Crypto-Mugs. Do these legends exist and who has them?

:o

On 2014-05-21 12:04, Sabu The Coconut Boy wrote:

(Remember to consume all cocktails in this mug with chopsticks, as illustrated in the menu.)

Are you sure they are not straws, Sabu? :)

On 2014-05-21 07:32, Formikahini wrote:

On 2010-11-13 00:07, Sabu The Coconut Boy wrote:
Has anyone found the Luau Cup, Frustrating Fanny, or Voodoo Bowl from Club Luau in Houston, TX?

How about the Dr. Munk, Log-Cutter, or Keg O' Rum?

Guess what I found this weekend:

Can you say, "personal Holy Grail"?

That is fantastic and a true crypto mug. Congrats!!!!!

Does anyone have the Fire Ant & Dr. Munk cocktail recipe
from the Club Luau?

[ Edited by: Atomic Tiki Punk 2014-05-22 20:42 ]

On 2014-05-22 20:41, Atomic Tiki Punk wrote:
Does anyone have the Fire Ant & Dr. Munk cocktail recipe
from the Club Luau?
Not to my knowledge, but I'm gonna try and nudge my people-who-know people!

Here's one of my holy grails—the pitcher seen in this photo of Don the Beachcomber:

Anyone ever seen or heard of one of these?

TikiTacky. To me the pitcher looks like a plain brown drip glaze pitcher. In the photo it looks like the classic drip glaze pattern. Wish we had a clearer image to narrow the search.

"Anyone who has ever seen them is thereafter haunted as if by a feverish dream" Karl Woermann

[ Edited by: uncle trav 2014-05-24 16:10 ]

Trav,

It looks to me like it says "Don the Beachcomber" and something else on the side.

I Think BIG-BRO had one of these for sale a while back. It said Don the beachcomber on it..Happy hunting:)

I did a search on here but couldn't find anything. I'll give Sven some time to chime in, then I'll pester him. :)

I've started getting more serious about collecting early DTB and TV materials, as my funds will allow. DTB is easy, as there just isn't that much out there, but there's so much TV stuff it's hard to stay focused.

It's a grog pitcher. I don't think I've seen a Don the Beachcomber one but I have seen an Islander one on ebay. Which Islander? Los Angeles or Stockton? Anyone know? It's a rare but they do come up...

I know I have seen more than this one...

Looking through Worthpoint... it seems that in 2008 a "Don Beachcomber Kona Grog" pitcher was sold. No pictures but here's the text from Worthpoint:

Up for auction is a nice old vintage antique commemorative souvenir advertising advertisement mixing cup creamer pitcher.
Advertising Text: DON BEACHCOMBER KONA GROG

Maker: Unknown

Shape: Small little pitcher creamer, or coffee liquor serving pitcher.

Pattern: Banner with the words Don the Beachcomber

Color: Brown

Age: Unknown for sure. This item definitely has some age. It could date to the 1940s - 1960s. I'm not an expert so you be the judge.

Size: It measures about 5." tall

Material: Tan brown pottery clay

The plane! The plane!

[ Edited by: Tattoo 2014-05-25 19:21 ]

Thanks, for the pic, Frank. That is awesome. I knew you'd know what it was.

Thanks for sharing the pic!!! Looks cool

Swoon! That's the one. This place never ceases to amaze me!

So, I picked up the three volume encyclopedia on Imperial Glass from my local library and was using it to look up details on stuff for Ooga Mooga, when I ran across this design for an Aloha Tumbler with dancing hula girls and palm trees:

I went ahead and added a template for it. See here:

http://www.ooga-mooga.com/cgi-bin/all/mug.cgi?mode=view&mug_id=6827

I lifted the pic from online. It's carnival glass and came in a couple of colors and is apparently very rare. I was wondering if anyone actually has one of these in their collection or if it had been used at any restaurants. If there are any other details, I will add them to the template.

Very cool discovery. I love carnival glass and have never seen that before. Now there is something else I have to keep an eye out for.

• Dale

Just got (through the technological marketplace) two pseudo Crypto mugs. Worth listing in this thread I thought.

The first is the Mauna Loa Mexico head hunter mug to serve the Guerrero Fiji.

I also have a more common newer version but I’ve never seen an older all white version.

It seems that these older Mauna Loa Mexico mugs (with the hand painted name on the bottom) have quite a bit a variety to them. They might even all be unique. I’ve seem multiple “Suzy Wong” versions as well with different paint schemes.

The 2nd mug here is from Judge’s Beyond the Reef.

A rather odd and seemingly rare “Tiki” mug. Now this has been discovered before…

http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=38367&forum=2

but here is a second one with similar markings and it came with a matchbook from Beyond the Reef. So at least this does help confirm this as the Beyond the Reef Tiki mug. According to the menu the Sneaky Tiki was served in a “hand designed ceramic Tiki for you to Keep to Remember the Occasion.”

[ Edited by: Tattoo 2014-07-26 00:42 ]

So this seems pretty darn cool. Personally I have never seen this one before and can’t find any other examples of it. The Mai Kai “Barrel O Rum” Mug.

Quite a bit different than the more common dark brown Mai Kai barrel mugs which only have the Mai Kai name on it. This one actually matches the “Barrel O’ Rum” mug depicted in the early menus.

This menu from Arkiva Topika is from 1959 which probably also dates the mug. It is surprising how closely the mug actually matches the menu illustration. Also, it seems to match the barrel mugs on the back shelves in this gift shop picture.

I must admit I was rather surprised that I could not find any other samples like this one. Or at least no one else has posted a picture of it.

The mug is the same (copy?) as the Franciscan pottery version of the Don the Beachcomber barrel mug.

The rivets on the bands match perfectly albeit less sharp. However, the grain of the wood is different and sharp. Maybe it’s also made by Franciscan Pottery or someone copied the DTB mug and re-did the lettering and the grain. No markings on the mug so it’s unclear as to who the maker is although it looks professionally made.

Swanky mentioned that “the history of the Mai-Kai is very tangled up with that of Don the Beachcombers.” So is this another example of that?

I hope Swanky can shed a bit more light on this.

[ Edited by: Tattoo 2014-07-26 01:17 ]

That barrel is odd in that it is so rare. I have one and I know of maybe 2-3 more out there. Odd because it was used for decades and it says Mai-Kai on it, so if it shows up on Ebay it will be listed as Mai-Kai. I have seen it on Ebay maybe once, and I bought that one.

Calendars show this mug being used up into the 70s at least. See July 1972 for an example. It appears to have started life in 1956 at the Mai-Kai, opening day. This is likely from a DtB source, although the size is much smaller than any DtB barrel mug I have. It also matches the original barrel recipe I have which is fewer ounces than the current one.

There are a few more barrels out there from the Mai-Kai that are more rare, but, no evidence they were actually used. A yellow handled barrel like this one I have and have seen a number of others in collections.

I never looked at this image so closely, but on the bottom shelf is a Mai-Kai item I had not seen documented before just now.

A sort of pedestal bowl that I have seen in one collection and was not sure if it was used. A desert bowl that I see was also in the gift shop now.

Announcing Swank Pad and Crazy Al's Molokai Maiden!

[ Edited by: Swanky 2014-07-28 06:22 ]

[ Edited by: Swanky 2014-07-28 06:22 ]

Thanks Swanky for all that info. You are thee Mai Kai expert!!! I had no knowledge of this mug and your expertise is very much appreciated. It's rarity does indeed seem odd given that it might have been in production for 15 years.

[ Edited by: Tattoo 2014-07-28 18:24 ]

Being in use at the restaurant is one thing, but was that Barrel 'O Rum mug ever a take-away souvenir or did they stay on site? Certainly a good many of them would have been swiped by light-fingered patrons, but if it wasn't actually a keepsake included in the menu drink price I can sort of understand it's rarity.

Very cool mug I would love to have though!

My first thought was that the valet's and staff back in the day were better at stopping theft. I have heard from many saying they'd stop people with mugs. But that picture shows practically all the bar ware, including glasses, on a gift shop shelf. I'd bet that image is from 1971ish. So, people could walk out with it in a bag.

Considering the coffee grog cups from that time are pretty easy to get, and you know the barrels were served more than that, you'd think it would be part of every decent collection. I don't have an answer, but am glad I finally own one.

Got mine in 2010.

As a note, the Mai-Kai today goes through as many as 300 barrel mugs a month. Mostly walking out the door, but some through breakage, etc. People took their souvenirs back in the day too... But it was never part of the drink price.

Announcing Swank Pad and Crazy Al's Molokai Maiden!

[ Edited by: Swanky 2014-07-29 07:33 ]

That's a lot of petty thievery. People suck. :(

Back to the true origins of this thread... crypto mugs and who has them? Well, here's one I have always wondered about: the 1944 Life Magazine "Hot Buttered Rum" Skull mug.

We are all familiar with the Tepco/Trader Vic Pointed Skull Mug but as can be seen in the famous Life Magazine article, the one above has a heavy aged look to it. Black smudges and such which appear to be part of the glaze. I have NEVER seen one like that and been on the hunt and looked for years for a blackened vintage Trader Vic's skull mug. Does someone have one???

None of the mugs and bowls of that article that have been found are Tepco. And the 1939 Patent of the Skull Mug is by Trader Vic and not Tepco:

Thus it is fair to presume that the 1944 skull mug is actually not Tepco - like all the other finds of that article. Does anyone have a clue as to who made these early mugs??? Not until the mid 50s did Trader Vic relegate most of his mugs to Tepco but... these early pre-1950 ones, the few I have seen, seem to have no makers mark and feel very homemade.

So, there must be a pre-Tepco Skull mug and... who has one?

[ Edited by: tattoo 2014-07-30 14:03 ]

Good question Tattoo. I too have wondered about that skull mug in the Vic's photo for years. I have the heavy white version that appears different from the one in the Vic's photo

Here is the mark on the bottom of the white mug. The photo is in focus, the mark is just bad. I'm not even sure if mine is by TEPCO. When the Vic's photo is blown up it appears that the skull mug has a liner or glass of some type sitting in the mug and slight differences can be seen between the designs. Hopefully one will turn up. Here is a page from the 1966 TEPCO catalog showing the later incarnations of some of those mugs. The hunt goes on.

I've seen it! My father had one, it live in a drawer with a bunch of other cool stuff that got mislaid during my parents break-up in early 70's.

On 2014-07-30 04:33, uncle trav wrote:
...
.. When the Vic's photo is blown up it appears that the skull mug has a liner or glass of some type sitting in the mug and slight differences can be seen between the designs. ...

It looks to me like the inside is white and there is obviously a drink and cinnamon stick in there. I don't think it has an insert or anything.

Announcing Swank Pad and Crazy Al's Molokai Maiden!

[ Edited by: Swanky 2014-07-30 09:29 ]

Part of me wonders if they just did a quick wash on it to make the details stand out better for the photo. If it was in its natural all white state it would have more than likely been too hard to make out what it was.

-Karl

Looking at the image again I believe that Swanky is correct. Just a white interior set off by the dark glaze.

DRUM ROLL!:

Here is an entry from the Trader Vic's in Hawaii. Some of you may not know that the two Trader Vic's in Honolulu were not owned by Trader Vic. Consequently, the created their own mugs made in Hawaii. Here is the illustrated menu with many of the mugs shown that I clipped from ebay some time back.

Many of the mugs from this menu have been posted on TC but there are still a few that I have not seen documented.

On the bottom right, there is the Scorpion bowl and the Navy Grog mug with the anchor logo. Have we seen these before?
DC

It ain't pretty, but it's the real thing.
Behold Navy Grog:

The shape is not the same as on the menu, but I have no reason to believe it to be fake. I found it in a town just outside of Houston.
Sabu, I think you are right - we've not seen this before 'cause it's just too ugly to catch the eye!
But now I think it's BEAUtiful! :lol:

That is Awesome!!! Congratulations!

Waikiki Tiki; Art, History, and Photographs.
Available now from Bess Press Hawaii.

[ Edited by: Phillip Roberts 2014-07-31 18:43 ]

Alice, you are on a roll!

Did you pick it up because it had an anchor on it, or do you know all these menus backwards and forwards?

Not the latter, that's for sure. (but I'm getting better!)

Funny story - I think I skipped it once before, even.
The seller had a few dozen swizzles in it (photo re-enactment below).

She'd labeled the mug: "Trader Vic's swizzles and mug" and had a price for the whole thing.
My brain: "She doesn't know what she's talking about; that stuff's not Trader Vic's. Everything's 'tiki' to dealers now!"
The green swizzles are all marked "Hilton Hotels in Hawaii."
I hadn't even picked up the mug to look at the bottom last time, but this time, after all the handmade Polynesian Pottery posts here in fact, I had to investigate.

Sure enough, there was the mark.
The anchor mug STILL didn't clearly ring the bell, but the mark on the bottom was close enough to what I remember on my few PP mugs (and again, posts on this thread) that I had to take a chance.

"This could be a really weird/bland Navy Grog mug," kept going through my head as I walked it up to the register.
"I have to take the chance. Worst thing is that I paid for an anchor mug and a buttload of fairly cool swizzles!"

Only thing I found all day, and it's not the mid century bedroom dresser I was looking for, but I'm fine with that :wink:

On 2014-08-01 11:37, Formikahini wrote:

She'd labeled the mug: "Trader Vic's swizzles and mug" and had a price for the whole thing.

Which was? Just Curious... (As you might know, these are P.P. Trader Vic's mugs are what I especially collect...)

Since I plan to sell this, I'll withhold saying outright (it was under $20), but it was enough that I'd not just gone ahead and grabbed it the first time.
Like, $.50 or a couple of dollars? I'da said, "What the Hell!" and scooped it up back when!

I saw these Hawaiian Inn Daytona mugs on eBay. They sold back in June and I was hoping they would show up here so I hope I am not stepping on any toes by posting them. The mugs are by OMC and I have never seen them before so thought they may fit the crypto thread.

"Anyone who has ever seen them is thereafter haunted as if by a feverish dream" Karl Woermann

[ Edited by: uncle trav 2014-08-16 05:05 ]

Wow, Trav. I've never seen those either. Did they go for big money?

On 2014-08-16 09:23, Big Kahuna wrote:
Wow, Trav. I've never seen those either. Did they go for big money?

If I remember right the pair sold for a respectable amount. That's big money to my wallet :D

"Anyone who has ever seen them is thereafter haunted as if by a feverish dream" Karl Woermann

[ Edited by: uncle trav 2014-08-16 17:53 ]

On 2010-03-11 05:33, boutiki wrote:

On 2010-03-06 10:59, Dustycajun wrote:

There is also a crypto Scorpion bowl with bamboo and palm leaves on the menu that I have not seen before.

DC

Tiki Quest page 84
-Duke

Just acquired one of these behemoths and didn't realize it was used at the Polynesian till I browsed through this thread again. So cool to find it in a menu!!! It is HUGE I have to say serves 3-4 in my humble opinion.

Not marked but been told on very good authority that this is Tepco. Indeed it looks and feels like Tepco. And it matches the Tepco bamboo Fogcutter as well:

Apparently the reason why there is no stamp is because of all the curved surfaces on the bottom.

[ Edited by: Tattoo 2014-08-18 17:30 ]

On 2014-02-22 19:38, vegastikidude wrote:
I'm not sure how rare it is but I have the Tapa Punch Mug from the Hilton Hawaiian Village.

[ Edited by: vegastikidude 2014-02-22 19:39 ]

I found this "tapa punch" petroglyph design tiki mug just yesterday and purchased it on fleabay .Much different looking glaze and over all design from vegastikidudes mug that he posted.What do you think Phil Roberts ...have you ever seen one like this before ?

top view inner glaze

back

WOW. I like it. Wait, that's not strong enough. I Freakin' LOVE IT!!!

I've never seen that version before. I'm gonna guess it was a prototype or a jazzed up version that was rejected by HHV. It's also possible that it's a later version that's not done be Terrra Ceramics. While it still has the general design, I think the versions we know would have been easier to make enmass.

Best, Phillip

So cool that another one of these mugs surfaced. They're so rare!

I must admit... had I seen this mug in a junk shop I would have passed it up thinking it was some type of souvenir from New Mexico.

Wonder how many times now I have passed up great mugs by not taking the time to study old menus...

On 2014-08-19 20:39, Freeland wrote:
I must admit... had I seen this mug in a junk shop I would have passed it up thinking it was some type of souvenir from New Mexico.

Wonder how many times now I have passed up great mugs by not taking the time to study old menus...

You beat me to it Freeland and took the words right out of my mouth. It would be really amazing if we could know how many times that HAS actually happened, not just to you or myself but everyone who collects tiki stuff.

When i was there in June i took the time going through matchbook collections i saw in thrift stores/antique shops and it paid off with me finding a handful of tiki related ones. Yet here in Australia i just don't bother looking at matchbook collections because i just do not believe it's worth the time because i just can't imagine i'd ever find anything. But maybe if i did who knows what i'd find. And it's the same thing with these crypto mugs. I might not be anywhere near the epicenter of tiki but who knows how many mugs i've walked past because i don't know what i should be looking for.

On 2014-07-29 19:29, Tattoo wrote:
Back to the true origins of this thread... crypto mugs and who has them? Well, here's one I have always wondered about: the 1944 Life Magazine "Hot Buttered Rum" Skull mug.

We are all familiar with the Tepco/Trader Vic Pointed Skull Mug but as can be seen in the famous Life Magazine article, the one above has a heavy aged look to it. Black smudges and such which appear to be part of the glaze. I have NEVER seen one like that and been on the hunt and looked for years for a blackened vintage Trader Vic's skull mug. Does someone have one???

None of the mugs and bowls of that article that have been found are Tepco. And the 1939 Patent of the Skull Mug is by Trader Vic and not Tepco:

Thus it is fair to presume that the 1944 skull mug is actually not Tepco - like all the other finds of that article. Does anyone have a clue as to who made these early mugs??? Not until the mid 50s did Trader Vic relegate most of his mugs to Tepco but... these early pre-1950 ones, the few I have seen, seem to have no makers mark and feel very homemade.

So, there must be a pre-Tepco Skull mug and... who has one?

---

[ Edited by: tattoo 2014-07-30 14:03 ]

Hmmmm.....so I found this guy a few years ago...I assumed at the time that a hobbyist had re-glazed a white Tepco mug but I liked it and the price was right....hmmmm.....

Whoa! Now, that's cool!

I'll take a closer look when I get home from work but I still think mine is probably a hobbyist mug...Funny how I connected the fogcutter mug in the 1944 Life Mag article with one that I had but never noticed the skull mug...