Popeye Tiki?

Geeki Tiki just announced that they're taking pre-orders on a Popeye line of Geeki Tiki mugs...

I'm mixed on Geeki Tikis... I'm not offended that they exist, but I'm only a fan of the ones that are at least sideways related to Tiki, Mid-Century Chic. No Marvel superheroes, thanks, but I do have the Creature from the Black Lagoon, Frankenstein Monster, Kraken, Mermaid, and the Klingon (because the original Star Trek is mid-century). Popeye is kinda' there for me. He's a sailor after all, and more than a few of his original cartoons are set in tropic locales. Good mug for a Navy Grog? :wink:

Anyways, the pre-orders are being taken here.

UGH, enough of these.

I think these are actually kind of fun, but I do agree with your general consensus about the Geeki Tikis. Not everything is meant to be a tiki mug...

Are Jeeps tiki?

Sadly, my thoughts are that being manna and brought in from the outside, they can only be tiki-adjacent.

Um.....TIKI JEEP! http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=37292&forum=13&start=75

I kinda agree with your assessment. Geeki are hit-or-miss with me. I've got the Kraken and Mermaid, and the Creature is on my to-get list. Popeye, I think, is part of a big Venn diagram that overlaps tiki culture in parts, particularly if you go back to the Thimble Theatre days. I'm inclined to grab Popeye, but have to say they really missed the boat by not including the Sea Hag.

I didn't even mention the Flintstones Loyal Order of Water Buffaloes set that I so wish I could get my hands on. That qualifies for me under the mid-century vibe.

As for jeeps being Tiki... I have seen WWII stuff included under the Tiki umbrella, so meh. I really do think it has a lot to do with context and execution. WWII by itself isn't Tiki, but the Pacific War can fit in. Geeki Tikis can slip in there in the same way.

To quote a comment left by someone on one of the Facebook Tiki groups;

"'Tiki' is an appreciation for a design, cocktail and music aesthetic that started in the mid 30's and died out in the 70's/80's. It's a look, a taste, a sound that was intended to immerse the receiver in a faux Polynesian fantasy. If what we try to add today wouldn't fit in that defined period then it's not Tiki".

"I have seen WWII stuff included under the Tiki umbrella"

Trader Vic used to send stuff to set up what they called outposts to the war, Bar stuff and or booze I guess.

AND some of the first Trader Vics mugs were named after WWII things.

Popeye is a stretch though a long stretch, They did not even have a tiki in a cartoon ever I think.

Now Star Wars IS tiki.

On 2018-09-17 21:00, swizzle wrote:
To quote a comment left by someone on one of the Facebook Tiki groups;

"'Tiki' is an appreciation for a design, cocktail and music aesthetic that started in the mid 30's and died out in the 70's/80's. It's a look, a taste, a sound that was intended to immerse the receiver in a faux Polynesian fantasy. If what we try to add today wouldn't fit in that defined period then it's not Tiki".

I've stated my view on this before, and now I'll do it again... It's better to conceptualize cultures as having cores rather than borders. There is a heart of beliefs, practices, rituals, aesthetics, attitudes, values, etc. that form the core of the cultural identity. That heart, that core, keeps the culture centred. As you drift out to the fuzzy edges, you start to experiment, test out new ideas, and overlap with the fuzzy edges of other cultures. And that's good, because it's in those fuzzy edges that you find innovation and creativity, but it's also through those fuzzy edges that you find new people who keep the culture alive and the bars solvent.

So in response to the quote, I would say that "an appreciation for a design, cocktail and music aesthetic that started in the mid 30's and died out in the 70's/80's. It's a look, a taste, a sound that was intended to immerse the receiver in a faux Polynesian fantasy." is the CORE of Tiki, not the BORDER of Tiki. That's the centre of it, but around the fuzzy edges you find overlaps with, say, Rockabilly and Pin-Up culture, or Mid-Century Modern, or Monster Kid culture, or Disney, or "Geek culture" (which, frankly, is only a marketing term anyways). It's the basis by which we can judge something a "more Tiki" or "less Tiki", which is a judgement I see get lost a lot of the time in these discussions. We fixate more on what IS Tiki or IS NOT Tiki and lose sight of gradations of MORE Tiki or LESS Tiki.

When it comes to something like Geeki Tikis, they are by definition Tiki. They are character mugs done in a Tiki style. But there are Geeki Tikis that are more Tiki and Geeki Tikis that are less Tiki. Comic book characters and Star Wars are less Tiki (apologies to skip), because they are so far removed from the core of Tiki. I would consider the mermaid mug more Tiki than the unicorn mug. The Creature from the Black Lagoon mug was more Tiki than the Mummy mug. The Star Trek TOS mugs were more Tiki than the Star Trek TNG mugs because TOS has the Mid-Century vibe going on. I would say Popeye is more Tiki than Rick and Morty, because yes, there are a bunch of Popeye cartoons with nautical themes or set in tropical and jungle locales and it blends into that pre-war, pre-Tiki 1930's upper limit. The only reason I'm looking forward to the upcoming American Godzilla movies is the guaranteed Godzilla, King Kong, and Mothra Geeki Tiki mugs that will inevitably come out.

http://www.tikicentral.com/about.php

No Sea Hag??

"(apologies to skip)"

That was a joke, I do not think Star Wars is tiki.
Or Legos or, -----,-------, and -------- is not tiki same goes with ------- and certainly not ------------.
How many dashes in "white walls"?

Names withheld to protect the people who have this in their bars and will go bitch cakes if I say that.

These mugs remind me of the gas station glasses you used to get with cartoons on them.
I see tons of them at flea markets, don't know what they sell for as we don't even glance at them.

On 2018-09-18 19:37, swizzle wrote:
http://www.tikicentral.com/about.php

Okay...

Everyone here at Tiki Central is passionate about the Polynesian Pop movement. While the exact edges are blurry, we can give you a bit of insight into what Tiki Central is not about:

It’s not about Jimmy Buffett and Parrotheads
It’s not modern plastic, brightly-colored tiki party decorations
It’s not about the Caribbean/Key west design aesthetic
It’s not about Reggae
It’s not about African-art inspired masks/carvings/design
It’s not about Margaritas and tequila-based drinks
It's not about simply anything that has a tiki on it or in it

Popeye gets a pass! Woohoo!

In the very first Popeye cartoon, he dances the hula with Betty Boop. But, they are at a circus, not a tropical island, so I don't know that Popeye qualifies as being Tiki.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o49MlXqoRqg

GROG is tiki!

On 2018-09-19 15:52, GROG wrote:
In the very first Popeye cartoon, he dances the hula with Betty Boop. But, they are at a circus, not a tropical island, so I don't know that Popeye qualifies as being Tiki.

Well, according to the rules, actual tropical islands aren't Tiki, I guess that makes Popeye MORE Tiki.