The Mystery of the Missing Milan Tikis

I decided to start a new post for this, since the location is no more -and the photos neither:

http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=11003&forum=2

Reports from this strange place were carried to me for years until I made it there. I never could quite comprehend WHAT kind of place people were talking about: Hobby City? The Bear Tree?

A Doll Museum that was a small version of the White House?

And indeed, all that and more, a drive-in mall of hobby and collector stores had once flourished here!

But alas, by the time Chris Jepsen lead me and an expedition force of urban archeologists like Jeff Berry, Kevin Kidney and Daniel Paul to the site, proprietor Jay DeArmond had passed away, and Bea was on a trip around the world. And the place was gonna close, and get torn down. So naturally, there was great interest in what was going to happen to THESE fine specimens:

These were exceptionally well-preserved Milan Guanko Tikis, with all his classic stylistic features!

He must have done these late in his career, they almost seemed formal, a little stiff in a way...

Nevertheless, I already saw them in my mind's eye supporting my front porch roof. :D

However, as we quickly found out, there was a mile long list of petitioners already, with well-acquainted names like King Kukulele on it, to snap these puppies up once they would became available.

So I let go of my dreams and was content to just get these guys on film. I also did not pay close attention to their fate, hoping that someone I knew would be the lucky winner of the fine idols.

Two things have happened since: The project that was going to be built on the lot fell thru because of the recession - but the reptile store is no more, and no more Milan Tikis. Chris Jepsen has no idea what happened to them. Does anybody here on TC know?

I don't know about these tikis but I thought this was fun to read.

Sven just today I had the Book of Tiki out looking once again at every page. Thank you for such a great reference book that surprises me with something I'd forgotten or missed each time I open it. Wendy

Sven - I remember us talking about this topic a while ago. If I'm not mistaken, isn't the reptile building now an antique mall at Hobby City? Its been an antique mall for a minimum of fifteen years. I used to live in Buena Park (Beach and Crescent) and would visit Hobby City every few weeks for model building supplies. I seem to remember these tikis from way back though.

Best of luck with the research. I hope these surface due to this inquery.

I had talked to the Manager of Adventure City a year or two ago, prior to the newly leveled parkinglot area, and was told that someone in the family was keeping them. I have comfort in at least knowing these did not make it into a trashbin...At least, not at the amusement park....Here is the old link with followups and dates.

http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=29116&forum=1

My goodness, ahma gettin' old! I knew there was something, but basically forgot about that whole post! With over 8000 posts, that's gonna happen...well, that post is a good lesson in Milan Guanko style, thank you Mr. Kirsten! :D And thanks for reminding me, Tom.

I had put "Hobby City" in the Search box, but this one did not come up, cuz of the "undisclosed location" policy of the post! And Adventure City is a whole nother animal:

http://www.adventurecity.com/

Here is an update on the Hobby City property in Chris Jepsen's blog:

http://ochistorical.blogspot.com/2010/05/hobby-city-before-after-part-i.html

http://ochistorical.blogspot.com/2010/05/hobby-city-before-after-part-2.html

Check out what they did to the interior of the Doll Museum! I'm glad I got to see it.
And I am glad the Tikis stayed in the family...THEIR family, not ours. :) Can't have it all.

I read the blog by Mr. Jepson, and you can let him know, and with a little footwork, I believe the reptile shop went into a van operation and travels around to schools. I had seen a newer van that was skinned(Advertising banner car wrap) with Reptile information on it. It was in the original parking strip, as I seen the buildings being razed. My guess is, they moved the reptiles to a residential home, and do school/private interest bookings.

Aaaah! Great, let's start a TIKI van operation that travels around schools and teaches kids about Tiki history and carving! The horn will sound "Oooga Booga!"

Maybe the "tiki mobile" could also drive from bar to bar and instruct bartenders on the hows of making real drinks.

Sorry if this was covered in another thread, but as far as the time line of the place; I haven't been there since it became a reptile shop, but wasn't it a shell shop for many years before that? And from what I understood it was a Luau supply place back in the day, thus the Tiki's out front.

Bosko

A LUAU supply place? Now THAT would be something, to find photos of that! I had heard about it being a shell/beachcomber place too, but also a rock hound and mineral collector place: Luau supply, shell store, rock collector shop, reptile menagerie -what else is there that it was NOT :) ...taxidermy perhaps! Can we consider taxidermy part of Tiki culture? If so, I have a very cool place to post about...

On 2010-11-19 21:11, TikiG wrote:
If I'm not mistaken, isn't the reptile building now an antique mall at Hobby City? Its been an antique mall for a minimum of fifteen years. I used to live in Buena Park (Beach and Crescent) and would visit Hobby City every few weeks for model building supplies. I seem to remember these tikis from way back though.

Hobby City rocked if you were a kid in the seventies.
I remember the Tikis, and there use to be an American Indian store where I spent more money there, than Disneyland.
And we would always have to drag my sister out of that damn doll house museum, so that we could go to Sambos restaurant afterwards.

That Tiki needs to go to the bathroom BAD!

Actually, that motif is based on an ancient Oceanic tradition:

http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=37718&forum=17&vpost=558036