My desk is cluttered ... Hot Wheels tiki mugs yep

News imbibe tiki blah tiki Shag swanky kitsch retro eames...

We've got our Shag/Pizz/Von Franco show coming up in November and next week we are launching a commemorative Tiki mug/Tiki Hot Rod '62 Shag Cadillac Convertible set with Hot Wheels. The sets are expensive - $200. I'll have 100 to sell, Shagmart will have 100 & 300 will be offered online by Mattel/Hot Wheels. As I understand it, a 500 run of a Hot Wheels car is about as low as it gets and one of the cars sold at a recent charity auction for $1,150. I'll announce more later... swanks!

Holden

I know that I'm not going to hurt Holden's sale of these items by saying this, and we all know they are going to sell out before the products are even listed.

Seriously, when is enough enough? Will Shag ever limit his exposure?
Over saturation? I think its gonna catch up eventually.

Maybe it's the thought, hit 'em while you're hot. I guess I would. (I didn't mean to rhyme there)

Spike

[ Edited by: Luckydesigns on 2003-10-14 01:17 ]

Holden,

Any pictures of the Hot Wheels, Pizz, Von Franco, or Shag merch????

Scotty

I say expose away-You'd do it....so would I...so would anybody. Viva le Free Enterprise. The way pop culture is in this age, if you have a good cow, you'd better damned well milk it while you still can. Admittedly I'm not much of a Shag, Pizz, or Von Franco follower, (I collect only vintage digs for my own reasons) but I repect their and Holden's right to make a living, and a good one as it comes their way.

SHAG tiki toilett paper!!!

I want one of the shag car sets.
How am I gonna git mine?
heeheeheee
sahg toilet paper, I like it, would come in handy for my emergency gift closet.
heehee

I totally agree, Basement. I'm just really torn on the whole thing. I certainly don't blame Holden for anything. I'm happy for him.

If I were Shag, I'd probably be merching out too, even if for some reason, I feel the over exposure cheapens his work.

We've all been back and forth on this so much. I'm kinda sorry I even brought it up.

ShagMart just reminds me of WalMart and all that that implies.

I agree with BK in that my focus in collecting tiki isn't the new, but rather the vintage. The only new items I like are the ones that have a connection with an event held.

On that note - Shag me!

Alot of Shag's work is cool but none of it is worth the dough in my book and isn't he even getting sick of doing everything the same style? Rather spend the dough on real old rarities than ebay hype beanie babies prints that will go for 20 bux in 5 years...

On 2003-10-14 01:14, Luckydesigns wrote:
I know that I'm not going to hurt Holden's sale of these items by saying this, and we all know they are going to sell out before the products are even listed.

But before they sell out, a there undoubtely be a few of them on eBay, going at twice the retail price.

:-(

i had put a couple shag items on ebay about a week and a half ago and the wahine seen them and jumped all over me for it.....so I ended da auctions early. She's da shager in this tiki relationship. I'm wit my braddahs Bong and BK, VINTAGE all da way! I don't even like to collect reproductions of other items...that goes with my vintage rattan furniture, my home decor, tikis, etc.... onlything new in my house is da booze, food and my undawear baby.

No probs with da Shag man, I'll just keep his stuff to make mama happy...cuz if mama ain't happy aint nobody happy!!

On 2003-10-14 13:29, Tiki_Bong wrote:
ShagMart just reminds me of WalMart and all that that implies.

Perhaps they should change the name to Shag-Marcus! :)

On 2003-10-14 09:56, Basement Kahuna wrote:
I say expose away-You'd do it....so would I...so would anybody. Viva le Free Enterprise. The way pop culture is in this age, if you have a good cow, you'd better damned well milk it while you still can. Admittedly I'm not much of a Shag, Pizz, or Von Franco follower, (I collect only vintage digs for my own reasons) but I repect their and Holden's right to make a living, and a good one as it comes their way.

ALOHA!
Ok, now I'm really looking forward to raising glasses with you.
Rock on Shag!
:)

Shagmart just posted the following photo of the set.

http://www.shagmart.com/pages/news.html

I can't tell the size by the photo, but if it's your standard size car set, seems a little overpriced for me.

Where do you get oversaturation from? 99% of the people on the street have never heard of him or seen his work. Maybe it's the places you hang out? :wink: Not really his fault is it? Because his art is found in unusual places (matchbox car, Tiki Mug, cocktail napkin)it is oversaturation? I like the variety. Some of his stuff is way overpriced, some in silly places, but good buys directely from Shagmart can be had. I agree the matchbox, the decanter sets, some of his prints, that horrible plastic pendant are overpriced, but he offers good deals also. My print The Rain Lamp I consider a bargain. His mugs are resonably priced, not his fault ebay loves SHAG. And comparing Shagmart with walmart? Besides the "mart" where is the simularity? Me I prefer the new mugs to the vintage, a matter of choice. Munktiki, Bosko, Tikifarm make some truly sweet mugs, doesn't bother me they are not old and crazed. I like the new Tiki's people here are carving also. Alot of great new Tiki happening right now and SHAG is definately at the forefront. SHAG is talented, creative and vrey successful, I think it is strange this rubs so many people the wrong way. Artists always get criticised for being a success. They should be poor and miserable and nobody see's their work until their dead. I hope when I become a rich and famous Tiki carver you don't jump all over me because others enjoy my work. Just made my first $8 sale on ebay, am I sell out?

Maybe it's different in Southern California. And, maybe it is where I hang out. I can't seem to escape Shag. Tower Records has all kinds of stuff that he's stamped his characters on in order to sell a product. Again, I'd probably do the same if I were in his shoes, so I'm being totally hypocritical. I just feel like he's diluting the "cool" of his paintings. Totally my opinion though.

I prefer vintage stuff to the new stuff but I do have a bunch of Tiki Farm mugs. They make great stuff. I never ment to come off as elitist. I like Holden, he's a nice guy, and a snappy dresser. I too, dig all the new carvers and mug makers. Maybe it's because they don't have the resources but I don't foresee Bamboo Ben bath soap or Crazy Al cocktail sugar.

Oh, just in time for the holidays..... Shagmart is gonna have new Shag Watches and Ties!

I don't foresee Bamboo Ben bath soap or Crazy Al cocktail sugar.

I don't either, and I love that about them, but I have to admit that now that you bring it up, if someone wanted to give you your own brand of cocktail sugar? How could you pass it up?? It's just so completely bizarre. I'd do it, if only because it'd be totally weird. Hey, if you end up making money off of it, too, then what's the harm? It's not like he's tricking people out of their money.

Lucky Designs I bet it is different in Southern CA, I envy you. The cocktail products are not totally unrelated to the work. I understand what you and others are saying. When I was a teenager in the 80's I spent my days following the Grateful Dead around, when they got "popular" in 1987 it really sucked, ruined alot of what I enjoyed about them. All of a sudden tickets where hard to get, crowds everywhere, not just a party with me and my friends anymore. The Band interestingly was better than ever(before their eventual downfall) but the enjoyment was less. Interesting you poke fun of the watch, check http://www.acmestudio.com under new releases, there are 2 watches, one very nice Tiki one. Not a bad price either, and no limited edition.

MONEY, MONEY, MONEY, it's the Frankenstein monster that destroys men's souls!

I want in on those Hot Wheels, and ps. when are Holden's Hukilau Undies up for sale on Ebay?

[ Edited by: BaronV 2005-07-19 16:59 ]

On 2003-10-18 02:12, BaronV wrote:
The Hot Wheels/Tiki Farm set is called "Vitua's Vessels: His Ride, His Mug." Anyone know who (or what) this Vitua is?
...i'm not that impressed with the combo (or the price) and am not planning on getting it, but i would feel like a fool if i had the set and didn't know the reasoning behind it.

Smogbreather wrote...
Please check out our website - we lay it out with a lot of effort and try to make it clear for all who might need any form of clarification. Like all of the mugs we've produced over the years, "Vitua" is a fictious character name... we thought it sounded fun and "Vitu" is a Polynesian name that is found in the massive Oceanic Art book glossary. Vitu seemed a bit off, so we added an "a"!

The reasoning...
I did my best to try to clarify this on our website but here's the link to the direct order page with the info...
http://www.tikifarm.com/html/hotwheels_shag_set.htm (be sure to check out the "Hot Wheels History" section on the right)
Here goes again and for further elaboration...
Hot Wheels has had a hand in tiki for longer than many/most of us have been alive and definitely longer than we've been on this board...35 years. They wanted to commemorate 35 years with something that struck a cord. Mugs are the most coveted tiki items so this was their choice. A tiki ride (they've done many) with a tiki mug (their first).

That's about it but you guys know you can call/email me directly just about anytime to ask questions/touch base regarding any projects. By the way...
Crazy Al rules and was in rare madman form last night at Sam's!!! Check the posts related to the Sam's Seafood gig and hopefully a picture or 2 will show up - Al blew the good "Sam's" folks away!!!

The sets go on sale Tuesday, Oct. 21st at 6pm.

---

Holden Westland
Tiki Farm
"Purveyors of Polynesian Pop Culture"
http://www.tikifarm.com
800.357.3360

15% off all Tiki Farm items for TC members with over 20 posts & a minimum of 3 months on the boards.

[ Edited by: smogbreather on 2003-10-18 22:57 ]

[ Edited by: BaronV 2005-07-19 16:59 ]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3560163569&category=45352

Did you all notice that someone already has a Shag hotwheels car up for auction? And with no mug.

Randy

Interesting....I emailed the seller and asked about the cars. He told me that he has quite a few and received the cars through a "mutual trade". He acted oblivious to the fact that these will be sold in a set and knew nothing about them going on sale this week. He didn't give any indication if the cars he's selling are numbered.

Maybe he really is clueless? He didn't put Shag in the title of his auction.

"I don't foresee Bamboo Ben bath soap"

I have about 5 bars of soap left. I'll save one for you LuckyD. Pure glycerin soap with coconut fragrance and little sticks of Bamboo inside for texture. Made about 100 bars of it a couple years back.

"Maybe it's different in Southern California. And, maybe it is where I hang out. I can't seem to escape Shag. Tower Records has all kinds of stuff that he's stamped his characters on in order to sell a product."

p.s. Don't you work for a lifestyle company that does the same?

The idea of Shag teaming up with Hot Wheels is a neat one, as I played often with both Matchbox and Hot Wheel Cars as a youth. I'll probably pass up on buying the mug and car combination though, because if I buy one new hot wheel car, then I would want to start buying all the others I had as a youth. Hot wheels are big collectible items - there are many currently on sale on ebay for prices over $200 - and I just don't want to venture into that territory. This is a good example though, of Shag slowly reaching out to new worlds of people who might not yet be familiar with his work.

Shag was in D.C. this past weekend, for the show at Good-Eye Design. There was a line of people waiting outside for the Saturday night reception - some who waited for over 2 hours before deciding to head elsewhere. I only stood in line for one hour, before leaving to join others in the DC/MD tiki group at the Honolulu.

I stopped at Good Eye Design the next day, and found only about 15 people - including Shag - inside. One was actually able to talk with Shag without a line of people waiting for him.

I didn't buy the show print, but I did buy a tin of the Shag cocktail candy, partly as a small token purchase for the folks as Good Eye, but also because it was being sold in an in-store vending machine. The machine was all full of Shag items - napkins, notepaper, several flavors of the cocktail candy, and the whole idea was so bizarre that I just had to purchase something from it.

VErn

If anyone is interested in parting with the Hot Wheels car from the set let me know. I really don't want to spend $200 on the set but I may be interested in spliting the cost half and half, you get the mug and I'll get the car. :)

email is [email protected]

Thanks for reading!

Rob
http://www.southtexasdiecast.com

Hey ikitnrev, I just figured out your TC name! Pretty cool. I did the same thing with the license plate on my car.

[ Edited by: BaronV 2005-07-19 16:59 ]

The Shag site says '59 caddy, the Tiki Farm site says '62? Does any one know what year it actually is?...........

[ Edited by: BaronV 2005-07-19 17:00 ]

Several topics all at once!

1. I see, amongst the other collecting I do, a frequent bashing of new stuff, as though there is some invisible line that divides "vintage" from kitsch.

With tiki, it's all kitsch! I'm sorry, but I don't buy into the, "If the mug was cast after 1965, then it is beneath me" kinda logic.

So, on that, I vote - old, new, doesn't matter as long as it is pleasing to my sensibilities.

2. Over-exposure. That frigging Master of Light guy is over-exposed! Bev Doolittle, that Western Art lady who does the hidden Native American faces in the landscapes? Her last "limited edition litho" was 250,000 numbered prints! That, my bretheren, is over-exposed. 500 Shag prints, mugs, whatever, is a drop in the bucket.

On that, I vote with the poster who said we feel over-exposed by virtue of where we tend to shop and hang out.

3. Mixing hobbies is such a rare and difficult feat that I'm probably over-enthused about this. I collect both, so how often does a melding of "cultures" hit like this!?

Most limited edition Hot Wheels come out at around 10,000 or so. So, for that hobby, this is the smallest general release car ever.

The Hot Wheels Collector site has 300,000 plus registrants. Good thing they don't have to come up with that many Tiki-fied names, eh? :D

I'm looking forward to some car racing and Mai Tais in my new mug.

4. Value. Too personal to criticise. We all have varying tastes and sensibilities. I know lotsa folks who are always one bid ahead of me at the end of the Ebay day. They ain't crazy, just a percentage point or two more devoted!

Maybe I can learn how to post pics of Tiki meets Hot Wheels....

PS: Robinator! Ya gotta get a freakin' Tiki name to post here, dude. Robinator is SO Hot Wheels only!

[ Edited by: Geeky Tiki on 2003-10-21 10:35 ]

On 2003-10-20 20:48, BaronV wrote:
i don't see any mention of it being a 1962 on the Tiki Farm site -
The site was edited to 1959 it was 1962. Smogbreather's original post has '62. "As pictured, each set includes the following - 1. Vitua’s Vessel; 1959 Hot Wheels Cadillac Convertible “tikified” by Shag, complete with a Hawaiian-style petroglyph surfboard..." (from http://tikifarm.com/html/hotwheels_shag_set.htm).

Already sold out at ShagMart - quick!

It's a '59.

I just like stiring things up. I know I shouldn't have hit the 'post reply' button the first time I posted on this topic.

Ben, the company I work for is already so much in the mass market. I don't care who wears that stuff. Tiki is a little more personal to me. By the way, I'll take a bar of that soap.

Hi All,

We at Hot Wheels are very excited about this offering. It's a wonderful thing when you can have one great collectible passion in your life, for some of us at HW, we have 2, Tiki and Hot Wheels.

Hot Wheels makes over 300 million cars a year retail, but collectible cars are usually run in 10K pieces, special charity cars are made in 1K, so this shag/tikifarm/HW collaboration is very special. If you search on ebay, you will see that cars in the 1K run, command big $$$.

Hot Wheels is 35 years young this year and with it's roots in California car culture, the 60's, Surfing, we thought this was a great fit, and it brought our 2 great passions together :)

We hope you like this offering. Thanks

Amy

What the Hell kinda Tiki name is EXNY1?

:lol:
:lol:
:lol:

Hmmm, I better try to be of service:

How about Queen Kamehameha?

Your sig line could be, "I love these little mugs!"

Next thing ya know, we'll have Chazztiki starting fights!

[ Edited by: Geeky Tiki on 2003-10-21 13:35 ]

Hi Geeky,

Thanks...is this better.......lol

Please....no chazztiki.... lets keep it calm here. :)

Amy

"I love these little mugs!"

[ Edited by: Queen Kamehameha on 2003-10-21 14:02 ]

On 2003-10-21 10:18, Geeky Tiki wrote:

1. I see, amongst the other collecting I do, a frequent bashing of new stuff, as though there is some invisible line that divides "vintage" from kitsch.

With tiki, it's all kitsch! I'm sorry, but I don't buy into the, "If the mug was cast after 1965, then it is beneath me" kinda logic.

So, on that, I vote - old, new, doesn't matter as long as it is pleasing to my sensibilities.

2. Over-exposure. That frigging Master of Light guy is over-exposed! Bev Doolittle, that Western Art lady who does the hidden Native American faces in the landscapes? Her last "limited edition litho" was 250,000 numbered prints! That, my bretheren, is over-exposed. 500 Shag prints, mugs, whatever, is a drop in the bucket.

On that, I vote with the poster who said we feel over-exposed by virtue of where we tend to shop and hang out.

Geek,

Aren't your observations 1) and 2) in conflict?

With 1) you state something to the effect of 'as long as it's pleasing to my sensibilities it fine', and with 2) you're bagging on something as being 'over-exposed'; what if someone's sensibilities were 'pleased' by the over-exposed item?

Hi, Bong.

I don't see a conflict.

I had commented that we had several subjects in play.

My responses were based on perceived criticisms of Shag's exposure and how some have commented that only "vintage" is Tiki.

In item one, I expressed my belief that Tiki is not bound by time of manufacture.

In item two, I was addressing the notion of "over-exposure" as a criticism of Shag's work. The references to Ms. Doolittle and Thomas Kinkaid were meant as examples of what MASS marketing really entails.

To equate statement one and two, I would have had to imply that over-exposure would negate the Tiki-ness of an object, which I did not.

Talking about the inherent Tiki-validity of an object and then talking about what constitutes over-exposure are not mutually exclusive.

An analogy could be drawn between saying that the music of The Beatles, Sinatra, or Elvis is valid in a musical sense, but that they did became over-exposed in the market place. Both notions could be true. My opinion was that, compared to the true mass market, Shag is not over-exposed.

Did that make sense?

[ Edited by: Geeky Tiki on 2003-10-21 14:57 ]

[ Edited by: BaronV 2005-07-19 17:00 ]

I had lunch at Sam's today. It's so much quieter in there.

Same at this place until a few minutes ago!

I guess hoping you'd stay through dinner was asking for too much!

:D

[ Edited by: BaronV 2005-07-19 17:00 ]

Typically the Shag mugs sell out in less than 5 minutes. I didn't stick around to watch.....

[ Edited by: tikichic on 2003-10-21 21:38 ]

6:05 and the sold out flag went up!