Steve Crane Associate's Ku Mug

Hi, I have a Steve Crane Associate's so-called Ku mug and would like to ask the TC community about the history of this unusual mug design.

Does anyone know the year this design was first introduced, and how long it was in service? I don't see it pictured on any drink menus, but it appears in pictures in S.K.'s BOT and Beachbum Berry revisited.

Was this mug design used at Steve Crane's Luau in Beverly Hills?

Any idea what drinks were actually served in the Ku mug?

Was the designer's name Florian Gabriel, or was it Gabriel Florian? The info on the web concerning the designer's name is contradictory. Mahalo. Navy Grogger

[ Edited by: navy grogger 2010-11-25 17:13 ]

[ Edited by: Navy Grogger 2010-11-25 21:34 ]

Hey Navy Grogger, I like your TC name. Welcome aboard!

The KU Mug you asked about was used exclusively in the chain of Kon Tiki Restaurants throughout the 60's and 1970's. I am not sure exactly when they started or stopped but it is seen in photos and mentioned in this time frame. These mugs are usually always marked Stephen Crane Associates on the base. Stephen Crane was the owner of the Kon Tiki family of restaurants. The designer of the mug was Gabriel Florian.

In what I think is ONE of the best photos of a Tiki Mug in use in a Tiki Restaurant in it's hey day is the one Sabu posted in the Locating Tiki thread of the Kon Tiki Waikiki, Hawaii location.

Here's the thread:

http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=34620&forum=2&hilite=kon%20tiki%20hawaii

And here's the photo:

According to Sabu, this was taken in March of 1973 so there's one solid date for you.

It is also pictured on their menu but I don't have access to that right now. Maybe someone else can post that here for you.
Hope this helps a little. At least it's an awesome photo to look at!!!

Mahalo, TabooDan

[ Edited by: TabooDan 2010-11-26 06:29 ]

Here's the mug in the Chicago Kon Tiki Ports drink menu:

(there are more images from the menu on the this thread)
http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=34668&forum=2

The mug also showed up in a 1966 Playboy magazine article on how to throw a luau in your home:

Thank you TabooDan and Sabu for the very helpful information you posted. You both have awesome memory recall. I love the photos of the mug in use.

The menu that Sabu posted contains a photo of the Ku mug and lists the drink as "The War God."

Thanks.

[ Edited by: Navy Grogger 2010-11-26 17:19 ]