How many of you have tirelessly attempted to explain to your family, friends, co-workers, strangers and anyone who will listen, what Tiki is and why you like it?

For example, my mother, bless her heart, although lives some distance away from me, has seen my collection and the best she has come up with in five years (actually, the only thing she has come up with) is a carved coconut monkey piggy bank.

Now you might think "cool, a coconut, carved like a monkey piggy bank" and I would grant you that if she wasn't really out looking. My mom is a thrift store junkie and I know if she took the time to pay attention she probably could have found some really cool stuff.

The same applies to the others; "friends, co-workers, strangers and anyone who will listen", I have seen it all in the department of "isn't that tiki"? Come over to my house, look at my Tiki Magazines, BOT, Tiki Quest, Hula Dancers and Tiki Gods, Tiki Road Trip books, or better yet, just look around my house at the stuff on the shelves and then go to the antique, thrift stores and flea markets with me and I dare you to ask me when you see a carved onyx stone Mayan bookend or chess set or Alaskan totem pole souvenir if it is tiki?

I honestly believe they just don't get it. Why? (Maybe my patience is wearing thin).

Psycho Tiki D (I know I am and I get it)

[ Edited by: Psycho Tiki D 2007-02-05 17:04 ]

[ Edited by: Psycho Tiki D 2007-02-05 17:23 ]

I have friends who understand, but don't "get it". On the plus side my mom also found a coconut monkey piggy bank and gave it to me for Xmas. She also found a couple of tiki mugs that I didn't have so I'm not doing so bad.

Repeat after me:

"It Just Doesn't Matter....It Just Doesn't Matter...It Just Doesn't Matter..."

That is my mantra, because I truly don't think people pay attention to each other. I once was in a 10 week sailing class where we took turns bring breakfast before each class. My instructor was in charge of the coffee pot. Each week she would ask me "Coffee?" and I would say "No Thanks, I don't drink coffee." My gift from her at the end of the class was a coffee cup and a Starbucks gift card! I also have an estate sale/garage sale/thrift shop junkie mom. I might faint if she got me something cool...

I try to pay attention to my friends needs. And I currently have two friends who love my Tiki addiction and try to take care of my needs. They bring me cute things they find. Heck, they even save their red Coke caps for me to get prizes online. That is friendship! So you can just hope to find those few friends who do get it and they will make you happy!

I don't know, but I received a string light palm tree for x-mas. It doesn't go with the environment I'm trying to create. I like it but it's not working for me. I am stuck with it since the people who gave it to me are family and are gonna ask where it is every time they come over. I suppose I'll learn to enjoy it.

Don't worry I feel your pain. Everytime I'm back in Ft. Lauderdale and tell my Dad that I have plans to go to the Mai Kai he looks at me like I have two heads. Same with some of my old high school friends, I gotta plead with a few of them to get them to go there. To them it's just a tourist trap. The only people that'll go are my mom and my fiance, and they're not always down there when I'm visiting. I haven't had an occasion to go by myself, but I know that day is coming. I know it'll be fun, but the cab fare back to my Dad's house after stumbling out of the Molokai Bar? $30 easily. Not a good thing.

I'll try explaining it to people one time if they ask. Either they get it or they don't, and most people don't...or I should say they don't understand what's so interesting about it. For those who seem really interested and express a desire to learn, I keep some extra copies of "Tiki Style" to give away.

Some of the worst cases I've seen of people "not getting it" are antique dealers. One couple who own an antique business were running an estate sale recently and advertised on Craigslist with words like "mid century, kitsch, lots of tiki." I thought I'd be hitting a goldmine. I stood in a long line in the cold waiting to get in. When I got in I immediately asked where the tiki stuff was and was told it was "all around." I walked all through the house, spotted some mid-century lamps and furniture but no tiki, so I asked again. One of the dealers walks away, comes back and literally hands me a piece of bamboo. I then had to go into my explanation of tiki and they just stared at me with clueless looks on their faces.

On 2007-02-05 17:03, Psycho Tiki D wrote:
My mom is a thrift store junkie and I know if she took the time to pay attention she probably could have found some really cool stuff. The same applies to the others; "friends, co-workers, strangers and anyone who will listen",I honestly believe they just don't get it. Why? (Maybe my patience is wearing thin).

[ Edited by: filslash 2008-09-20 15:10 ]

In a way, I like getting the blank stares from non-believers. As we all know, Tiki is one of those things that you either get or don't. But I've found three types of non-believers.

1. The 'Tiki is Cool but I don't dig it personally' crowd. These are people who come to your house and think your mugs, booze, and matchbooks are cool and hip, although they know almost nothing of Tiki.

2. The 'Why would you buy that stuff?' crowd. These are people who not only know nothing of Tiki, but think Tiki is downright stupid. My office mate falls into this crowd. When I mentioned Holden's mug design contest, he foo-fooed it off by saying 'so he is trying to get somebody to do his work for him?', and thinking Tiki Farm specifically and Tiki as a whole is rinky-dink. For these people, and I quote Mr-T, 'I pity the fool!'

3. The 'I kind of like Tiki, I listen to Jimmy Buffett' crowd. These are just downright ignorant people who need to be educated. They don't need to be educated on Tiki, since it is beyond their capacity, but they need to be instructed that Jimmy Buffett is not Tiki, and leave it at that.

Since last summer, my tiki interest has reignited and I always talk about it to the point where my boss says "What is it with you and this F#**ing Tiki? Now this is a guy who used to love Trader Vic's, he claims he memorised the drink menu when he went there frequently as a child. His family has been in the liquor buisness for 40 years and he has always had an interest in it. Now he is mad at what they did to Trader Vic's a while back and hates it becoming irritated at my talk of preservation. My brothers are opposite, one loves tiki, Michael and Joel could care less. But it doesn't matter what anyone thinks as Wendy pointed out. You all get it, thats all that matters.

All the world is a stage and all men and women merely players, they have their entrances and exits and one man in his life plays many parts. William Shakespere

Life is a state of mind

[ Edited by: ojaitimo 2007-02-05 20:58 ]

[ Edited by: Ojaitimo 2007-02-05 21:04 ]

The hardest thing to me is finding myself justifying my paintings to my family and even my friends. Just recently my brother, in so many words said - I don't like the things that you paint, but I've seen that you can paint. Or even worse... my elderly mother and older sisters will say - why don't you paint something "pretty" - then people would buy it. Oh well - as you said - "they just don't get it". I do it for me, I collect the mugs for me, it makes me happy and thoughts of vintage Polynesia, restaurants and cocktails in tiki mugs make me happy. I surround myself with things that make me happy. One thing I know for sure... the others in my life have a hard time letting go of the stress of the daily grind, even if it is for a moment. It only takes a glance around my space for me to go on vacation, and that makes me happy!

Visit my Online Art Gallery at
http://www.jonmooers.com

[ Edited by: jpmartdog 2007-02-05 19:39 ]

*It was a dark and stormy night... *

... I had just taken a creative writing class.

I agree, a find from a friend or a family member who "just doesn't get it", is a find of love.

Texas Tikiphiles Unite!

[ Edited by: Unkle John 2007-02-05 20:31 ]

OK....I am very lucky...my friends know I am a little crazy and love to decorate. They kinda like my tropical style (secretly they wish they could do it at their own home) but then their family wouldn't understand. My Mother (bless her...she is 88 years old and still kickin' it) always gets caught up in my decorative indulgences. She bought me some really fabulous shelves for my tiki room and is benevolent to a fault. I have even turned my best friend on to some exotica music. I figure if people don't like the way I decorate my house, then they don't need to come visit and sure don't need to belly up to the bar for a wet one.

I think that none of them will truly appreciate the mug collection, but I am just getting started and don't have many. Over time, they will have a mild appreciation...especially when they get invited to a party.

For those of you that aren't lucky enough for anyone to appreciate your obsession....I say don't let it disuade you. Fly your freak flag proudly and someday when one of their friends mentions something about tikis....they will say "oh yeah my son/daughter/friend is into that" then their friend will gasp in admiration and your insanity will be reduced by one point on the crazy scale.

Filslash...your killing me lol

I just don't explain it at all. We have 9 surfboards around the house so having Hawaiian decor and Tiki comes naturally. :)

Mahalo

McTiki

Stop the 'wine'ing ...go out and get your own Tiki !!!
Line of the day: My mom is a 'thrift store junkie' !

My Mom is a thriftstore junkie. Does that make her a bad person? Whoa, just found an estate sale, gotta go.

To the central question - I have no idea why some people don't get it. It's been driving me crazy, too, for a long time; I've explained it over and over to some people, showing them in the simplest possible terms what the heck Tiki is about - I mean, it's not brain surgery -

• South Seas type stuff
• Was a very popular style
• It's fun
• It covers all areas of entertainment from food & drink to movies, music, art, achitecture and clothing
• It was and is very influential

But they just don't get it.

It's like explaining a joke to someone who doesn't laugh; it doesn't make it any funnier. Try it.

I think you need a good eye for this stuff - most Tiki folks are good artists or could be, and they just see things differently. They see the object and the work that was put into it, they notice details and color. I'd like to see the TC submissions Holden is getting for his mug contest, cause they're all gonna be great... but try getting that co-worker who doesn't 'get' Tiki to design anything; a chair, a coffee cup, anything. Fergit it!

"Ua naauao kahi poe ua ole kahi"

I really don’t want to give anyone the wrong impression; I truly appreciated the gift of the carved coconut monkey piggy bank. I have proudly (and tastefully) displayed the monkey amongst my other tiki items. I have never snubbed a gift, no matter how off-base it may be and I am most assured that my mom gave it to me out of love and an attempt to feel connected to something I enjoy.

I believe there are “six degrees of separation” between those who truly get it to those who don’t
care about it at all.

Degree six: People who completely despise tiki. These individuals see the genre as “junk culture”, a throwaway, trash object with little, if any, artistic value. This would also include puritanical fanatics that view tiki as a taboo and anti-religious cult.

Degree five: The person who could absolutely care less about the genre, but “thinks” they have a treasure and are either holding it over your head or trying to gouge you when they go to sell it. “This is a rare, hard-to-find, one-of-a kind, vintage item”-although, typically it isn’t.

Degree four: The person who snubs your collection; “why do you like that”, “I don’t get the whole tiki thing”, “you paid how much for that, are you crazy” and “you’re not going to buy that, are you”? They “go-along” with your vice and have compassion for your addiction, since they generally have one themselves,
I find this comes mostly from friends I used to have other collecting habits in common with, although, family sometimes has this same mindset.

Degree three: The person who likes your collection; they compliment you on your presentation, ask questions and seem genuinely interested in tiki and Polynesian in general. Not a collector per se, but the possibility of a candle flicker of hope is there. At the very least, this individual likes to come over for free drinks!

Degree two: This person will almost always consist of close friends and family members. Typically, these individuals are loyally supportive to a fault. They know bits and pieces about true tiki culture; they will go in the wild with you to hunt for tiki, they will go to tiki bars and establishments with you and will even, from time-to-time, surprise you with a tiki item they have bought on their own. They allow you to overwhelm them with your nonsense and yes, even some of these people go on to be tiki collectors themselves.

Degree one: Us..TC’ers…diehard, up at dawn, down to earth collectors. Passionate about tiki, always looking for more information and willing to share what is discovered. Again, basically anyone who participates in and contributes to the board and who supports tiki culture, past and present.

I probably have missed some specific characteristics, add to the list if you think of something I missed.

Psycho Tiki D (I know I am in the first degree).

My husband and I are collectors and dealers of mid-century goods. Our house, cars, furniture,appliances, etc are all "old". I am lucky that my mom "gets it", she has found some great stuff for us and made us an awesome vintage bird of paradise barkcloth quilt. My husband's side is another story. They can't seem to make the distinction between mid-century atomic/danish modern/tiki and craptacular Happy Days, reproduction diner stuff. I about died a huge lighted blinking car hop wall hanging arrived in the mail. I know they mean well but come on! I'm glad they live 1000 miles away so they will never know we got rid of it.

For most people it just isn't old enough. The times when I hear "I had such a thing when I was a kid..."
They think a rococo figurine or a tin can is beautiful because its really really antique.
They don't look at the design, they look at age.
Just wait another fifty or sixty years and everybody will love your collection.
Can't wait to see their faces.

Not to stir up any trouble...Good intentions all around, I'm sure!

But do I need to say anything more?

Happy Birthday to me!

Psycho Tiki D (I know I am and I appreciate the thought, don't get me wrong)!

On 2007-02-05 17:03, Psycho Tiki D wrote:
How many of you have tirelessly attempted to explain to your family, friends, co-workers, strangers and anyone who will listen, what Tiki is and why you like it?

This is funny that you would post this and I would read this just after something happened to me at work last week. I was telling a co-worker female about going to the Trader Vics and meeting a bunch of other "Tiki people."

She gave me the blankest look I have ever seen !!!

She just stared at me. So, I laughed and tried to explain it to her. Within about 10-seconds, she was losing interest and fading away. So she just ignored me and walked away. I just laughed about it. She still doesn't know what I was talking about!

D*

LOL PTD...hang on to those they are duel collector items....uh...tiki and Disney. :D

If Donald and Mickey hadn't been so obviously painted, and were presented as a pair of beautifully stained and laquered natural wood "tiki" sculptures, then I'm guessing the outcry would mayhaps be somewhat less aggrieved...

(ps: Fascinating thread, PsyTD! Once Upon A Time, EveryBody USED To Get It -- that's why the Great Tiki Culture emerged in the first place. We culturally diverged for a time when Camelot was gunned down, and everybody went on droogs for a while, then, eh? Disco was perpetrated upon the Hippie Culture, which fragmented into Metal, Punk, and New Wave. The Aloha Vibe was drowned out by Rock'n'Roll Anger. Then revival stylings of the Rat Pack era by Connick (& Others), combined with the ascendency of Retro and RetroTiki, recalling the pre-Camelot era's easy optimism, bouyancy, and edgy confidence. To "get it" in our time I think requires some extra genetic disposition in favor of unabashed whimsey, romance, cultural innocence, good-naturedness, fierce passions, and wonder, which some folks are in short supply of these days. It all depends on how many of us carry the Torch, until the Next Renaissance, neh? SOK )

"Don't let it be forgot,
That once there was a Spot,
Where Blowfish all wore sunglasses,
and Tiki-times were hot..."

[ Edited by: Son-of-Kelbo 2007-05-07 21:36 ]

My dad brought me back a nice carved wood tiki from Honolulu a few years ago.

He gets it. I guess I'm lucky :)

[ Edited by: tikiyaki 2007-05-07 23:00 ]

On 2007-05-07 23:00, tikiyaki wrote:
My dad brought me back a nice carved wood tiki from Honolulu a few years ago.

He gets it. I guess I'm lucky :)

"Tiki: its all about Hawaii" - is the explanation which I've found works best, even though its generalization obviously sacrafices most every important nuance.

Its better off that alot of people "don't get it"...That allows me to acquire for less! I live by the "Don't ask...Don't tell" motto when it comes to tiki....I love tiki, but I'm not about to get robbed on ebay because suddenly there is a temporary resurgence/revival. The less people into it, the better it is from a collector's standpoint.
***KEEP moving Lurkers, nothing to see here...tiki is dead, so I'll give you a few $ for your worthless collections, just PM me :lol: ***

Try explaining Exotica.....I have had people think it is some kind of sex group. I realized then it was time to have a Mai Tai.

On 2007-05-07 18:23, Psycho Tiki D wrote:
Not to stir up any trouble...Good intentions all around, I'm sure!

But do I need to say anything more?

Happy Birthday to me!

Psycho Tiki D (I know I am and I appreciate the thought, don't get me wrong)!

Too bad they didn't get you The Whole Set, huh?

I was told "unfortunately, they were out of stock on the Goofy tiki".

I expect I'll be seeing one as soon as they are back in stock!

Psycho Tiki D (I know I am and I'm not Goofy, yet)!

My take on the "why some people don't get it" question--
You can have people over, they'll look at your collection, they'll even look at the BOT or Tiki Quest, that kind of stuff. The thing is-- they don't really look at it. It's almost like they're seeing through it. They see the pictures in the BOT, but maybe don't realize that they should be looking for a Voodoo Grog glass at the thrift store. I mean, those have a very "African" feel to me. I'd bet that those would be overlooked 9 times out of ten by people hunting for tikis.

If my Mum's at the thrift store, she might see something that looks exotic, and the fact that it's something she hasn't really seen before makes her think it must be a tiki. I mean, exotic simply means that it's unfamiliar-- foreign or strange or whatever. I think that's why some people can't tell Mayan from Polynesian. It all looks unusual to them. We can tell the difference because we at least know Polynesian.

My point (if I have one) is that a lot of the stuff we don't want as tiki collectors still looks exotic. In our hunt for tikis, we at least have the benefit of knowing what we're looking for. A friend or relative at a thrift store doesn't know that you need a Steve Crane Bird Bowl, and doesn't have the mental catalogue to draw upon. All they know is that it's outside their experience, and so they bring it to you.

As much of a bummer as it is to get stuff that doesn't fit in, I think it's best for us to remember that our friends and relatives are merely trying to help us. For every story about hideous tiki gifts, I've heard others about genuinely good finds.

Hey! Maybe I'm lucky here in England? Whilst most people wouldn't know a tiki from a Womble, my work colleagues show more than a passing interest in my passion for all things tiki! And you know?...It pays off once in a while! Just the other day at lunch Ian, the 'tree man' at the council, said to me, "Did you see that tiki planter in the charity shop (thrift store)?". I said I hadn't, despite going in there most days. "Well it's not necessarily tiki, the faces are more like gargoyles", he said. Sounds positively hideous I thought, but...You never know? Anyway to cut a long story shortish we both went over to the charity shop and...HEY PRESTO!!!

It doesn't do any harm to give people the benefit of the doubt - trust their judgment. We can't all be experts. I know I'm not! Sometimes people do see it, even if they are not too sure themselves!! How much was the Spanish Tiki Bowl? Five pounds - $10!! GREAT CALL IAN!! MAHALO!!

All the Best from Tiki Towers - Trader Jim (Make mine a Mai-Tai in a very cheap indeed, Spanish tiki bowl!).

....but he called it a PLANTER! Jesus, what's wrong with the guy! :D

On 2007-05-08 15:40, bigbrotiki wrote:
....but he called it a PLANTER! Jesus, what's wrong with the guy! :D

That's nuthin'! There was some guy on eBay selling one of these for actually drinking outta!??! Have you ever heard of somethin' soooo CRAZY! What's more...Someone bought it!! Unbelievable!!!! It's flamin' obvious it's for cheese straws 'n' chutney! Jeeeeez!!!

On 2007-02-05 19:38, jpmartdog wrote:
The hardest thing to me is finding myself justifying my paintings to my family and even my friends. Just recently my brother, in so many words said - I don't like the things that you paint, but I've seen that you can paint. Or even worse... my elderly mother and older sisters will say - why don't you paint something "pretty" - then people would buy it.

---

Visit my Online Art Gallery at
http://www.jonmooers.com

MY GOODNESS! I can't think of many things prettier than this scene!

Ya know it occurs to me that alot of the blank stares that many of us get when we mention our Tiki interest to some folks is from a general ignorance (and hence lack of appreciation) in the USA today for style and esthetics. While Europeans are surrounded by centuries of it almost constantly (not that THEY always get it either! :lol:), most American's psyches are swamped by strip malls filed with chain stores and folks dressed in jeans,tshirts&sneaks, driving BreadBoxSUVs, eating PepsiCoFastFood, watching glorified video games in CineMultiPlexes with the charm and elegance of a car-wash! :roll: Compare this to how our Grandparents dressed and what they drove (we can leave out their food, Thanx! :P) how their Cinemas, architecture and furnishings looked and you can see we are quite style deficient in PostModern America! That's probably why so many have no interest in how their interior decor looks (have you seen some of these folk's homes-white walls, white furniture with a BigScreenPlasmaTV dominating the landscape) so how could they appreciate Tiki, never the less that je ne sais quoi, joi de vivre it brings us?! :wink:

On 2007-02-06 08:56, Psycho Tiki D wrote:

I believe there are “six degrees of separation” between those who truly get it to those who don’t
care about it at all.

Degree six: People who completely despise tiki. These individuals see the genre as “junk culture”, a throwaway, trash object with little, if any, artistic value. This would also include puritanical fanatics that view tiki as a taboo and anti-religious cult.

Psycho Tiki D (I know I am in the first degree).

Mahalo for starting this thread PTD!

Fun read!
On the "Six Degrees" idea...my wife bought this book for laughs called, "THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BAD TASTE - A Celebration of American Pop Culture at it's Most Joyfully Outrageous"....I consider myself to be a pretty classy guy so imagine what it's like to find so many things that you think are or were cool "Bad Taste", (according to somebody).
Here are some examples from the book:
BEER! -What the Hell was the author smoking! I LOVE beer! Especially hand crafted micro-brews. I live near the wine country and have family in the biz....there's a joke in these parts, "How can you spot the wine makers in a fancy, crowded restaurant? There all the ones drinking BEER!"

BREASTS, ENORMOUS What sort of person would bash the ever glorious BOOB? Granted to quote the movie Weird Science, "Anything more than a handful and your risking a sprained tongue!" But in "Bad Taste"? I guess if someone is going out and spending money to have them enlarged to the size of a pair of parked VW Beetles THEN I could understand....besides, I'm not into the "fake" thing anyhow....like most men I'm just happy to have a booby in hand no matter how big or how small! :P

CADILLACS We're talkin' the Classics here guys! The Big, boats with their wonderful fins and lines! WHAT? Well, need I say more about the "tastes" of the author?

HAWAIIAN SHIRTS, LEOPARD SKIN PRINT, POLYNESIAN FOOD, (here as an example of the "bad taste" they show the famous post card from the Mai Kai of the hot, exotic lady holding a flaming Mai Kai Bowl), SPAM, SURF & TURF, TATTOOS, VELVET PAINTINGS To name just a few....well, folks all I know is that it's FUN and I like the people who also like it!

Well, this is how it works with my family and friends......first after about 6 months after my re-birth into Tiki fanatic I finally realized that I had my father to thank! He was spinnin' the Martin Denny, Robert Drasnin tunes when I was a kid, he had Tiki masks hanging in our garden near his Koi pond. Then we moved, tastes changed, I forgot....then it dawned on me and I called him up and we talked for hours and had a great laugh. He doesn't have any Tiki around now but he DOES get it! :wink:
My best friend, also not into Tiki but when it comes to gifts he remembers and trys. Last Christmas he gave me one of those blue plastic Tiki Lamps with the fake flame in the mouth and the Moai Head tishue box, (not my stlye but a very nice try), a great friend! :D

As to other relatives I don't leave room for error......a gift question might be answered like this..."Tiki Mug, go to munktiki.com , page 3, Medium Moai $24.00" and maybe even include the item number....yea, not much surprise but I'm too old with WAY TOO MUCH JUNK AND KNICK KNACKS around the house for surprises!

On people who don't get it:
Last year we decided to be vendors at the Tiki Beach Festival in Long Beach. When I asked what their annual attendance was over the 3 day long event I was told around 150,000 PEOPLE...WOW! If we only sold to 10% of the people we would make BANK! What I wasn't told was that the event takes place on an OPEN, PUBLIC beach...those people are roller skating by, jogging by, bicycling by, walking by, roller blading by....the key word here is "by" NOT "buy"! :evil:
We spent 3 days explaining non-stop "what these items were","what is Tiki" so on and so forth....all of the sales, (and trades) were pretty much made between the different artists and vendors!
We came away from that one about a $1,000 bucks in the hole! :(

On 2007-05-07 18:23, Psycho Tiki D wrote:

[ Edited by: filslash 2008-09-20 15:24 ]

On 2007-05-09 14:16, filslash wrote:
Aloha,

On 2007-05-07 18:23, Psycho Tiki D wrote:

Happy Birthday,

I don't see whats wrong...

---

Hawaiian Mickey Mouse Club

peace,

Nothing wrong...just doesn't feel all together right? Slightly off kilter kinda like waking up from a weird dream. Uncle Walt would have been proud!

Can't wait until they unfreeze his head and he sees the changes. Global warming can't come soon enough.

By the way...thanks for the birthday wishes. It was a very happy day!

Psycho Tiki D (I know I am and the D stands for Dream)!

[ Edited by: Psycho Tiki D 2007-05-09 16:40 ]

Dr Tiki Mojo and Eva,

I know we are on the same page! Just so you know, I appreciated your efforts at Vamp's party with your selection of items and the hard work you both put forth in providing that "extra flair" that made the party that much more enjoyable...I still am very happy with the items we purchased and am glad you were able to stop by...you are the only one on Tiki Central who has been to my house!

Now on to the subject at hand. My bad taste started years ago primarily out of the fact that I was broke most of the time and the need to feed my collective instincts which were fueled by thrift store and flea market purchases. I began collecting what most would consider "junk culture" items.

Not initially tiki, but much in the same vein...throw away items not meant for long term value or popularity.

This lead to a rather large collection of comic books, toys (primarily space and toy trains) as well as an extensive collection of travel, music and movie ephemera.
All icons from my childhood and in the past few years, being that I grew up in LA, extended into Tiki.

The same junk culture; all throw-away items; menus, swizzle sticks, mugs, velvet paintings, souvenirs, dashboard nodders and wigglers, jewelry and the like, struck in the moment, but not meant to last.

My aunt came to visit this past week and had never seen my tiki collection. As I showed her the different items on my shelves and explained the stories and significance of the vast array of collectibles (some of which even I was somewhat hesitant to show a nearly 70 year old lady), when we were finished, to my astonishment, she told me "you know, I like this collection and I could honestly see myself collecting polynesian and tiki items". No, she wasn't trying to be polite, she truly liked what she saw, had a connection and now she is hooked!

Aunt Dottie, newly exposed tiki collector @Yosemite!

Long live bad taste and junk culture!

Peace and love to you all! I know YOU all get it and here that's all that matters!

Pyscho Tiki D (I know I am and now I hope my aunt is)!

I am pretty lucky as my students have been supplying me with Tiki "things" for years. Lots of them have wealthy parents, so they get to travel a lot. Whenever one of them will go to Hawaii, I am sure to get something cool. I have a whole table that is dedicated to gift tikis-most of them are cool. My friends for the most part "get it" and help out when thrifting. Heck, I just received two carved out coconuts last night(not sure what they are for exactly) from a woman I met once before at a softball game. I still remember this one girl (student)who just got back from Hawaii. She talked her parents in to buying me a $40 carving that still hangs in our dining room. Her boyfriend (another student at the time)was seriously pissed that he got a keychain. He held a grudge for a long time after that.

"

On 2007-05-09 18:49, ted tiki wrote:
I am pretty lucky as my students have been supplying me with Tiki "things" for years. Lots of them have wealthy parents, so they get to travel a lot. Whenever one of them will go to Hawaii, I am sure to get something cool. I have a whole table that is dedicated to gift tikis-most of them are cool. My friends for the most part "get it" and help out when thrifting. Heck, I just received two carved out coconuts last night(not sure what they are for exactly) from a woman I met once before at a softball game. I still remember this one girl (student)who just got back from Hawaii. She talked her parents in to buying me a $40 carving that still hangs in our dining room. Her boyfriend (another student at the time)was seriously pissed that he got a keychain. He held a grudge for a long time after that.

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tedtiki,

Can you post some pictures??

Psycho Tiki D (I know I am, can you post some pictures)?