The Jungle-style Thread - Pop Culture Iconography of the Dark Continent

On 2009-12-19 19:45, JOHN-O wrote:
Also there are no snakes in Polynesia and for the most part, no navigable rivers.

Well, that's where the more general locale of the "South Seas", and the "South Pacific" comes in, adding Papua New Guinea to the fray, where African pop iconography and Oceanic art seemed more alike: They had everything there, rivers, snakes, crocodiles, dark skinned head hunters with shields and spears, fearsome masks, initiation rituals --you name it.

I tried to steer around this in my liner notes for my upcoming "Sound of Tiki" CD, talking about Exotica and Martin Denny coming up with the sound:

"By this time, Honolulu had become a polyglot melting pot of many Pacific cultures and races. While local Hapa Haole songs portrayed the romantic and ribald side of the Hawaiian people, Denny’s music spoke of the intriguing mysteries of yet unexplored tropical islands, misty jungles, and the “curious and colorful customs” of indigenous folk."

Grog, that Lorna comic has such great art work, in each panel! The perspectives with foreground/background, the detailed environments, the dynamic angles...that one panel on the bottom of page 2 where she is in silhouette and says "I hear and obey and obey, o master!" -that's real art! And all in a day's work for the cartoonist...

And talk about imaginative fauna and flora: Crocodiles, Vultures, man eating plants, AND that giant river octopus we have never heard of! :)

And the mind boggles at all the strange names these Jungle heroes and heroines had! I touched on it in Tiki Modern, mentioning LADARA and LOANA in conjunction with SHEENA, but your ZEGRA takes the cake! And then the guys:
TOKA, KAANGA, DAGAR, and TONO AND KONO! :lol:

This may be slightly off topic, not sure. But I find the following postcard interesting.

Auditorium Hotel, Houston TX

What's interesting is that this is during the war, right before the time period of the Congo Jungle menu I posted earlier. What's with the animals? LOL It's a bit more circus theme than Jungle. But definitely exotic with the mountains in the background. Kilimanjaro perhaps? :wink:

Oh, forgot to mention that it is my understanding that the Jamail brothers were WWII vets. Perhaps they had been to and were inspired to go with a jungle theme by this bar?

[ Edited by: thebigt 2009-12-21 12:11 ]

You know how the word "Oooga Booga" (or "Uga Booga") is always being used by Jungle natives (or even in Tiki culture) ?

Well it's actually not a very nice word.....

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=ooga%20booga

Believe half of what you see, a third of what you hear, and NOTHING that you read on the internet :P

I'm thinkin' those definitions for "ooga booga" came up in the last 5 years and were not in use 50 - 70 years ago.

On a slightly related note - as children (or sometimes adults), we have ways that we mimic or caricature foreign languages such as African or Asian languages. It is very amusing to hear non-English speaking children do their impression of English

On 2009-12-18 13:22, Sabu The Coconut Boy wrote:

There were "Zebra Rooms" scattered throughout the U.S. There's even one in Torrance, CA that's still open. Unfortunately, it no longer has its neon sign featuring a Zebra with "running motion" legs that I remember so fondly as a child.

Who needs "running motion" legs ?? The Zebra Room in Torrance opens at 6am !! (sadly only now on the weekends).

This is the best Sunday "breakfast" spot in the South Bay.

By noon I guarantee you'll be seeing those "running motion" legs. :D

[ Edited by: JOHN-O 2009-12-22 15:46 ]

OK, here's pictures of the Safari Room in Mission Hills ( San Fernando Valley) which is the only operational mid-century Safari-themed bar/restaurant in the Los Angeles area. I don't think anyone else here has identified any others. "Jungle-style" is even more of a vanishing breed than original Tiki-style was. :(

Although there are numerous items of African decor, I can tell the place is devolving into a locals' sport bar as was evident by the 5 TV screens broadcasting college football. I don't mind too much, in Los Angeles I'm thankful for any mid-century establishment that still feels vintage. The existing masks, spears, leopard-skinned shields, and kitschy outdoor signs are a bonus. I spoke briefly with the owner of the last 6 years about their origin. She said she didn't know, but she was proud of the fact that she had several generations of patrons who had fond childhood memories of the place. (I wish I was one but I grew up in the other Valley.)

I encourage mid-century pop culture fans in the area to visit the place. For those making the trip to the Tonga Hut in North Hollywood, the Safari Room is 9 miles north of there at 15426 Devonshire Street, Mission Hills.

The food and cocktails are very reasonable. (There was a Mai Tai on the drink menu but I was sticking with gin.)

[ Edited by: JOHN-O 2009-12-26 23:28 ]

Thank you for the report on this last of a dying breed. I was there only once while the Lucky Tiki was nearby, years ago. I love the spear (not bamboo) divider screen, and where does one get to see the now un-p.c. giant turtle shells nowadays. And the fact the sign still has the witch doctor on it, cool.

And we also have yet another Papua New Guinea cross-over with that mask by the booth...

..which happens to be another Oceanic Arts classic:

..of which we had several examples here on TC lately. :)

[ Edited by: bigbrotiki 2009-12-28 08:58 ]

Regarding the "Crossed Spear and Shield" icon, I recalled one more existing example in L.A., the LANCER MOTEL on Rosemead Blvd in Pico Rivera:

(image clipped from the net)

Although it is not in the best of shape (it looks like it could have had an A-frame porte cochere once), the black and white shields and lances on the wall facing the street, and the Spear'n'Shield on the side wall are still there. A photo expedition would be in order here! :)

The LANCER concept might be connected more to Indian Exotica (like some of the Safari places and Jungle movies we saw here), its source being this once famous story and film:

On 2009-12-28 09:19, bigbrotiki wrote:

Regarding the "Crossed Spear and Shield" icon, I recalled one more existing example in L.A., the LANCER MOTEL on Rosemead Blvd in Pico Rivera:

....A photo expedition would be in order here! :)

Nice !! I'll try to make a side visit on my next outing to the Tamarack Inn or Steak 'N Stein.

FYI, Pico Rivera is going to be the new Echo Park (or should I say Highland Park?). The area has many ironic mid-century gems waiting for the hipsters to "discover". The Lancer could make a pretty nice boutique hotel. :D

http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=34079&forum=16&10

[ Edited by: JOHN-O 2009-12-28 12:32 ]

On 2009-12-04 22:22, Atomic Tiki Punk wrote:
Well until I have something more rare, Bettie will have to do.
Unless anyone has a pic of Vampira in a bikini?

Frolic Vol. 1 No. 3 December 1951

(apologies for not having scans handy....)

GROG never realized there were so many Jungle Girls.

GROG

[ Edited by: GROG 2009-12-30 18:11 ]

Okay, this is the last post on "Jungle Girls". I think as a subject it probably has the least connection to Polynesian pop (even though they are mentioned in TIKI MODERN). But they are so tempting. So, for the last time, here is the ultimate collection of babes named Shuna/Tegra/Ruhla/Vooda:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOWC3vg--rM&feature=related

Jungle Girls have a great history in B-movies, too, here is one of my favorite titles: "Death by Voodoo"!:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kppat7eUAmE&feature=related

Here's a nice foreign version, Tarzana, what a pretty kitty:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCSQ_BI2skM&feature=fvw

By the middle of the clip we get to see one of the harmful influences that civilization had on native life: Clothes!

One of MY favorite examples is LIANE, and not only because she is German. Here is the trailer for her first film, the titles being a prime example of African pop poetry! "AFRICA...! Vast! Primitive! Deadly! ...from the Pounding Fury of its Naked Heart!":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1QduqkUXSts

Here is a most endearing scene from her follow-up film:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZXsZ5Ienq8&feature=related

Happy New Year! :)

Ah....Mei-Chen!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c8FvJ1l1e2c&feature=related

The Wild Animal Park in San Diego definitely had a Safari theme when it opened.

Check out this great image of the Nairobi Village entrance:

On 2010-01-01 14:12, bigbrotiki wrote:
Okay, this is the last post on "Jungle Girls". I think as a subject it probably has the least connection to Polynesian pop (even though they are mentioned in TIKI MODERN).

Maybe, but I'll take a Jungle Girl over a Hula Girl any day of the week.

Jungle Girls are better to have around when attacked by an angry gorilla or lion. What help is a Hula Girl going to be? (Except maybe serve as lunch while you get a chance to run away). :D

[ Edited by: JOHN-O 2010-01-01 19:14 ]

HA, Sabu, great image...Naomi just flashed back on the fact that the place was a big deal among kids of her generation, so much that when new kids she met did not get her name right at first, they would say "What...NAIROBI?

John-O, that reeks of Hula Girl discrimination! After I have already put them in their place as pre-Tiki, we have to be careful, or they all run away!

I don't want to see any Hula Girls showing up unless they're being eaten by a lion or being boiled by African cannibals. :)

Not a Hula girl, but it is african themed dance and it does feature a nude woman being boiled in a pot by African cannibals...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mi1Iaf9Gk_4

Good one! Now THAT'S what I wanna see next time I walk into a Trader Vic's!

On 2010-01-02 14:20, bigbrotiki wrote:
Good one! Now THAT'S what I wanna see next time I walk into a Trader Vic's!

You know actually a Jungle-themed bar would be great idea for a "New Cocktailian" business specializing in Tropical drinks.

It could be just like the place Starsky and Hutch visited...

http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=14293&forum=1&vpost=494712

The movie "Trader Horn" was on late on AMC last night, I have never seen it, wow, just wow! it was such a product of it's time
by today's standards very racist,very un-P.C.
but at the same time the actual African shot footage was an historical time capsule.
I am sure Sven has an opinion on this movie, I sure would like to hear your take on it, John-O any thoughts from you if you have seen it?

On 2010-01-02 16:26, JOHN-O wrote:

On 2010-01-02 14:20, bigbrotiki wrote:
Good one! Now THAT'S what I wanna see next time I walk into a Trader Vic's!

You know actually a Jungle-themed bar would be great idea for a "New Cocktailian" business specializing in Tropical drinks.

It could be just like the place Starsky and Hutch visited...

But then that place would still be called a "Tiki Bar" by the general public, and thus repeat what someone once called "Tiki Devolution". For that's what that Starsky and Hutch set is an example for: The non-specificness of a more generic theme than Polynesian, a non-complicity avoiding the danger of being pegged as racist or culturally insensitive by any particular group.

Uh, opinion on Trader Horn? It put the term "Trader" on the map in 20th Century pop culture. And otherwise it does seem very dated, nowadays. For its time, it was right up to date, racism and all.

[ Edited by: bigbrotiki 2010-01-02 19:28 ]

On 2010-01-01 14:12, bigbrotiki wrote:
Okay, this is the last post on "Jungle Girls". I think as a subject it probably has the least connection to Polynesian pop (even though they are mentioned in TIKI MODERN). But they are so tempting. So, for the last time, here is the ultimate collection of babes named Shuna/Tegra/Ruhla/Vooda:

No more "Jungle girls"?
OK, but this doesn´t necessarily means give up discussing about curvaceous and scantly clad women.

El gran primitivista Miguel Covarrubias illustrated at least a couple of African themed books.
"Adventures of an African slaver" (1928)

And "Batouala" (1932)

Hmmm... All of these scantily clad women are making me hungry for pancakes. This mid-century "Sabu-style" coffee shop did them up right. Understandably the Black community was offended by the name which lead to protests and lawsuits in the 1970's. Goodbye Sambo's !!

But hey remember "Little Black Sambo" was Indian not African. There are no Tigers in Africa. :)

There is an operational Lil' Sambo's in Lincoln City, Oregon. (In Oregon, wild animal mascots are required to wear pants.)

[ Edited by: JOHN-O 2010-01-03 11:39 ]

John-O,
The original in Santa Barbara, CA is still open.

A little more info:

A popular U.S. restaurant chain of the 1960s and 1970s, Sambo's, borrowed characters from the book (including Sambo and the tigers) for promotional purposes, although the Sambo name was originally a combination of the founders' nicknames: Sam (Sam Battistone) and Bo (Newell Bohnett). Nonetheless, the controversy about the book led to accusations of racism that contributed to the 1,117-restaurant chain's demise in the early 1980s. Images inspired by the book (now considered by some racially insensitive) were common interior decorations in the restaurants. Though portions of the original chain re-named themselves "No Place Like Sam's" to try to forestall closure, all but the original restaurant in Santa Barbara, California had closed by 1982.>In Ray Bradbury's novel Fahrenheit 451, Little Black Sambo is mentioned as an example of books that are burned because people find them offensive.>In 1996, noted illustrator Fred Marcellino observed that the story itself contained no racist overtones and produced a re-illustrated version, The Story of Little Babaji, which changes the characters' names but otherwise leaves the text unmodified. This version was a best-seller.

Here are a few sterotypical African examples, they may be offensive in todays climate but history is history, I still run into these at Goodwill I guess the guys there at corporate think they can't sell them online.

There was a time when Torremolinos beaches were a Pop Art Jungle thriving with groovy dead wood African fauna and Scandanavian tourists.
Today only Scandanivian tourists remain.

Safari

Mints for canibals

On 2010-01-01 14:12, bigbrotiki wrote:

Here's a nice foreign version, Tarzana, what a pretty kitty:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wCSQ_BI2skM&feature=fvw

Happy New Year! :)

yes and she was petting it too
:o
thanks Sven.

Jeff(btd)

[ Edited by: bigtikidude 2010-01-04 15:56 ]

Two more for the collection:

I've found quite a few of these zombie glasses with dancing African natives at antique and thrift stores:

I think some of the strongest imagery that incorporated an "African" theme came from the Black Power movement of the late 1960's and early 1970's.

BigBro writes in Tiki Modern:

"It might come as a surprise, then, that some of the offerings of Witco Inc. also struck a cord with young African Americans, who were looking for their roots during the black liberation movement of the 1960's and early '70s. Although, because of its high cliche content, which was clearly the antithesis to the new black self-confidence that contemporary civil-rights organizations promoted, the audaciousness of Witco's signature style fit in with the "super-cool" individualism that young colored men cultivated at the time, even if it was pure blaxploitation."

Wouldn't it be cool to see some vintage Black Power images that incorporated Witco?

Also I gotta believe that John Shaft,"That Black private dick that's a sex machine to all the chicks", had a Witco bedroom like the one in Tiki Modern. And how about a picture of Pam Grier lounging on a Witco zebra-skinned chaise recliner?

Surprisingly nothing like that ever popped up in any Blaxploitation movie that I've seen (and I've seen a lot). :(

[ Edited by: JOHN-O 2010-01-05 08:48 ]

Believe me, when I was working on Tiki Modern, I looked and looked, I knew there HAD to be a scene in some blaxploit flic somewhere, but no success, so I could merely mention it. I knew of some sports star that had it in his house, and Bill W. outfitted a black bordello with it, but no visual proof of the connection has surfaced that I know of.

I really have to put up my African Witco post here soon, but it's gonna be big, and I have so much to do, so little time...

Not a single mention to mugs in this long thread?
What´s happening to us? :)
Some Jungle Style mug from Spain.

Here´s one for Zeta. Old Spanish design and Miguel Covarrubias drawing
Amazing psychic connection between two artist from two countries?

On 2010-01-01 18:33, Sabu The Coconut Boy wrote:
The Wild Animal Park in San Diego definitely had a Safari theme when it opened.

Check out this great image of the Nairobi Village entrance:

Sabu,

Cool building. Here is a card I have showing the Congo River Fishing Camp.

DC

On 2010-01-05 12:58, Mister Naufrago wrote:

Here´s one for Zeta. Old Spanish design and Miguel Covarrubias drawing
Amazing psychic connection between two artist from two countries?

Mister Naufrago,

Another interesting contribution to this thread. Thank you !!

What exactly is that thing on the left supposed to be?

Also where do the Spanish items (Tikis, mugs, etc) that you post originate from? Are they made in Europe?

Mister Naufrago,

Another interesting contribution to this thread. Thank you !!

What exactly is that thing on the left supposed to be?

Also where do the Spanish items (Tikis, mugs, etc) that you post originate from? Are they made in Europe?

Gracias JOHN-O
"The thing" is a mug. :)
I previously posted a image of that mug (minus lid) on this thread.
That picture was taken in its natural environment, the jungle/tiki themed bar in Andalucia. Unfortunately the place is now closed.

The second image its the rendition of the same mug from an old menu.

It was used for a cocktail named something like "Mother-in-law Killer"
"A dreamy labyrinth of rum, juices and subtle spices from tropical paradises"
You are right. All these artifacts made in Spain and are from my collection.

Mister Naufrago,

I just went back to your original images on page 3.

Are all of these things considered "Tiki" in Spain or do these African Pop Primitive items go by another name?

Also I just discovered this thread:

http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?mode=viewtopic&topic=27562&forum=16&start=0

Amazing stuff !! Maybe Spaniards appreciate Tiki more than Americans do. (Just like the way the French love Jazz music). :)

[ Edited by: JOHN-O 2010-01-06 16:09 ]

John-o, I hope these photos are alright to add to your thread.
These are just things from all around the house. None of them was purchased for a theme (like we do with tiki) they are simply things we like and have found over the years.

Native and hut s&p set

Ceramic jungle critters. The gorilla is a salt shaker, the crocodile and hippo are vintage aquarium bubblers whose mouths open and close as the air flows to them.

Coconut souvenir native couple

Ceramic native figurines

Silly statuette

All metal vintage native bust uplight.

Native dancers wall plaques. Chalk figurines on metal shields.

I live in a world of tchotchkes.

On 2010-01-06 14:32, 8FT Tiki wrote:
John-o, I hope these photos are alright to add to your thread

It's cool 8FT, I think we needed a ceramic hippo here on TC.

Plus that coconut girl has a nice rack. :D

On 2010-01-06 11:26, JOHN-O wrote:
Are all of these things considered "Tiki" in Spain or do these African Pop Primitive items go by another name?

No, because they were made for, and were used in what we now (in retrospect) refer to as Tiki Bars.
I believe when it comes to finding an overall name for African/PNG/Polynesian objects (those are the cultures that inspired Spanish ceramics), a fitting term would be "Pop primitivism":

This is a book about the fascination with Primitive Art; more specifically, it is about the genre of Pop Primitivism in the 20th Century, the under-appreciated stepchild of the intense Primitive Art interest of that period. As in any pop culture, stereotypes and simplifications abound, displaying a naiveté that could be likened to a primitive view of “primitive” cultures.

BigBro,

Is "Pop Primitivism" a term that you coined like "Tiki-style" and "Polynesian Pop"?

I did a search on "Pop Primitivism" and "Mayan Revival" to see what other interesting web sites I could find. The closest match brought me back to Tiki Central. :)

[ Edited by: JOHN-O 2010-01-06 20:36 ]

OK, let's go back to TV Land for a while. During the days of the 1960's Black Power movement, there were 3 TV shows that featured African locales. Native Africans were portrayed more respectfully without the "Ooga Booga" of past. The bad guys were now evil WHITE poachers.

1. Daktari (1966-1969) - This show followed the work of Dr. Tracy, his daughter, and staff at an Animal Behavior Study Center in East Africa. Co-stars were Clarence the Cross-Eyed Lion and Judy the Chimp. The interesting thing was that a lot of the show was filmed at a place called "Africa USA" in Soledad Canyon just north of Los Angeles. This was a 600-acre animal training compound created in 1962. It all ended in 1969 when major flooding and mudslides destroyed the place.

Daktari had a pretty groovy opening score, it would have played well in a Tiki bar.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zxdxk0RpBQg

2. Tarzan (1966-1968) - Ron Ely played a Tarzan who was pretty articulate. None of this "Me Tarzan, You Jane" stuff. Actually there was no Jane in this TV series. Too bad Raquel Welch's film career took off that year. Her Jane would have raised this seldom remembered TV show to cult status. Don't believe me? Please refer to "One Million Years B.C."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-syuAm5YOzE

3. Cowboy in Africa (1967-1968) - Chuck Conners is transported in an episode of the "Time Tunnel" from his 1880's-set "The Rifleman" TV show to late 1960's Africa. (OK, I made that up but I think my idea would have lasted more than 1 season.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7jnLeo3hnQ

On 2010-01-06 20:35, JOHN-O wrote:
I did a search on..."Mayan Revival"...closest match brought me back to Tiki Central. :)

Tiki Central is such an amazing and unrivaled resource. I am working on a little Mayan inspired art project and there is no "Mayan Central" resource like TC :lol:

Thank you guys for the work you do that makes this such a great place. (Sorry, a little off-topic :blush: )

On 2010-01-06 20:35, JOHN-O wrote:
BigBro,

Is "Pop Primitivism" a term that you coined like "Tiki-style" and "Polynesian Pop"?

I did a search on "Pop Primitivism" and "Mayan Revival" to see what other interesting web sites I could find. The closest match brought me back to Tiki Central. :)

I think so. It seems like a good opposite to modernism, with which it forms a symbiotic relationship. The term "primitivism" alone has been applied for many varied subjects already, in art, literature, philosophy, but nobody has dealt with its POPULAR, less intellectual perception and application in everyday items so far.

The most influential book in terms of HIGH art for me was William Rubin's "Primitivism" in 20th Century Art", published in conjunction with the exhibition he curated at the Museum of Modern Art in New York in 1984:

http://www.amazon.com/Primitivism-20th-Century-Art-Affinity/dp/0870705180/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1262842289&sr=8-1

This was the first major book on the subject since Robert Goldwater's groundbreaking work "Primitivism in Modern Art " in 1966. The important difference was (for me, and others) that the Rubin book was all visuals, making the simple visual primitive/modern comparisons I am so fond of. Of course, like any influential idea, it received a lot of flack from culture critics:

Article: Primitivism Revisited: After the End of an Idea

In 1984 William Rubin, art historian, curator, and director of the Museum of Modern Art's department of painting and sculpture, organized "Primitivism in 20th Century Art: Affinity of the Tribal and the Modern" in New York. The exhibition traced the formal relationships between Western art and African, Pre-Columbian, Native American, and Oceanic art. The show was highly controversial and received solid criticism from the art community, in particular African art historians, for applying a notion of "primitivism" to non-Western art--evident in ...>The prevailing viewpoint is made all too clear in one of the "affinities" featured on the catalogue covers, a juxtaposition of Picasso's Girl before a Mirror ... with a Kwakiutl half-mask, a type quite rare among Northwest coast creations. Its task here is simply to produce an effect of resemblance (an effect actually created by the camera angle). In this exhibition a universal message, "Affinity of the Tribal and the Modern," is produced by careful selection and maintenance of a specific angle of vision. (1)

A 100-year-old legacy of curatorial colonialism has produced profound disorganizations of unique knowledge systems...