What animals are Tiki, especially pets?

So, like, we all know anout Toucans, Sharks and Monkeys, but what other animals are Tiki?

We have a Scottish Terrier and parakeet and tho they hang out in the Tiki-theme music room. are they really Tiki?

What are your Tiki-oriented or not, animal or pet thoughts?

On 2010-12-17 23:03, Haole Jim wrote:

This writer's Scottish terrier and parakeet are not truly a Tiki ride, but likely quite a bit moreso than an '09 Toyota Corolla or Lincoln Mk X.

Sigh...

Well unless you have a 10 foot Shark
our Tiki Weasel's will eat your un-Tiki pets :)

Wait. When did the shark become tiki? I missed that.

I say a wild boar is sufficiently tiki. It is represented in Hawaiian mythology (Kamapua'a), it's tusks can be made into killer pendants, and it makes a tasty kalua in the imu for a luau - try doing THAT with a ferret! :lol:

If you've ever been to Hawaii, the answer is clearly the mynah bird. :wink:

OK, kids, here he comes again, the stickler, the party pooper, the fun spoiler, the German nitpicker who TELLS you how YOU should THINK and DO, lest you are UNCOOL -right?:

As many here know, I react sensitively when I see it written as fact that such and such things "are" Tiki. There has been way too much commercial crap on e-bay and out in the marketplace and on blogs that has been proclaimed to be "Tiki" without having a shred of it in it, and these kind of generalizations are weakening Tiki as a distinct art form.

So let's start from scratch: Basically, simply, mainly Tikis ARE Tiki, and yes, we all know that. THEN, there are many other things that are PART OF Tiki STYLE. And yes, they are primarily but NOT necessarily ALL from Polynesia, because as we have established, Tiki style is a fantasy world inhabited by many other characters and elements from the Tropics, and the tropical jungle.

Of these elements, animals are a difficult bunch to discern in general. Case in point, the parrot: Yes, parrots have been gloriously immortalized and imbedded into Tiki culture by the master of fantasy, Walt Disney, himself. BUT the parrot also has been amply used and abused as the emblem of the "adulterator" (innocently so, but nevertheless) of Tiki culture, Jimmy Buffet. The case of Jimmy Buffet is a good example how the use of GENERIC tropicalia should be exercised in moderation, lest they "water down" what makes Tiki style unique and differentiates it from other pop culture genres. I am afraid the Toucan has suffered a similar fate of being a more generic symbol of the tropics. Which does not say that having a live specimen in your home lounge is probably one of the coolest things you could feature.

The same goes for monkeys: Monkeys are wedded to Tiki culture by having been used as emblems in PRE-Tiki Polynesian pop, in a manner similar that Tikis were in Tiki style. But that fact really makes them non-Tiki in essence- albeit part of its history. So, if used in moderation, they fit as part of the Polynesian pop story, especially if someone favors the 30s/40s "Pago Pago" lounge look. The Sugie's Tropics cocktail menu hanging in my kitchen is one of my favorite pieces of paper ephemera.

The best argument to incorporate tropical fauna into Tiki style are the carvings of the many animal species from New Guinea's jungles, case in point the Steve Crane bird bowl, the Kona Kai outrigger bird, and other bird and crocodile carvings. Looking at their spare use in mid-century Tiki style in comparison to other Oceanic art forms though, they are also just an added asset, and cannot be said to embody "Tiki".

Carry on. :D

Kamapua'a - Boar God - now THAT's tiki!!! :lol:

I'm going with Tarantula!

I always look to the ancestors when posed with tikiness questions.

They say "Dogs."

Monkeys are cool too. But only real live ones that drink and smoke cigars.

Buzzy Out!

OK if we're going to take this thread seriously then the answer really is obvious...

If you want the perfect Tiki pet then get a leopard. :D

There you go. John-O nailed it. Case closed...

On 2010-12-17 22:59, Haole Jim wrote:
What are your Tiki-oriented or not, animal or pet thoughts?

See, Bigbro? You got suckered into a General Pet Discussion Topic disguised as a Tiki topic.

You should have said something harmless like, "When I was eight, we had a pet Dachshund named Biedermeier", or "Capybara meat tastes like pork and catfish mixed together". But since you answered it seriously, now we can't move it into "Beyond" or "Ohana". So I'll just have keep it derailed. The following are just my opinions and also reflect my love of categorizing things.

Monkeys - Pre-tiki
Monkeys with Fezzes - historically not tiki, now part of Tiki-Revival
Disney Tiki Room Parrots - Tiki
Jimmy Buffet Parrots - not Tiki
Leopards - Tiki Revival (yeah, yeah, I know, but beside the cool but isolated case of Witco leopard-skin furniture and maybe one menu cover, I can't find any examples of leopard being used in classic tiki bars. Leopard, Tiger, & Zebra were used in Safari Bars, Jungle Bars, & Art Deco Bars. Also, Bettie Page is posing with two Cheetahs in that picture :wink: )

Leopard was also used at least once in a pre-Tiki bar, ala the waitress uniforms at the Tropics:

Pigs and Boars - Tiki, but usually on the menu. Luau pigs, ribs, mmmm! Even on the ancient Ku statue from Hawaii, where each of the braids has a small slit "mouth" and is thought to represent a pig head - these were considered signs of wealth and royalty and represented the prime food animal of the islands.

Dead Animals
Not to be too morbid, but Tiki culture has a fine tradition of using dead animals for decor:

• Sea Turtle Shells (common)
• Giant Clams (very common)
• Shark Jaws (uncommon)
• Taxidermy fish (uncommon)
• Crabs & Lobsters (frequent)
• Abalone shell (frequent)

Live Animals in Tiki Bars

• All sorts of fish in aquariums (Kelbos, Bahooka, others)
• An occasional live mynah bird, cockatoo or parrot.
• termites

Animal imagery (mostly PNG) used in Tiki Architecture, Decor & Carving

• Hornbill
  

• Saltwater Crocodile
  

• Pig/Boar

• Shark
  

I'm probably missing a few.

[ Edited by: Sabu The Coconut Boy 2010-12-18 18:13 ]

No mention of Koi!! The forgotten Tiki employee! If you think it’s exciting for the old bartenders to have traveled around what about Koi? They can live to be 100 and they went from owner to owner, name change to name change, place to place from restaurants to apt. buildings to hotels to theme parks. Oh if only they could talk!

LOL! I forgot about Koi.

Okay, NOW I think it's been settled. Let someone like Sabu take a nebulous post topicand make something educational and interestingly relevent out of it! Nice work, Tim!

More evidence for leopards

Leopard? Where? I only see Lei....oh theeere! Well OK. But still:

(for Kate)

http://critiki.com/images/locations/194/22_jumbo.JPG

Ben,
That looks like the setup in Kon Tiki, Tucson.
I'm adding cats to the list. They're Tiki in a subtle way. Usually black cats.

On 2010-12-20 08:21, drgoat456 wrote:
Ben,
That looks like the setup in Kon Tiki, Tucson.

But what does it tell us??? Is it a Zen riddle? "The terrarium at the Kon Tiki is empty, so there ARE no animals in Tikidom!" ?

On 2010-12-20 08:21, drgoat456 wrote:
I'm adding cats to the list. They're Tiki in a subtle way. Usually black cats.

Now I am waiting for John-O to post this:

Monitor lizard aka Thor. Did he finally die?

Thank you, Ben. Hopefully he is well. How come no one has mentioned this guy yet!?:

A bit too prickly for a pet, though.

I'm pretty partial to chiguiros, aka capybaras, since my login name derives from a phonetic spelling thereof. However, my tiki pet is a Goffin's cockatoo named Mango as a play on a Buffett title.

chiwito

This is the way pets get tikified. Pets should not be part of the decor for the reasons outlined by bigbro. I don't count fish as pets unless you go into the water and per them, so I would say tropical fish could be part of the decor and the aquatic enviornment could be designed with a tiki theme.

This guy looks like he worked hard to earn his aloha shirt. I think I saw him making a pupu platter at the party.

While doing some internet research on animals inside the Tiki bar, I came across this link...

http://www.sneakysunday.com/los-angeles-westside/bars-clubs/best-cougar-bar

It lists the Tiki-Ti as one of the best bars for cougars.

I've never seen any animals inside the Tiki-Ti, let alone a cougar. And why cougars?? What about panthers, tigers, lions, and the more Tiki-appropriate leopards??

I just don't get it. :-?

[ Edited by: JOHN-O 2010-12-21 17:17 ]

On 2010-12-21 17:04, JOHN-O wrote:
I've never seen any animals inside the Tiki-Ti, let alone a cougar.

I would say, Don't give up hope yet, JOHN-O! The wily tiki-bar cougar is a beautiful beast and can often be lured into your vicinity with an offer of a Ray's Mistake and a subtle conversation-opener about a favorite 80s rock band like U2 or Kajagoogoo.

[ Edited by: Sabu The Coconut Boy 2010-12-21 17:28 ]

On 2010-12-21 17:24, Sabu The Coconut Boy wrote:

On 2010-12-21 17:04, JOHN-O wrote:
I've never seen any animals inside the Tiki-Ti, let alone a cougar.

I would say, Don't give up hope yet, JOHN-O! The wily tiki-bar cougar is a beautiful beast and can often be lured into your vicinity with an offer of a Ray's Mistake and a subtle conversation-opener about a favorite 80s rock band like U2 or Kajagoogoo.

so is luring these "cougars" in more difficult than calling in lakemaids?
http://www.lakemaidbeer.com/#videos

Are mermaids tiki animals?

the humuhumunukunukuapua'a fish

Also known as the Picasso fish

this fish is the computer interface for children's classroom computers on the starship Enterprise in ST:TNG
http://memory-alpha.org/wiki/Humuhumunukunukuapua%27a

[ Edited by: martian-tiki 2010-12-21 21:12 ]

What pet could be more tiki-compatible than hermit crabs?

http://hermitcrabassociation.com/

Lassie the World's Most Famous Tiki Dog.

Undeniable evidence that dogs are TIKI!

Actually (as pointed out by the Bigbro) the FIRST Tiki in American culture was a DOG (er, dogs?)...

Snoopy is tiki?

On 2011-01-21 21:32, gold zephyr wrote:
Snoopy is tiki?

No, Snoopy is not Tiki but (in the above post) Tiki is Snoopy.

Get it ? :D

Actually this thread turned out to be pretty fun.

I know. A hermit crab adoption web site!? Who knew?

I had missed Mister N.'s post with the Lassie cover! WHO here will now watch ALL the Lassie episodes to find the one with the Tiki!?
I grew up with watching that show (in Germany), but that seems like a frightening task:

" The show was the creation of producer Robert Maxwell and animal trainer Rudd Weatherwax and was televised from Sunday September 12, 1954, to Sunday March 24, 1973. One of the longest running dramatic series on television, the show chalked up seventeen seasons on CBS.."

One could narrow it down a little, I assume that is Timmy and not Jeff on the cover:

"The show's first ten seasons follow Lassie's adventures in a small farming community. Fictional eleven-year-old Jeff Miller, his mother, and his grandfather are Lassie's first human companions until seven-year-old Timmy Martin and his adoptive parents take over in the fourth season..."

And the only location here that clicks would be Puerto Rico:

"During the Timmy seasons, episodes were filmed at the Grand Canyon and in the High Sierras,[35] and, during the Forest Service seasons, the Forest Service and the Department of the Interior offered Alaska, Puerto Rico, the Washington Monument and other sites for location shoots.[36]"

The stuff you find out on Wikipedia! Who knew?:

"The show's title character is portrayed in the two pilots by Pal, the MGM film Lassie. Thereafter, five of his male descendants played the role. His son Lassie Junior performed through the Jeff years and first two Timmy years before retiring in 1959 to battle cancer. Though he recovered, Lassie Junior never worked the show again.[11] His son Spook was rushed into the series while his brother Baby was in training for the role. Spook was inadequately prepared and never became comfortable on the set after an overhead light crashed to the floor on his first day. Weatherwax, however, coaxed a natural and seemingly confident performance from the frightened dog, and, for some, Spook's portrayal represents Weatherwax's finest work."

I say!

Martian-tiki, the coyote thing was weird, especially since here on the USA Central Coast, metro Chicago, there are a lot of them in the far-west suburbs.

So, 'bout 11 AM and 7 PM when the two big ones go loping through the snow, across the lawn or golf course...

...your video will come to mind.

But from this point of view, coyotes are definitely NOT Tiki.

Though Lakemaids may well be....