What's Your Most Obscure Tiki Mug?

I recently found this mug for Doctor Z's Christmas present. It's a Johnny Sens "Frankenstein" tiki, dated 1961 on the mold. The hand-lettered, marking-pen logo really cracks me up. The writing IS underneath the glaze, however, so I assume these were hand-made for the restaurant in Mississippi and not bought new and written on later.

This is definitely the most obscure mug I've ever bought. How about yours?

Do you own:

1. A mug fromm a really obscure restaurant?
2. A mug In a really rare design that you've never seen before?
3. A common mug but in a rare color?
4. Any mug that you've never seen anywhere else?

I'd love to see your pictures and hear your acquisition stories.

Sabu

I have a Munktiki "U Bastard" mug in pink! There was only one and I was lucky enough to pick it up last year! Definately my most prized mug. When I can figure out the damn digital camera, I'll try to post a pic.

Well, it's not really rare I suppose, but I've never seen another one: It's a standard Orchids design with the logo from the Sheraton Airport in London on the back.

It holds a special place in my heart because it says:

"Where Heathrow comes alive!"

...which is hysterical to me. "Oh, wow! Heathrow is so much fun! Let's hang out here every day!"

Here's mine...


Aloha,
:tiki:

[ Edited by: Tiki Royale on 2003-12-29 13:03 ]

that's great TR! it's like the third guy got the day off...

j$

Sabu,
Shelley's family knows the Allman family.
Here is a photo from inside the Allman's Restaurant circa 1954. The pic is from an old Ocean Springs post card collection book.

My most obscure mug is probably this old Tepco/Blue Ridge Mug from Trader vic's, it is very similar to these two Hula girl mug pictures. Maybe my vicious virgin from the Islander is my rarest mug.

Mahalo,
Al

[ Edited by: Alnshely on 2003-12-29 14:24 ]

Great question, Sabu. One mug I think of first is a small moai mug from the Beachcomber in Harrisburg, PA. I'm originally from that area, and hadn't yet seen any tiki mugs from there. My mom found it in a thrift store for 50¢, and she didn't get it at first, thinking it wasn't anything special. She called me saying " I saw one of those tiki mugs that you like to collect, but I'm sure you already have it... it was 50¢, but I didn't get it..." I think by my immediate excitement , she could tell I wanted her to go back to the thrift store, as soon as humanly possible, to get it. She went back there a day or two later, and it was still there. Nice to have a mug that is from an obscure restaurant where I grew up, and that my mom found, and for cheap. Also, 2 heavy Totem Pottery tiki mugs that my mother-in-law found for me while visiting a few years ago, are also some of my not-so-common faves. I'll try to get some photos posted later.

I am the only person I know with one of these...

Ahhh,
The Schoon Tiki Mug.

You have one, or are just showing off your extensive and freakish knowledge? :)

Well, after my highly abundant collection of the rare and beautiful Karate Punch mug, I have to say these:

All of which I know nothing about (except that the top pictured set is somehow related to the MGM TV show The Islanders)

-Z

I have a Schoontiki too! Anyone that has one is extremely lucky! It was a very limited production, designed and produced for a small private party in New York, April 2001.

My most obscure mug is this Zombie Village, I found a pair, and its the only ones I've ever seen....

[ Edited by: Traderpup on 2003-12-29 16:11 ]

Also, I have a couple of these pretty ladies on the right from Tiki Tiki Yokohama in Japan. (This photo taken at Tiki Tiki Shinjuku).

I remember you telling us about the black mug from Japan. Next time you'll have to bring back enough to share!

-Z

I didn't get any of the black ones - they reminded me too much of the red headed stepchildren of the tiki world - Polynesian Village Mugs!

I like the one with the bodacious ta-tas much better...

On 2003-12-29 16:10, Traderpup wrote:

My most obscure mug is this Zombie Village, I found a pair, and its the only ones I've ever seen....

Drool....

I now have a new favorite mug I'll never own.

Nothing really too obscure, compared to some, but I enjoy it.

1 of 2 originals

not a mug but, still cool

Erich

I just picked up(not sure why) a mug that is a beaver or squirrel with hugh balls on it. Does anyone know anything about this mug. Just said made in China. I know I seen a old response on this.

I'm not sure if these are even obscure, but I have never seen them anywhere else.

Not mugs but I have never seen these candle lamps either.

On 2003-12-29 18:24, divychic wrote:
I just picked up(not sure why) a mug that is a beaver or squirrel with hugh balls on it. Does anyone know anything about this mug. Just said made in China. I know I seen a old response on this.

sounds like Tanuki the bear. I have one. I think everyone here has one (they just won't admit to it)

-Z

On 2003-12-29 17:06, ErichTroudt wrote:

Erich

I cringe everytime I see this mug. A few years ago I went to a city wide garage sale held in a parking structure. I found a set of 4 for $10 within 5 minutes of entering. I only had $10, so I thought to myself, "Gee, I wonder if there's something better. I'll come back if I don't see anything else." And yes, they were gone when I came back. UGH! such a Charlie Brown moment.

-Z

i have to say.. it is an ugly little cuss.
but i'd give him a good home if i found him.

looks kinda like a jr high kid tried to make it for their daddy.

Mo-Holler.

• Unkle John: -one man aspiring to be everyone’s favorite unkle.
  http://www.unklejohn.com

[ Edited by: Unkle John on 2003-12-29 22:00 ]

Here's my entry:

It's brand new and came from Clouds, a ceramics studio in Folsom, CA (near Sacramento). You have to see this one in the flesh to truly appreciate the oozing blue-green glaze. I could do without the handle, though.

I've never, ever, ever, ever....ever seen this exact version, other than the one I acquired:

On 2003-12-29 19:58, FLOUNDERart wrote:

Not mugs but I have never seen these candle lamps either.

hey flounder if you make it up to dc before feb 2004, you can see those kon-tiki lites in situ at the honolulu...

j$

(from tikifinds)Look over to the left and you'll see that lamp sans a shade...50 cents at a local thrift store!

I know I've told this story a trillion times but my prized mug is still the Trader Vic's Suffering Bastard decanter that I found for a buck at a thirft store. I know a bunch of people have these but I'm just stoked to have found mine in the wild for real cheep and didn't even know what I had at the time. I almost passed it up too because it was before Sven's book came out. I had little to no idea what I had.

I know it's still possible to find this stuff out there, but I've found it harder and harder to get out to find stuff. I miss those days.

On 2003-12-29 19:58, FLOUNDERart wrote:
I'm not sure if these are even obscure, but I have never seen them anywhere else.

Flounder, I like that Olmec head mug alot. I've seen some bashing of Meso American themed mugs here, so I'm glad you enjoy yours. Does anyone have more info on that mug, I'd love to know more about where it came from.

Thanks, Al, for sharing that postcard of Allmans! I had no idea that a TC member would have a connection to that place. I really like what I can see of those underwater fish paintings on the wall. I've been looking for an old "fish grotto"-type painting forever for my tiki bar and it looks like Allmans had whole walls full of them.

Cyn - That mug of yours is awesome. Never seen such a thing before.

And Tikigreg - Love that South Seas mug. I've got a postcard from the Connecticut location. Didn't know they had custom tiki mugs.

Thanks everybody for posting - and keep 'em coming.

Sabu

On 2003-12-31 12:03, Sabu The Coconut Boy wrote:
Cyn - That mug of yours is awesome. Never seen such a thing before.

My mom (who gave it to me for Xmas -- she is finally starting to "get it" with regards to tiki culture) said Clouds is also selling another design without a handle. This mug is completely different from anything else I've seen at Clouds, and it's not mentioned on their website (www.cloudsporcelain.com). Everything they make is thrown and glazed by hand, so no two items are alike. Zazz!

Aloha,

[ Edited by: filslash 2007-01-06 13:55 ]

I've never seen one of these anywhere. There were 4 of these at the thrift store but I only picked up one. I wasn't even sure if this was a Tiki or something else, like a Care Bear with a woody,

but now I'm thinking it may be a depiction of a Rarotonga tiki. What do you think? In any case, I like the glaze job.

-Sweet Daddy T.
Because crap doesn't buy itself.

blog

[ Edited by: Sweet Daddy Tiki 2008-09-17 22:44 ]

Hey SDT:

Looks tiki to me. So there's 3 left? Which thrift store would that be?

-Slacks Ferret

[ Edited by: filslash 2008-09-10 13:40 ]

Sorry Slacks, they're long gone.

Not mugs but I have never seen these candle lamps either.

Words fail me... envy doesn't even come close to the sensation...

TG

this thread has made me realize i gotta lot of work to do to my collection.......great stuff folks.....great thread......mahalo

This is mine. Da bowl dat looks like this is in da BOT page 184. Sven told me dat their is a small bowl also. So, get 3 different variations with da same design and glaze.
I don't know where it was used or who made'em

no stamp

What ever that is it's smokin. Are those fish?

Noticed that on the bar pic and was going to ask about the bottom design. Thanks for the close ups!

the volcano mug looks like they got da design from braddah Andres Bumatay. Bad ass old school carver!!

On 2004-01-09 18:08, Sweet Daddy Tiki wrote:
I wasn't even sure if this was a Tiki or something else, like a Care Bear with a woody,

ROFLMAO!!!

My collection is really crappy. I only have a few tourist store bought mugs from Florida, except one... I bought a headhunter mug fromt the Jeckyl and Hyde (in NYC's The Village). They had a kick-but tiki bar room upstairs, and they had a few frozen drinks that came with mugs. It's a standard headhunter, but the words "Jeckyl and Hyde" are embedded in the side. I've never seen anyone on here mention them (but I'm sure there's hundreds out there).

Here's mine. At first glance, I thought this mug was an eighth grade ceramics class project since it was so primitive looking. After bringing it home, I discovered that it is actually an early Daga Design.

That little gray mug.....The one that Erich posted the pic of, where is he from??? I picked one of them up along with another nifty handled mug, that has a purplish glaze that goes to brown....If I only had a camera....

I've a bunch of European mugs that are relatively rare in the US, but fairly easy to get hold of over here, so I'll pass on those. My entry is one that you'd take one look at and say, "That's not rare in the slightest", but if you took a closer look, you'd realise it's an odd version of an old favourite.

This 'Harvey's' mug actually came from a place called the 'Duva Den' in Guam, MI.
I'll post better pics once I get it out of storage.

Trader Woody

*On 2003-12-30 06:59, Johnny Dollar wrote *hey flounder if you make it up to dc before feb 2004, you can see those kon-tiki lites in situ at the honolulu...

And if you can't make that deadline, they are at the Kona Kai in Athens, Greece. (Far right with a little metal shade on top)
Yeah, it's a little far to go to see a lamp, but you could take in the Olympics this summer!

Trader Woody

I think this one is pretty obscure.