TikiFarm's recent mugs

But it is very much alive & well in the works of Notch, Gecko, Crazy Al Evans & Danny Gallardo
and others....

On 2013-10-21 17:18, Atomic Tiki Punk wrote:
But it is very much alive & well in the works of Notch, Gecko, Crazy Al Evans & Danny Gallardo
and others....

Yeah, because those artists never have done any Devils, Aliens, Guitars, sunglasses, etc in their work.... :wink:

[ Edited by: lunavideogames 2013-10-21 18:13 ]

On 2013-10-21 16:43, TikiTacky wrote:
I feel like this thread is turning into "My concept of tiki is better than yours." All I wanted to do was lament the recent dearth of traditional form tiki mugs.

I am sorry you are reading that into it. That's not my intent, though. I like having opinions, being able to share them, and then finding other people that have similar viewpoints. I also am interested in what other people think. Remember, nowhere in this thread (or really any other thread) has myself or anyone else said certain things suck......quite the opposite. I mentioned how creative some of those designs are, even said that I could not make them myself. They are true artwork, no doubt. Just not my cup of tiki. And I personally don't think they really related to tiki.

What I think what Lucas is really try to say is that we need more sex in this thread!
yea that's what he is saying......for better Tiki mugs, you need more sex.

[ Edited by: Atomic Tiki Punk 2013-10-21 18:23 ]

On 2013-10-21 18:22, Atomic Tiki Punk wrote:
What I think what Lucas is really try to say is that we need more sex in this thread!
yea that's what he is saying......for better Tiki mugs, you need more sex.

[ Edited by: Atomic Tiki Punk 2013-10-21 18:23 ]

Ok? That photoshop of Spike in the other thread that Grog made........

:)

On 2013-10-21 14:17, Atomic Tiki Punk wrote:
Speaking for myself Lucas, I dig both also, but....as I am old,I was lucky to
have experienced the real thing & that is my baseline for what it should be

I love nothing better then going into an old Tiki Bar(or accurate recreation of one) & Hawaiian or
old 50s/60s pop is playing in the background
(yes that is what you heard at most of these places,back then) but I also came from the
Punk rock & lowbrow art scenes, so I have an appreciation for that also.

If you make me choose only one though I would pick the old school traditional Polynesian bar
and be happy as a clam (are they really happy?) and yes Punk, Hot-rod, Tattooed & pierced pinups etc. are not "Tiki"
but I can dig em too.

[ Edited by: Atomic Tiki Punk 2013-10-21 14:17 ]

Right on younger braddah Lance!

[ Edited by: nui 'umi 'umi 2013-10-21 20:36 ]

Thanks lunavideogames, I was way to lazy to post pics and hoped my smiley face would portray my sarcasm...

Its not just Tiki Farm, its all the artists. They are talented people putting out damn fine products..... and it must be selling or they wouldn't keep doing it.

To quote clark griswald..."you really think it matters Eddie?"..... I mean, so what if they add devils or spaceships, or guitars or hotrods....

Seriously, we are discussing if new mugs offend a Fad from 60 years ago, that basically poked fun at real polynesian gods and mixed in chinese and PNG because it looked cool...they made up random tikis that had no polynesian qualities and mixed in nautical decor. In other words we aren't curing cancer here people, its a mug.... a mug thats slightly outside of a 60 year old box, that was slightly outside of historically correct box....

I personally have very little new stuff in my collection. Most of it I dislike and the few pieces I do like is way too much money or so limited in quantity that its just not practical for me. Thats said, I'm not losing any sleep about a tiki mug wearing sunglasses... its easier to not buy it and look at the stuff I do like.

On 2013-10-20 23:02, Atomic Tiki Punk wrote:
Well in historical terms any Tiki (Vintage) mug that came from an
established Polynesian Bar/restaurant during the golden era of Tiki
is a Tiki Mug.

This is pretty much the way i would define it also. But although i do agree with ATP, which i do more often than you might think believe it or not, where do you draw the line? The term 'tiki mug' is something that would have come about far more recently rather than during that period. I can't imagine the people who frequented the bars and restaurants during the golden era would have called them that. They would have just called them ceramic mugs, or cups, and 'the one shaped like a coconut', or 'the bamboo one', or 'the one with that funny face on it'.

The problem is that by defining all the mugs from that era as tiki mugs that also therefore includes those that did not have a tiki on it, as TikiTacky feels is how they should be defined. That means the coconut mugs and pineapples, and starboard/port lights, and the Benihana mugs and also that hideous Stephen Crane 'Ku' that tikicoma posted.

Technically they are not 'tiki mugs', they are ceramic mugs that were used for the purpose of serving exotic/tropical drinks in, and for which they are still made and used for today. However, if we go by the definition that they were given their name because of the golden era, then any and all mugs made after devolution are no longer tiki mugs, they just become ceramic mugs again. Which is what they all are.

But if all those mugs that do not have an actual image of a tiki on them can be called tiki mugs then what's the difference with calling those that this original post is about then, regardless of how you feel about them. I mean, where does this fit in?

It's made for a bar that i'm sure no-one will disagree with as being a 'proper' tiki bar. It's designed to hold exotic/tropical drinks and it kinda has a tiki on it but it's really a slot machine with a face. Is it a tiki mug or isn't it?

Personally i think that The Goof, and Mr. Bali Hai, and Tiki Bob, and all the Benihana mugs, and countless others are hideous and look nothing like a tiki, but i have to accept that they are because of their place in history.

We live in a different world surrounded by different influences and interests that can and do crossover. It is inevitable that people are going to combine those things together whether the purists like it or not.

On 2013-10-18 17:06, ErichTroudt wrote:

While tiki central and a few people may have Decreed what Tiki is ..... there are people who disagree, don't understand, or don't care.

Whilst there were points made here by most people i agree with, even while other points in the same comment i might not have, it's the quote above that i probably agree with the most. I personally dislike all the mugs that were referenced in this thread and you know what? I won't buy any of them, but there are people who will because they don't care. And neither do i. It doesn't affect me and i'll spend my money elsewhere.

The problem inherent in establishing "rules" is that for every rule there will appear at least three exceptions: look at the history of law and organized religion. But there always exist ideals to which we should aspire, whether they're the basics of civilization, or art as we're discussing here. Once you throw out the ideal--and the guidance it provides--it all goes down the toilet. Think, for example, of how art has degenerated from Leonardo da Vinci to the modern quacks who jack off on a stretched canvas: that is symptomatic of a rampant relativism which destroys the ideal.

We can say that aliens have no place in tiki (and be right), but then Munktiki gives us this...

Singa is potentially both, but blurs the definitions because of the obvious inspiration and the excellence of the execution. Singa earns his place in the pantheon because of the genuineness of his inspiration: his adherence to the ideal, rather than to a limiting conformity to "the rules".

The reductionist argument that we're just talking about pop culture cups is certainly true, but evades the responsibility of the tiki torchbearer to be truthful to the ideal. If we keep going down the road away from the timeless (the tiki image), we can only end up in the realm of the insipid (the grinning idiot).

I don't think anyone here wants to see the day when only a handful of tikiphiles, no matter how well-intentioned, gets to determine what tiki becomes, because it may not lie within the commonality of that ideal.

Of course. No one wants anything censored.

But I also don't think that if one has a dissenting opinion, he needs to be shouted down.

Seriously, tiki "experts", is your skin that thin that you can't take ANY criticism?

You seriously have to accuse me of having a "chip on my shoulder" for having a different take on what is tiki?

(that's not directed at you WD, by the way)

On 2013-10-20 20:40, tikicoma wrote:
To push it a little further, is this tiki or just a horrible clown head mug (imho :wink:) accepted as a "Ku mug" because Stephen Crane Assoc. designed it?

[ Edited by: tikicoma 2013-10-20 21:50 ]

That mug is actually a tiki god which I believe is called the Fisher god or some such. I tried to find a better picture, and I know I've seen one here on TC. Here's the best picture I could find, and it's not exact.

On 2013-10-22 06:13, White Devil wrote:
We can say that aliens have no place in tiki (and be right).

Can you prove that aliens were not the 'first man'?

We all know that humans are the result of alien manipulation of simian DNA. If you need proof that we're different from our creators, just take a look at Tiki Pimp's current website.

only thing missing from this thread is bigbrotiki, setting the record straight for us and simultaneously trying to sell us a book !! :)

SHAZZAM! ....You called? Here I am, setting the record straight on that very last statement: That must be the oddest thing I've heard here for a while - WHERE have I ever tried to SELL my books here (except when they were published): I don't make any real money on my books. And considering my number of posts, when do I ever flaunt the fact that I wrote them, as in "I am the author of..."?

I may be perceived as doing so, because a.) many here know that I wrote the books, and b.) I have strong opinions on what makes Tiki unique, and I can back them up with intelligent arguments, but all I am "selling" here is my belief of what constitutes the true character of Tiki style.

There are others who have made way more money in Tikidom from its revival and from my research, and I am completely fine with that, commerce is a driving factor in any pop culture. But I am very sensitive to anyone insinuating I have commercial motives. I am very happy that I have regular work as a cameraman and can pay my bills that way, and that Tiki has remained a hobby - not work.

And this is a good point to make about many of the folks involved in making and doing things in Tiki today: As far as I can tell, for most it is still an activity that they are into because first of all, they love Tiki, while the making money aspect comes later. I think that is one of the things that makes our little community great, kudos to everyone for that!

On 2013-10-22 20:18, Tipsy McStagger wrote:
only thing missing from this thread is bigbrotiki, setting the record straight for us and simultaneously trying to sell us a book !! :)

Tipsy, nothing but respect for your opinions and I enjoy your posts very much. Bigbro needs no one to cover his back but I think you’re a bit off base with the latter part of your statement. Not trying to start a brouhaha-lets all have fun!
Cheers,
David

Wait! there's money in Tiki?

I have it on good authority that Sven is actually selling himself on the Reeperbahn
for money.....soooo.... :P

Thanks Nui' Umi, it's good to hear people care. Tipsy and I go way back, he likes to step on people's toes, and was yanking my chain, and I went for it. :D

This is a fascinating discussion, with some very interesting opinions.

From my own personal perspective, I can see the value in Tiki Farm's lowbrow mugs and other lowbrow influences on tiki, even though I don't actually possess any mugs that would fall outside the classical tiki definition. Before I even knew about tiki as a pop-cultural thing, I was just really into contemporary tourist tiki carvings, having travelled somewhat throughout the South Pacific.

My interest in the carvings organically led me to discover the tiki scene some years later and, interestingly enough, through purveyors of the tiki crafts that bend the rules (like Tiki Farm, amongst others) I've since been led on to discover other incredible artistic avenues, like the lowbrow, surf and hot rod world. So while I'd agree that none of that stuff is classic tiki... it's still really awesome and definitely has a place alongside it.

Wow talk about déjà vu!
The Society for Creative Anachronisms went all of this ~30 years ago.
Conclusion, it’s a damn big tent, one man’s crap is another’s gold, yes people are going to make money off it, no there is nothing you can do beyond whining and annoying everyone so deal with it.
'S'all good!

TikiTacky, I went back to your original post then to TikiFarms site. Yes there are mugs that are hot rod/lowbrow inspired but many more that are tiki inspired. Even on that first page (the latest mugs?) there are a couple I admired for there "tiki" cred. Of the hot rods at least one was under their "liquid lowbrow" moniker not TikiFarm.

Also I have to say that we are lucky that TikiFarm and other ceramists are making any tiki mugs, making other styles of mugs is great if it helps to keep them in business and making the mugs we appreciate.

TikiGreg, the Crane mug does look much more like the statue you showed, but on TC and Ooga-Mooga it is nearly universally called the Stephen (Steve) Crane Ku mug . Turns out that it should really be called the Stephen Crane "War God" mug after the drink served in it at Cranes' Kon-Tiki restaurants (and, yes, among other things Ku is a war god).

As for what's a "real" tiki mug, I'll collect what I'm drawn to you can collect what you want and I'll try to hold my tongue when I see a bunch of Benihana mugs at your home bar.

aloha, tikicoma

On 2013-10-22 22:16, zond2 wrote:
Conclusion, it’s a damn big tent, one man’s crap is another’s gold, yes people are going to make money off it, no there is nothing you can do beyond whining and annoying everyone so deal with it.
'S'all good!

I don't recall anyone complaining about folks making a profit: the argument has been (and apparently will continue to be) whether commercial success justifies an artistic sellout. If you can swallow the premise that the one demands the other, then of course the argument settles itself. I just don't buy into the defense that one has to cheapen, degrade and dilute a creative idiom in order to remain viable within it. Quite the opposite: the history and tradition of the idiom obliges the creator to elevate his output to the highest level achievable, not reduce it to its low-browest common denominator.

On 2013-10-22 22:01, bigbrotiki wrote:
Thanks Nui' Umi, it's good to hear people care. Tipsy and I go way back, he likes to step on people's toes, and was yanking my chain, and I went for it. :D

thanks sven !! I knew you would "get" my warped humor..... and thanks for the lengthy and informative response. :)

I just did a quick inventory. Tiki Farm lists 36 mugs and shot glasses currently on their website. Of those, I would say eight would be considered traditional form and wouldn't be out of place in a restaurant like the Mai Kai (and that's including a coconut mug).

As has been noted, there are lots of other artists producing traditional form tiki mugs, but they tend to start at $65 and go up from there (or, in the case of Crazy Al or Gecko, they start at more than I have and go up from there!). This isn't surprising, really—a huge amount of work goes into making these mugs, and unless you're mass producing them there's simply no reasonable way to bring the costs down.

I don't fault Tiki Farm for offering what sells. They never claimed to only cater to the traditional tiki crowd (whatever that is), and I don't feel they "sold out." As a collector who happens to be more of a "purist," I simply wish there were more offerings available that were cheaper. It's not a judgement, but more of a lament.

On 2013-10-23 08:39, Tipsy McStagger wrote:

On 2013-10-22 22:01, bigbrotiki wrote:
Thanks Nui' Umi, it's good to hear people care. Tipsy and I go way back, he likes to step on people's toes, and was yanking my chain, and I went for it. :D

thanks sven !! I knew you would "get" my warped humor..... and thanks for the lengthy and informative response. :)

Tipsy, Looks like I went for it too.Accept my sincere apology and keep posing!
Cheers
Btw, your “handle "is pretty cool.

Hey if I wanted all of your opinions, I would give them to you, now who wants a drink :lol:

On 2013-10-23 20:34, Atomic Tiki Punk wrote:
Hey if I wanted all of your opinions, I would give them to you, now who wants a drink :lol:

They will be flowing Saturday!
Cheers

On 2013-10-23 20:21, nui 'umi 'umi wrote:

On 2013-10-23 08:39, Tipsy McStagger wrote:

On 2013-10-22 22:01, bigbrotiki wrote:
Thanks Nui' Umi, it's good to hear people care. Tipsy and I go way back, he likes to step on people's toes, and was yanking my chain, and I went for it. :D

thanks sven !! I knew you would "get" my warped humor..... and thanks for the lengthy and informative response. :)

Tipsy, Looks like I went for it too.Accept my sincere apology and keep posing!
Cheers
Btw, your “handle "is pretty cool.

no worries !! - :) .... and i can't take credit for my "handle" - it's from the simpsons !!

[ Edited by: Tipsy McStagger 2013-10-24 05:08 ]

"no worries !! - .... and i can't take credit for my "handle" - it's from the simpsons !!"

On the documentary Plastic Paradise there's talk of a Tiki McStagger is that your brother?

Considering Sven's books are out of print....not sure how he can do much selling of them here! I just saw the one post where BOT is going for 73 bucks, because they are now collector items!

I am holding on to my copy of BOT and TM forever. My BOT is one of the first ones, actually.

Place thread here:

This thread has had some derailing! I particularly like that BigBroTiki appeared with a SHAZZAM when called :)

On 2013-10-21 16:43, TikiTacky wrote:
I feel like this thread is turning into "My concept of tiki is better than yours." All I wanted to do was lament the recent dearth of traditional form tiki mugs.

Ha ha :)

Anyway...

RE: Whats your definition of a tiki mug?

On 2013-10-20 08:03, TikiTacky wrote:

1. It's a mug. 2) It has the image of a tiki on it.

On 2013-10-20 15:06, AdOrAdam wrote:
Too narrow. What about barrel mugs & coconut mugs? Or the Trader Vics coffee grog skull mug? :wink:

I thought about this post & thought 'Ill post a good selection of mugs & they'll still count as tiki mugs...'

And then I realised... Yes, only one of the mugs in my photo is a 'tiki' mug, the tangaroa one.

The barrel & bamboo are sort of 'non tiki tiki mugs' - i.e. traditional style mugs that would not be out of place in a tiki bar. Skull & coconut mugs etc would also be in this category. The Hemmingway mug is too much of a stretch - likely classified as a 'character' mug.

Tikitacky, I stand corrected! :)

But are they low brow?...

Im not sure what that 'tiki slot machine' mug on page 4 counts as (?!) but I imagine most people would agree on low brow.

Low brow to me means a tie in to comics, monsters, superheroes, hot rods, grafiti,and skateboarding, etc.. not fine literature....so that hemmingway mug hardly is low brow, in my opinion. It would fit perfectly in a tiki bar, as would the barrel and bamboo mug. again...my opinion. Just like we have all agreed that nautical decor fits in a tiki bar, and it does not really feature any tiki in it. Again, my opinion.

[ Edited by: lucas vigor 2013-10-24 16:01 ]

Tiki Farm just came out with three new mugs. Alas...

All designed by our own "Big Toe" (Tom)

Nice work, Tom! Congrats! If you can share, I'd be curious to know what the process is like designing for Tiki Farm?

I no longer visit their site as a place to spend money, but at least it's good for a (sad) chuckle. Sure makes my trigger finger itch...

[ Edited by: White Devil 2013-11-29 08:55 ]