Your holy grail...

Great research, Randy, and my apologies to Polynesian Pop, you were better informed by Randy as the on-site urban archeologist.
I love that shot of the Lanai entrance! It makes sense that they had two Barney West Tikis there (You can see two of his Maois in front of the Washington Trader Vic's on page 53 of the BOT). In their time, there were surely snapshots posed with both of them, which now rest in some box in some attic, to be thrown out eventually...

The sign similarity is a more difficult question. It is likely that they were done by the same sign company. But then again, the old Polynesian restaurants (of which the Lanai was one) spawned entrepeneurs among their (often Chinese) managers that, after they left, or the place closed, went out and opened their own Tiki supper clubs, using the experience they had gained in the Polynesian/Chinese Cuisine field.

The Leilani on Blackstone in Fresno was a dual business with the Luau on 1663 Fulton Ave., owned and run by brothers Jimmy, Roy and Stanley Dunn. Maybe they used to work at the Lanai? I have a black Moai mug with "The Leilani" AND "The Luau" inscribed on the back.

[ Edited by: bigbrotiki on 2003-01-06 11:11 ]

Hey, fun to see talk of the Lanai tiki by Barney West! If you think that tiki looks big, just consider that PolyPop is about 6'6" tall!

Give or take a foot!

Great research, Randy, and my apologies to Polynesian Pop, you were better informed by Randy as the on-site urban archeologist.

Bigbro, no apology required :)

I still search Ebay all the time for a Trader Vic "Seahorse" mug. Everytime I think one is mine the price just goes crazy on it! ACK!!

Light is my grail. That is I need lamps! The puffer fish and the glass floats. They are available, but sometimes elusive and expensive. A stuffed marlin would be nifty too.

Chongolio

anything kelbos would do me just fine.....but a light up drink box menu from kelbos would be the ultimate!.

chongo, call oceanic arts for the light up puffer fish, and i have some floats that light up, what color and size?

My dream mug would be the Hawaii Kai tiki with the hula girl in it's mouth. (as seen on page 181 of the Book of Tiki).

I've got one pictured on a T-shirt but not the real thing. I never even see them on e-bay.

Sorry to bring alive a long-dead post, but I liked the topic and i stumbled upon it recently...

My three wish I had mugs:

3. Any mug from the Jeckyl and Hyde in NYC that isn't the brown headhunter (I remember when i ate there in 1999 that they had three types of mugs and I bought the brown headhunter, I can't even remember the other two!)
4. Reagan from Polytiki
5. Seahorse from Trader Vics (for the wife)

My own personal Kahona to fire up in a torch-lighting ceremony at dusk every evening.

Oh yeah, and make it have an access panel in the back so it could double as a grill.

Here are some of my grails....I love this stuff.

The Trader Vic's Green Seahorse Mug(any color, really) & The Otagiri Green handled guy biting his tongue

i'd love to get something from the zombie hut in sacramento. i danced with a hula girl there in about 1970 when i was around 11. great memory! :) thanks for bringing back this thread, rorysm.

[ Edited by: kingstiedye 2006-04-27 15:57 ]

My two Grails are related. The first, I found on Ebay and tried to sell my Corvair to cover the bid, but, I knew it was futile and I know the guy who won and I can go visit it if I want. The first Mai Kai Mystery Bowl by Hoffman with the flower design on the side. I know one exists now!

The second is the cousin. The first Kahiki Mystery Bowl that is pictured on their first menu. It looks more like the Mai Kai bowl and is seen in some images. Skip says he saw a damaged one on Ebay a while back. I have yet to see it surface, but maybe it was unmarked and goes by all the time.

I'd trade every mug I own (except maybe the Mai Kai drum and decanter with original contents) for that Mai Kai bowl. I'd design my bar around that bowl.

a true holy grail.....to give everything up for one!

Swanky..do you have a pic. of that bowl? Maholla!!

These R my Holy Grails. If anyone can surface either of these, I will pay,trade, give my first born... Only playin. Any help would be appreciated.

Atomic and MaoriMan.. I used your pix, hope its alright, since there are a limited supply of these.

[ Edited by: FreddieBallsomic 2006-04-30 17:30 ]

Searching for the Hawaii Kai skull, the "Goddess of love" version. Mission accomplished. Now just on the look out for any politiki mugs.

I have never met a drink I didn't like, unless it was that time I met beer...

[ Edited by: Mike the Headhunter 2008-02-06 21:01 ]

mine would have to be the waimea brewing co. tiki mug by munktiki. i have nearly every style of mug and bowl that munktiki has ever done (not every color). this might be the only style i don't have.

A true Holy Grail for me would be -

Owning a real James B. Casey poly-pop carving from Pacific Ocean Park :) :)

Anyone out there have one for sale? PM me immediately!!

I now want more natural things like a bill from a saw fish.
Or those HUGE clam shells.
Mugs are cool I love em, but heck at this point they are EVERYWHERE in my home.
Plus more and more cool mugs just keep comming.

John, that is SO NOT FAIR - you are making me DROOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A Beachbum Burts glass, and an original Volcano Bowl!
Trader Bob

Not mine, its the son of Mr Hoffman, Eric.
Eric got this mystery bowl from a lady who found it at a garage sale for 25 cents!

So it was FREE!

I feel like resurrecting an ancient thread today...

I actually got two of my grails when I went to great store in Edmonton, Alberta, this past summer. They had The Connoisseur and an Armada Geddon in stock. Now what?

My remaining grails are really, mostly just "pre-shopping" for great looking mugs I would get if I went to these various Tiki bars. I would like to go to Smuggler's Cove and get a Crazy Al's Sunken Tiki. And I would like to go to Frankie's and get a Tiki Bandit. And go to La Mariana and get a Blue Glass Float mug. And a Ports of Pleasure from Psycho Suzi. And an Urchin from Three Dots and a Dash. Heck, I even think the Maui Cheeseburger in Paradise mug is adorable.

That said, while my chances of getting to Las Vegas are really good (we're planning on doing the Utah-Arizona National Parks grand circle tour in a couple years), and San Fran and maybe Honolulu and Maui aren't implausible, I don't expect that I'll ever be getting to Chicago or Minneapolis. I also know I don't have the cash for what most people want on the secondary market for those. One can dream, I suppose!

My absolute grail, though, whether I get there or not, is Disney's Nautilus. Being a huge Jules Verne/20,000 Leagues Under the Sea fan, that's a must-get. I just gotta' keep my fingers crossed that next time my friend go to WDW they'll have them in stock (last time they went, they were out! $%@#&!). On a similar, Disney note, I always wished I had gotten the Pele mug when I had the chance. But I'm not sure my wife would let me have it now...

[ Edited by: EnchantedTikiGoth 2016-02-27 17:48 ]