I just wanted to make this point clear. It shows on Oooga-Mooga as mfg. by Tiki Farm. It's a knock-off...

The Ooga Mooga template has been corrected.

DIRTY!

Interesting that Trader Vic's is involved. Trader Vic's sued Trader Tiki because of the word "trader."
I haven't followed B-ball in 25 years and I would never gamble on The Clippers. At least not to win.

Bastardo!

never liked the clippers even more so now

TVLA is adapting to their potential customers. Having been there twice in the last 6 months, not a lot, but sufficient, both times the Tiki room, and to a lesser extent, the dining room, were occupied by sports fans.

In 2011, I noted that TVLA was relatively empty, but the sports bar YardHouse was overflowing with customers. http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=39958&forum=1

I wish it didn't have to be the case, as I miss the OG TVLA. Now, the big screen blocks the TIki decor where the Hula dancers used to perform, the Tiki mug has "Clippers" emblazoned on it and there are autographed jerseys hanging on the walls instead of PNG shields. But, it is open, making $$$ and looks like it will stay open, unlike the TV in Beverly Hills, Scottsdale and Vegas.

Naughty -Not nice.. GUESS WHO'S NOT COMING TO TOWN FOR TVLA??

It's inevitable that they have to cater to the sports crowd. You have the Lakers, Clippers, and LA Kings playing next door at Staples Center. I'll put up with some sports items as long as it keeps the place open and in business. I do love the Yardhouse by the way. They have an excellent assortment of beers on tap. I pop in to Trader Vics whenever I see a game at Staples or a concert at Nokia. For a lot of people, this is their closest exposure to "tiki" without just driving by.

Trader Vic's LA is now a Sports Bar?!?

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!

On 2013-12-10 19:03, RevBambooBen wrote:
Trader Vic's LA is now a Sports Bar?!?

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!

Why not that worked so well for Chicago!

Yet Trader Vic's in Portland is handily holding its own as a tiki/tropical establishment. So is it management? The surrounding area? The people? The food? Vic's in Palo Alto had superb food, and the atmosphere was pretty good, and it is now a steakhouse. Interesting how these things transpire. I'm looking forward to reading the comments of others.

There are enough "Sports Bars" around, we really don't need another one, do we?
I want Tiki Bars to succeed but not if they have to make a deal with the Devil
to do so, I hate Sports Bars & the fanatics that populate them, which goes against
everything that makes a Tiki Bar, what it is.

Until they change the war clubs on the doors to golf clubs, I think there is nothing to worry about. Rent ain't cheap there at LA Live, which is why I always stop by and support with my business because there have been way too many Trader Vic's that have closed down. It is what it is, I suppose.

On 2013-12-10 21:44, Atomic Tiki Punk wrote:
...I hate Sports Bars & the fanatics that populate them, which goes against
everything that makes a Tiki Bar, what it is.

Yes, more tiki bars are needed, and to be very clear, ones which have a whole different vibe than sports bars. Although even my favorite local craft cocktail bars get very busy at night with video displays, loud talking, and loud music. I often find that holding conversations in these places is very difficult except during off-hours. In my mind I value the ability to visit establishments with environments which don't cause stress, where I can relax with friends, while sharing quality cocktails. That's very hard to do in a sports bar. It's also one of the reasons I've invested in building out a home bar. When businesses cannot provide what I like, I am happy that I can approximate it in my home.

The complaints about Trader Vic's in DTLA never stop. It IS in a bad location and gets whored out for the sporting folk who just want a cheap beer or jack and coke.

I believe the "knock off mug" was made in Ventura. I was at a factory in a sketchy area that made archetectural pieces looking to have them fabricate a part for a damaged fountain at the Piru train station. The owner told me about the mug but couln't find one to show me.

On 2013-12-11 10:26, kkocka wrote:
The complaints about Trader Vic's in DTLA never stop. It IS in a bad location and gets whored out for the sporting folk who just want a cheap beer or jack and coke.

In other words, it is in a location where thousands of people looking for a drink walk by. If I owned a bar, it would be a good location.

I wish there was a perfect location for a Tiki bar, but history proves that except for the Mai Kai location, most locations prove only temporarily good.

On 2013-12-11 10:26, kkocka wrote:
The complaints about Trader Vic's in DTLA never stop. It IS in a bad location and gets whored out for the sporting folk who just want a cheap beer or jack and coke.

LA has to be the only place in the US where a bar is struggling in a location next to a sports complex and a concert venue selling over-priced drinks.

that said; DTLATV has great decent food, great drinks and excellent service.

On 2013-12-09 20:27, Atomic Tiki Punk wrote:
Bastardo!

People going around saying "fuck Michael Corleone!"

Just when I thought I was out, they pulled me back in!

On 2013-12-11 21:13, christiki295 wrote:
I wish there was a perfect location for a Tiki bar, but history proves that except for the Mai Kai location, most locations prove only temporarily good.

I would add the former Big Bamboo Lounge in Kissimmee, Florida, to a list of successful locations. While not an all-out tiki bar, I personally verified that they did have at least one tiki displayed at eye-level behind the bar. The location thrived -- until the roof was damaged by hurricane winds. Then it became entrapped in conflicts between squabbling family members until dealt a final blow by homeless folks who started a fire for cooking or for warmth and ended up partially burning the place. This former 3-bedroom home was converted to a drinking establishment and remains my most beloved low-key hole-in-the-wall. Both I and my liver miss the 'Boo.

On 2013-12-12 03:46, exquisitecorpse wrote:

LA has to be the only place in the US where a bar is struggling in a location next to a sports complex and a concert venue selling over-priced drinks.

that said; DTLATV has great decent food, great drinks and excellent service.

Actually, TVLA is now doing well. Both times I've been there, in the Spring & Summer,I had to wait for a seat in the Tiki Room and on one of those occasions, the outside patio also was sold out - before a Kings' game.

At the risk of dredging up the "Should Tiki be smaller and pure or diluted and bigger" debate, I'm ok with modifications to keep the doors open.

I do have one complaint: TVLA has not replaced its "Aloha" Mai Tai glasses, which have been used do much the color has rubbed off.

[ Edited by: christiki295 2013-12-12 08:03 ]

I think it's a fantastic location. 1000's of people a day walk through that big complex. It may even inspire someone to become involved in the whole culture of tiki as we are. We had to start somewhere whether it was a song we heard, a mug we saw, a friend who told us, or a bar we went to that really piqued our interest.

Seems to me that the " bone of contention” is the misidentification of the
“ L A clippers” on Ooga Mooga as a Tiki Farm product. i agree with TikiVato-The train is off the track!

There appears to be more than one impostor !! I wonder who's behind this?

On 2013-12-12 19:53, ron-tiki wrote:
There appears to be more than one impostor !! I wonder who's behind this?

I’m not a Clippers fan.
The mug in Holdens’s side by side is not a bad looking mug.
The green one is just awful-The blue not much better.
Cheers

On 2013-12-12 19:53, ron-tiki wrote:
There appears to be more than one impostor !! I wonder who's behind this?

The Imposter of the Imposter?

or.... The Imposters laborer who makes below minimum wage?

We don't want no stinking impostors!!

On 2013-12-12 20:47, ron-tiki wrote:
We don't want no stinking impostors!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLaX8UvVUQw

On 2013-12-12 17:19, TikiVato wrote:

Haha. Nice work my friend. As is S.O.P. on this forum, i was reading it this afternoon and was going to post about how this thread was about a rip-off of a particular mug and only a handful of posts were about that and then it turned into something else completely which had nothing to do with the original topic.

I'm guilty of that. But I look at it as human nature - going off on side-topics is related to others saying interesting and thought-provoking things. But you're right, we do drift. Maybe we should start a new forum to discuss how to make people stop doing that? Crap -- there I go again -- talking about starting a new topic instead of talking about a ripped-off mug design...

On 2013-12-12 19:14, nui 'umi 'umi wrote:
Seems to me that the " bone of contention” is the misidentification of the
“ L A clippers” on Ooga Mooga as a Tiki Farm product.

While I am for marketing to the masses, in order to keep Tiki alive, and don't like the Clipper Tiki Mug, I suppose it is harmless, if offered with the real deal, like the Fogcutter mug, based on their menu art, and the classic TV Coconut "Aloha" mug.

[ Edited by: christiki295 2013-12-13 06:58 ]

Rip offs are never "harmless"..

It seems like a full time job for artists to fight people trying to rip off their designs. Most of them cannot afford to do so.

On 2013-12-13 09:26, tikilongbeach wrote:
It seems like a full time job for artists to fight people trying to rip off their designs. Most of them cannot afford to do so.

So true, there are a lot of artists on Esty whose designs are being mass produced in China or by Urban Outfitters without permission. Oops, am I drifting awaayyy...... Mug is bad!

On 2013-12-13 08:26, ron-tiki wrote:
Rip offs are never "harmless"..

Amen!! RonTiki!!

What do they say "imitation is the greatest form of flattery"? Well, whoever said that was not an artist. They never worked to create originality. People who "rip off" the talent of others generally have talent of their own, but no creativity. You'd almost feel sorry for them were it not for the fact that they were making money off of that true talent.
It's a sad tiki mug. :sheckymug:

From the Late Great Wayne Coombs...

" Imitation is the sincerest proof of plagiarism!"

This is the problem in this well connected world we live in. Products get shipped out for manufacturing in countries without copyright laws or any way to enforce them and forgeries get made. Even for the artists not doing business overseas or south of the border their work gets seen online and somebody is copying it and most can't do a thing about it.

Posts like this are becoming more and more frequent these days.

Sad.

On 2013-12-14 07:27, the75stingray wrote:
What do they say "imitation is the greatest form of flattery"? Well, whoever said that was not an artist. They never worked to create originality. People who "rip off" the talent of others generally have talent of their own, but no creativity. You'd almost feel sorry for them were it not for the fact that they were making money off of that true talent.
It's a sad tiki mug. :sheckymug:

I agree...and thankfully you don't get much of it in the music business....musicians have huge egos (myself included) and frankly we like coming up with our own thing, and feel it is lame to copy someone else. Having said that, there was one gross violation of outright intellectual theft of one band's style on this forum. Made me sick to my stomach when it happened. I am not going to mention names, but the band is a direct rip off of Jim Bacchi's Tikiyaki Orchestra. The one saving grace is that unlike most generic products, this one clearly was not as good as the original. Took people a while to catch on. As far as art goes, I for one would be embarrassed to blatantly copy someone else's design.

Here is one notorious example of justice served. Little background here: jens Ritter makes highly original electric basses, and they are truly works of art (and among the most expensive basses on the planet)...thing is, at the NAMM show there was a chinese company who totally rips off Jens' designs...and in this classic clip, that company was totally busted by Jens himself, posing as an "investigating reporter" and catching this fucko in the act!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ARyVweFJH5A

On 2013-12-13 00:52, swizzle wrote:

On 2013-12-12 17:19, TikiVato wrote:

Haha. Nice work my friend. As is S.O.P. on this forum, i was reading it this afternoon and was going to post about how this thread was about a rip-off of a particular mug and only a handful of posts were about that and then it turned into something else completely which had nothing to do with the original topic.

Dat’s three.

About those bastards who rip off artists
did you ever get trapped in one of those plastic dry cleaning bags?
it could happen......yea.

On 2013-12-15 15:46, nui 'umi 'umi wrote:

On 2013-12-13 00:52, swizzle wrote:

On 2013-12-12 17:19, TikiVato wrote:

Haha. Nice work my friend. As is S.O.P. on this forum, i was reading it this afternoon and was going to post about how this thread was about a rip-off of a particular mug and only a handful of posts were about that and then it turned into something else completely which had nothing to do with the original topic.

Dat’s three.

The thread is about rip-offs, knock-offs and other intellectual theft. It doesn't just happen with Trader Vic mugs, but with a lot of things. If we are not free to discuss these issues, why even have a forum?

and by the way:

[ Edited by: lucas vigor 2013-12-15 17:37 ]