynesian restaurant to do his magic act in is beyond me.

On 2003-10-03 01:26, tikitanked wrote:
seems as long as it is ceramic and figural, its tiki these days.

One of my friends just does not get it when I try to explain what I'm searching for in the junk stores. She noticed my shelf of Fat Hotei's with the holes in their stomachs for straws (not really even tiki mugs) and said, "Oh is that what she collects? Those little Kiki Doll things?"

So I would put those Rootin' Tootin' ceramic mugs in the same general category, "Kiki Dolls".

On 2003-10-05 07:21, tikifish wrote:
Why don't you put soy sauce on your sushi? They do in Japan!

Yep, and they drink cold sake with 7-Up in cans too, but a Japanese friend told me that was the mark of a purist (no soy), so I beamed like a gaijin who's just been paid a compliment, and continued with my scarfing. Hey, I was having Uni with quail egg yolk on top, how could I douse that with soy? The very idea...

:), em

I would admit that many gaijin over-soy their fish, but like I said, there's soy on every table in Tokyo. A little soy is good for the soul!

Anyway, this is really off topic!

Soy solly.

kiki doll? i take it your friend is saying kiki for tiki? makes me think kiki bo kik.
i would lump the benihana mugs in with tiki, along with any of the chinese god and samurai themed mugs. eastern influence is evident in tiki, based on the name of some of the earliest drinks. though, not a big fan of the stark white with clear glaze.

Are you thinking of....Kiki, The Fashion Tiki?

On 2003-10-04 13:45, SES wrote:
...Some of the marketing tactics just end up annoying me and make me never want to buy from the person ever. Especially the ones that fill their item description with "this is NOT a "keyword""keyword" "keyword""keyword" "keyword" to get people looking for what it's not to view their item. If it's NOT what I'm searching for than I'm NOT interested in the item. I'd like a block feature on sellers in that place so they don't pop up in future searches.
:wink:

SES- awhile back I discovered you can NOT search for things by putting a - sign in front of the term. I got tired of looking at football stuff, so I started searching for "tiki -barber". Much better. Try "tiki -not". BTW, I completely agree with how annoying eBay is to search. What do people actually looking for Eames furniture do?

Here's to our livers!
:drink: :drink: :drink:

[ Edited by: makemake on 2003-10-07 01:29 ]

Funny you said that, here's my eBay tiki search:

tiki -barber -liki -uke -bikini -curtain -trikini -swimwear

My Shag search is nearly a novel.

And if Shag ever issues a limited edition flokati rug headband with fonda 280 golf merrell, I'll miss it entirely.

Funny this came up, I've been working on an Tiki Central ebay page (which is still not done) but it's got the "barber filter" on it!

~Hanford

[ Edited by: susane on 2004-01-20 07:06 ]

Just to prove that tiki misidentification is not wholey limited to US ebay sellers, here is a fine example..

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2663114915&category=86

...and the worst thing is that i've fought "mrbeatnik" over real tiki mugs.

I love the way George looks more like a (young) Willem DeFoe than George! Those are GREAT "tiki" mugs (not)!

Oh Lord...Bong, my offer to perform a Tiki Hit still stands. The Tiki .308 is oiled and ready in its Tiki Camo case...

:D, em