Tikiskip: Guide to tiki bar lights, Identification of styles, ect...

Hi Skip, glad you asked before the lamp got put up here is the picture of the inside lining

Have people come across these before? I've seen a few now. Mine is a tad on the mundane side. Nice for adding a little lighting here and there in areas with out a lot of space.

Also... Seems like most tiki lighting is all about the swag lamp or fixed hanging lamp. I know there's other stuff out there, table lamps, sconces, etc.Be interesting delving into a bit of that, since it seems to get less attention.

And now I just saw that there's already a whole table lamp thread! Excellent!

My Kahiki Lamp has been resurrected from about 14yrs in storage the other lamps have only had to wait 6 to 8yrs
mission accomplished?

Nice light Teadoir, it looks like a TV lamp. (see below)
Thanx for adding it.

I had a thread that showed some other table lights.
Really surprised that these are not more collected by tiki nutz.

Tikiskips guide to, Coconut lamps light, Shell,Bamboo Frames, Tiki, tropical decor
http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=17851&forum=5

TV Lamp
In the 1950s, the first decade of mass television adoption, there was a common belief that watching TV in low light could damage one's eyesight. But early televisions, with their dull luminescence, were best viewed in the dark. So the TV lamp was invented to add a little light to the room and dispel people’s fears.

Originally a dime-store item which sold for as little as a $1.50, TV lamps were small figurine lamps styled to look like animals, people, plant life, or other objects. Lacking a shade like a normal lamp, the bulb created a silhouette of the lamp’s shape, casting its illumination on the wall behind the TV to create a kind of a mood lighting.

Made for about a decade, these lamps surpassed their utilitarian purposes and were likely purchased as a trendy means of home decor—the TV top was yet another surface for a housewife to adorn. Some TV lamps were also planters, which people would water in spite of the lamp and plant’s proximity to electric wires. Others featured clocks and even radios.

There were thousands of TV lamp designs, produced by at least 100 manufacturers. Often made of plaster, the most collectible TV lamps were ceramic. They came shaped as everything under the sun, many echoing the designs of ceramic figurines—leafy plants, pieces of fruit, dogs, birds, exotic and domestic cats, owls, deer, horses, mermaids, clowns, or Asian people in traditional dress. Inanimate objects were also popular, be it seashells, stagecoaches, wagon wheels, crystals, a moon and some stars, theatrical masks, accordions, or boats.

Some of these vintage TV lamps are quite peculiar, and appeal to those who are drawn to "kitsch" and other oddities from the era, like sci-fi B-movies. Purely nostalgic collectors are attracted to TV lamps as a symbol of more innocent times. In addition, TV lamps are probably a close cousin to plaster figurative lamps, which proliferated in the United States in the 1940s and ’50s, and featured stereotypical characters like matadors, hula dancers, and Nubian princesses.

Even though the TV-lamp era lasted for only 10 years, newer copies have been made by taking molds from original lamps.

Nice to see that lit up pa'akiki!
Looks like the same paper.
See the like over one inch overlap of the paper.
I would have hid that seam behind the four rattan things that ran up the sides,
and made them smaller.

Still a very cool light.

Here are some other lights to check out....
Orchids of Hawaii lamps (image heavy)
http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?mode=viewtopic&topic=9865&forum=5&start=30

So I just saw the movie Across the Pacific (1942) with Humphrey Bogart, and what
do I see but the basket you have pa'akiki that is used for your Kahiki lamp.

This basket was being used as a side table in The old Hotel Continental
in a guest room.
This is why I keep them on hand as tables for our pool deck during parties.

BUT, this kind of tells us this style of basket was around in 1942.
Who knows how many years they made them.
But heck the basket they used for this light at the Kahiki could have been
20 years old when they used it making it possibly as old as 75 years to date.

That's a long time for rattan to be around!

Also saw this basket in the movie To Have and Have Not. (1944)

Ok, only a tiki light geek would even care about that, but there it is.

Love this quote....
Rick Leland: Don't be an innocent bystander; they always get hurt.

[ Edited by: tikiskip 2015-11-06 06:29 ]

Hi Skip, Great eye to have noticed it. Amazing to think how old my Kahiki lamp could be. It lives on in my little Tiki Pad with all the other old Tiki treasures I have collected. It was a challenge to hang these lights as they don't come with regular housing for the bulbs and I cant attach them direct to the ceiling as I have no attic my ceiling is the actual roof. They all operate on different switches so as I can change the mood of the room.

What an awesome thread. Thank you for all the great photos

A few more basket lights or sometimes also called a bird cage lamp.
See this is an upside down bird cage made into a Tiki bar light.

•:''':•:''':•:''':•:''':•:''':•:''':•:''':•:''':•:''':•:''':•:''':•:''':•
HAPPY VALENTINES DAY from TIKISKIP! Now buy your lover a Light!!

Lights for home and
commercial TIKI bars.

[ Edited by: tikiskip 2016-02-17 11:55 ]

Here are a few more of the basket style lamps before we move on to Fish trap lights.

First we see the types of baskets that might be used for making these types of lights.
I had done a how too here on TC but forget where I put it.

Other basket style tiki bar lights.
These can be large or small.
This makes them perfect for the home tiki bar where a large tiki light
may overwhelm your space.

This is an original basket style light from the Kahiki.

see again this is a bird cage style light.

-==--==--==--==-Google "Tiki bar lights" To find TIKISKIP-==--==--==--==-

¦:-·:''"":·.-:¦:-**-:¦:-·:''"":·.-:¦

[ Edited by: tikiskip 2016-02-17 11:57 ]

Thanks for the info Skip.

You got it El Jefe, more to come.

Next up is the Fish trap style tiki light.
Also called an eel trap lamp or light as well.

They are called this because that's what they are, or at least were at one time.
Now they do make fake versions of these just to replicate a real trap like the ones
you would see in a Trader Vic's.

These types of lamps are made of rattan, Bamboo, sticks or even metal.
Bamboo and rattan are the ones mostly used in tiki bars.

They come in all sizes and you can be tricked on eBay if they use metric and you
think the thing is 3 foot but it comes to you more like 8 inches.
The ones on eBay have gone up in price and are hard to find at a low price lately.
Here is a replica of a fish trap made into a light for Trader Vic's....

On this light I had to add the paper on the inside the rope hanger and a door I think.
Don't like to see the light bulb on my lights.

Here is a real trap in an antique store.

Will post more images soon.

(from my book TIKI POP)

Above right is an elaborate Tiki bar fish trap lamp, below it is an authentic Tahitian fish trap from the coffers of the Musee QuaI Branly in Paris.

The Tiki bar fish trap lamp came with three resin floats, bedded in fishnet interwoven with plastic foliage, and has a Toucan sitting on it.

These lamps could be found at the Sea & Jungle shop. The only one in situ I know of used to hang at the Alibi in Portland.

Great lights Sven! Thanks for adding them.
Love this one,
“The Tiki bar fish trap lamp came with three resin floats”

You have one of these in your house I think.
Sven’s books and his house are great inspirations for lighting ideas.

Forgot about all the pic’s in your books that would work in this thread.
Do not just want to rip photos and paste without your approval though.

Should maybe add all the known makers/sellers of tiki lights to this thread as well.

Here is a link to Sven's home bar page on TC.
http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?mode=viewtopic&topic=45415&forum=20&start=60

[ Edited by: tikiskip 2016-02-19 04:44 ]

Here's the lamp at Alibi.

That light is so cool.
And those globes are plastic or resin.
Have seen these types of globes at Christmas time
but did not think they would work for Fish float lights.

Would work for these.

More fish trap lights.

Here is a fish trap inspired light by MonkeyMan.

This is a fish trap inspired light made by me Tikiskip.
Light is made out of an old rattan chair that I took apart
and used the rattan sticks to make the light with.

"Roses are red, these floats are blue, Send me some money and they belong to you"..."TIKISKIP"

Great looking work Skip!

Hello! I work at The Alibi in Portland, and we just recently acquired over 20 tiki lamps from the old home Tiki Bar in the basement of Roy Ell, the man who 'tiki-fied' The Alibi in the late 40's, early 50's. All of these lamps have been in the basement bar since the late 50's, basically untouched. We are working on getting them all cleaned up and hung up inside The Alibi!

Any information on them as far as manufacturers/locations where they might have come from, would be of great help! I can't wait to get them all up and in view again after all these years of being hidden

Wow, Wow, WOW!!

Today is my payday!
This is why I start threads like this in the hope that somebody will post info or images like these.

Do want to thank all who have added to my threads over the years but this is one of the best ever.
Thank you and if I can help you in anyway to get these fixed and lit let me know.
Can see that the one fish trap light may have some problems that I do have ideas on how to fix.
Would not cost anything but ship charges to me and back to you.

Thanks again!!!

On 2016-03-02 00:34, DixonAlibi wrote:
Hello! I work at The Alibi in Portland, and we just recently acquired over 20 tiki lamps from the old home Tiki Bar in the basement of Roy Ell, the man who 'tiki-fied' The Alibi in the late 40's, early 50's. All of these lamps have been in the basement bar since the late 50's, basically untouched. We are working on getting them all cleaned up and hung up inside The Alibi!

Any information on them as far as manufacturers/locations where they might have come from, would be of great help! I can't wait to get them all up and in view again after all these years of being hidden

If you have any other photos or info please add them as well.
AWESOME!

Fantastic collection

On 2016-03-02 04:13, tikiskip wrote:

If you have any other photos or info please add them as well.
AWESOME!

We know very little about where they all came from, I believe some were from Orchids of Hawaii, but past that, I'm not sure. I'll try to get more photos of them as we clean them up and place them around the bar!

Wow!: All the classics in one swoop! Even the damn Beachcomber Jug lamp, I thought I owned the last one!

Well that one (and some of the others) would be from Oceanic Arts in Whittier, CA:

Another source is likely to have been Sea & Jungle in Glendale, CA:

It's entirely possible that Orchids of Hawaii in the Bronx made some of those lights, too, but I only have a "late Tiki" catalog from the 90s from them:

You have a real treasure there, these lamps are not being made anymore, and have not been for decades. It is great that they are going up in an original Tiki bar, and I dare say that they will make The Alibi into THE Polynesian paradise with the most impressive lamp firmament in the U.S. (..which it had been close to being already)!

Some of those lights are truly amazing and that jug lamp is awesome Sven.

I had wanted to make my own lights for a while and it was my trip to the Hukilau and the Mai Kai in 2014 that really blew my mind and inspired me to get off my butt and make some when i got home. I couldn't believe how many lights are hanging up in that place, and a lot of them were not even working.
(On a side note, does anyone know how many lights there are in the Mai Kai EXACTLY? Swanky, i'm looking at you. I have asked a few people but no-one could answer that).

If i make it back to the U.S. it looks like i'm going to have to put The Alibi at the top of my list of places to visit. I'd love to see all these lights posted in person.

On 2016-03-02 22:06, bigbrotiki wrote:
Wow!: All the classics in one swoop! Even the damn Beachcomber Jug lamp, I thought I owned the last one!

Well that one (and some of the others) would be from Oceanic Arts in Whittier, CA:

Another source is likely to have been Sea & Jungle in Glendale, CA:

It's entirely possible that Orchids of Hawaii in the Bronx made some of those lights, too, but I only have a "late Tiki" catalog from the 90s from them:

You have a real treasure there, these lamps are not being made anymore, and have not been for decades. It is great that they are going up in an original Tiki bar, and I dare say that they will make The Alibi into THE Polynesian paradise with the most impressive lamp firmament in the U.S. (..which it had been close to being already)!

The green jug one is close, but ours has a Puffer inside it! All these lamps will put us at 80 authentic vintage Tiki lamps!!

[ Edited by: DixonAlibi 2016-03-03 00:10 ]

Coke and other soft drink syrups used to come in bottles much like those.
Restaurants used to put the syrup into a stainless steel canister and then this would hook up to your dispenser and mix the Co2.

So on that Beachcomber Jug lamp does it have a hole cut in the bottom to change the light?
Would like to make one of those.

See like this, thank you eBay.

Yah, the Alibi is a place worth visiting.

Skip, nice to know where those come from. The jug lamp has its glass bottom cleanly sawed off, and sits in a recessed wood base:

Then there is a hole in the wood bottom, with a lid and locks, very convenient:

Note that all the wood has sand glued to it, one of those loving touches I adore :)

By the way, down here in L.A., most of the float lamps I have seen are in the pebbled resin style. All the lamps at Kelbo's…

…and Bahooka…

…were resin. Here are some of the bamboo fish traps at the Alibi:

Only Trader Vic's had the expensive glass floats :)

[ Edited by: bigbrotiki 2016-03-03 12:06 ]

Beautiful pic's Sven!
And the one fish trap hangs upside-down, love it.
Thanks for the close ups too, looked on line and dam the cheapest bottle was like $40.00 to your door.

I will find one.

For me the pebbled resin style globes have the best glow as they kinda sparkle.

Also, my jug lamp is frosted from the inside. I just noticed the Alibi-find jug lamp has a puffer fish in it, so it's clear, like the "sea life" ones in the O.A. catalog, with shells and coral.

I bought mine at O.A. in the 90s.

On 2016-03-03 11:32, bigbrotiki wrote:
Yah, the Alibi is a place worth visiting.

Here are some of the bamboo fish traps at the Alibi:

Only Trader Vic's had the expensive glass floats :)
[ Edited by: bigbrotiki 2016-03-03 12:06 ]

The bamboo fish trap we acquired below is a smaller version, but has three lit glass floats. We have another similar small one currently hanging as well!

Dixon,

Here's some info I came up with on a few of your lamps. Hope it helps. I got out the old Jungle and Sea imports pamphlet with the names and code numbers of the lamps they sold.

In the catalog, there is one very similar...its not exact though. So I'm not positive. Said it was called "Bamboo Hanging light 147L"

This one was very close to the catalog pic, with only the chain being different. "Tapa Drum hanging Light 146L"

The one in the catalog had flowers around the outside, but very similar otherwise. "Shell fish trap hanging light 143L"

They had one close to this, but the bamboo trap completely covered the float inside. It also had seaweed on it. "Pogo Hanging Light 136L"

This one was 100% no doubt the same as the catalog. They list it as "Big Mouth Wall Tiki Light 172L"

The green float light you posted looks very similar to one in the catalog, except the netting and chain is completely different. Maybe it was re-tied or bought somewhere else. I don't wanna speculate.

Sorry I don't know more, but at least you know a few of them most likely came from the old Jungle and Sea Imports.

Erich

That is the coolest light ever.

DixonAlibi You may want to start a new thread that says something like...
"looking for info on Roy Ell, the man who 'tiki-fied' The Alibi in the late 40's"

What this will do is cast a net out to the internet and maybe catch family or friends, relatives ect of Roy Ell as these people may do a search on him and be dragged here.

It has worked before.

Again Thanks Sven and DixonAlibi you have given me new hope that all is not lost on TC.
This is what I come here for!

"The green float light you posted looks very similar to one in the catalog, except the netting and chain is completely different. Maybe it was re-tied or bought somewhere else. I don't wanna speculate."

I will speculate as it is a hobby of mine.
That "Net" on the green float light looks like one of those bags people would get to carry beach towels ect.

Remember they made these lights out of any old crap they could find.
And it could be a remake by the owner after original net fell off.

Had a Kahiki light I swear the net was once a Nerf basket ball net at one time.

On 2016-03-03 16:24, tikiskip wrote:
That is the coolest light ever.

DixonAlibi You may want to start a new thread that says something like...
"looking for info on Roy Ell, the man who 'tiki-fied' The Alibi in the late 40's"

What this will do is cast a net out to the internet and maybe catch family or friends, relatives ect of Roy Ell as these people may do a search on him and be dragged here.

It has worked before.

Again Thanks Sven and DixonAlibi you have given me new hope that all is not lost on TC.
This is what I come here for!

I'll do that! We recently met with Roy's son and have been getting more and more history from him. The sale of Roy's old house has also allowed us to find out more! We are still trying to get the bar and wooden tikis out of the basement!

I'm going to go around soon and take photos of every lamp we have here so that there is a definitive photo library of everything!

Good Afternoon everyone!

Here are all the lamps we currently have hanging inside The Alibi! We are in the process of cleaning them as we re-arrange to accommodate the 'new' ones!

The 'New' jug lamp with the Puffer inside!



















We have another one of these almost side-ways drum lamps that needs a new chain.







There are 5 of these torches, two with the original glass flame tip, and three with reproduced glass.






10 of these bamboo ones hang above the bar, all with the same carvings







small glass globes in this one!




We are currently repairing this shell lamp. Months ago someone threw a chair across the bar and knocked it down, so we have been finding older shells to replace the broken ones.

Hope you enjoy these lamps, and any ideas as to where they came from would be amazing!

-Dixon

Incredible finds Dixon, they look great, I will have to come visit soon!

Wow! That's a lot of lights. They're great.

Wow, thank you for this extensive post! There are lamps from every generation in there, from the early Sea & Jungle, to the classic Oceanic Arts, to the late Orchids of Hawaii - like a catalog of beachcomber fixtures! And you already had an armful of jug lamps, I see!

And so that these rarities are protected from further harm, I made you a sign:

On 2016-03-04 13:54, DixonAlibi wrote:
...
Here are all the lamps we currently have hanging inside The Alibi!
...

Wow! What an amazing and beautiful collection of lamps! I've never been to the Alibi but I sure hope to -- now even more than before. I'm a little scared of those flying chairs though. :P Hope that's not a nightly thing.

Nice pics DixonAlibi!

Thanks for posting them.
That double cone type lamp I have always wanted.
I think it may have been two planters for fake plants long ago, you know that Victorian era stuff.
Could be wrong but think of how fragile that rattan gets, would bet there are not many of those out there.

Any info you find on Roy Ell please post that somewhere on TC as well.
You know Roy Ell made some awesome stuff and was in no book or mag, the stuff you post may be some of the only acknowledgement he will ever get.

Many of the people that Bill Sapp talked about when I first talked to him nobody ever heard of.

It was kinda of strange the amount of names of people that worked on the Kahiki how their stories just fell into my lap as if they wanted to be found out.

Thanks again, your two posts are some of my all time favorite posts ever on TC.

WOW! Those lamps are amazing! You've got a wonderful collection!

These posts have been some of the coolest on TC in a long while! Great stuff!

Go and view them in situ at THE ALIBI - Support your local Tiki Bar!

https://critiki.com/location/the-alibi-portland-141/

I hope the Kon-Tiki entrance hut is still standing :)

On 2016-03-07 15:04, bigbrotiki wrote:
Go and view them in situ at THE ALIBI - Support your local Tiki Bar!

I hope the Kon-Tiki entrance hut is still standing :)

The entry 'pineapple' is still standing! I'm not exactly sure when the entry hut was placed, but I feel like it was before the Portland Kon-Tiki shut down in the 80's.