Going CocoNuts! Exploring the history of the humble ceramic coconut cup.

So what is it about the ceramic coconut cup that makes me smile? Is it those reruns of Gilligan's Island from my youth, or the simple curved shape nestled in my palm?

The wiki entry for coconut shell cups covers earlier/pre "tiki culture" uses of naturally fashioned cups, and doubtlessly the British navy's hard drinking sailors further contributed to the whole "using real coconuts as a drinking vessel" around the world...

... But I'm interested in getting some info on the variations of vintage (pre-90's) ceramic coconuts out there... such as which tiki bar location started using ceramic coconut mugs first, and about when?

I dug through several coconut threads here too (sadly, with mostly expired image links that probably held a few great examples) and of course there's a ton of specific "coconut" tagged items to see at mytiki.life, but no general overview of ceramic coconut cups that I have stumbled across just yet...

So down the rabbit hole I go!

[ Edited by Tiki_Thor on 2025-06-10 13:56:12 ]

Some examples I've acquired from several years of thrifting (from left to right);

• Trader Vics "Aloha" cup
• "Trader Vic USA" cup (lighter brown/dull finish)
• "Made for Trader Vics" cup (tan-brown/dull finish & Japan sticker)
• "Trader Vic USA" cup (darker brown/glazed finish, labeled 1966)
• Generic coconut cup, Unknown maker in the DW style, dull finish.
• "Desert Ceramics USA" with no other markings on the sides (i.e. not their Don the Beachcomber version)
• "Buzz's Original Steak House" (maker unknown)
• ... and what are probably some hobbyist coconuts.

[ Edited by Tiki_Thor on 2024-12-30 17:01:32 ]

Below is what I have discovered so far by looking at various websites and following rabbit trails. I left out a few minor makers & one-offs where no date info was available, and of course anything produced after 1990-ish.

Summary
A coconut cup scene explosion appeared to happen in the mid 60's - some might have been produced prior to that (more as a backyard entertaining novelty?) but it's still unknown to me as to when they were first used in a Polynesian themed restaurant, so I guess next I'll have to review early dated menus (hard to find!) next.

Until then, coconut cups by Tepco (which was open until 1968, made a coconut cup and made mugs for Trader Vic's) are certainly in the running as the earliest Tiki bar coconut mugs, along with Desert Ceramics /Spurlin Ceramics for Don's restaurants. Note that Treasure Craft and Frankoma probably produced coconut cups earlier, but didn't serve the restaurant industry.

Here's my overview of what I found for vintage (pre-90’s) ceramic coconut cup makers, with the maker in alphabetical order:

• Desert Ceramics: marked “DESERT CERAMICS USA"
Based in the USA, DC often worked with Oceanic Arts to produce mugs and coconut cups starting in the 60’s, most notably for Don the Beachcomber restaurants. DC also made some for Aloha Luau (and other locations) via Oceanic Arts, possibly from Spurlin molds marked H-L-65.

• Daga: marked “DAGA HAWAII”
Originally known as Polynesian Pottery (based in Honolulu), Daga was active in the 70’s and provided restaurant-ware including coconut cups to such locations as Tiki Gardens and other restaurants.

• Dynasty Wholesale: marked “DW116”, “DW116-L” or “DW116-S”
DW produces crude/low detail cups in China and has been active since 1988. Their coconuts are basic, as DW often poorly reproduces Orchids of Hawaii designs.

• Ed Langbein: marked “Ed Langbein Original Italy”
A fine smaller coconut cup with an irregular top edge and heavily ridged sides. Production dates unknown, though Ed produced tableware items from the late 30’s thru the early 60’s.

• Edward Don & Company: marked “Edward Don & Co”.
Small, simple, glossy coconut cups in a medium brown glaze or a matte light brown glaze - production dates unknown, though Ed Don & Co has produced tableware since 1921.

• Frankoma Pottery: marked “T7”
Basic coconut cups made in a startling array of glaze colors, possibly circa 1960-61. Oklahoma's Frankoma was around since the mid-1930s, only briefly making Polynesian ware in the 60’s... but as of 2024 is actively making reproduction Tikis available in very vintage designs.

• Hall Pottery: marked “HALL 1877”
Hall China/pottery has been active since the 1930s - their coconut cup featured a shiny wipe-away glaze with a darkly ridged texture.

• Hammat Originals: marked “Hammat Originals”
Coconuts produced some time between 1940-61, with a crude light beige exterior with rough vertical brushed texture and a bluish green interior.

• Hoffman Pottery: marked “Hoffman Pottery HP”
Made glossy coconuts with 3 black divots simulating “holes” near the top, made for the Kahiki Supper Club in Ohio (’61-2000).

• Orchids of Hawaii: marked “R13-A”
Manufactured in Japan, HQ in New York (after moving from Hawaii). Active since the early 50’s, eventually also producing restaurant ware (possibly since the 70s?). These are basic coconuts.

• Otagiri Mercantile Company (OMC): stickered “OMC Japan”
OMC Manufactured items in Japan, HQ in San Francisco USA and active in “giftware” in the mid 50’s through at least the 70’s (Otagiri was sold to Enesco in 1994). Made both generic coconuts and a "cracked top” version, as well as some marked cups for the Islander and other restaurants.

• Paul Marshall Products: often marked “PMP”
PMP produced a number of Tiki products from the 60’s through the 80’s, including a nifty “cracked coconut” with jagged top edges and exposed white coconut meat.

• Polynesian Pottery: marked “P.P. Trader Vic’s Hawaii”
P.P. often produced simple, low detail coconut cups circa mid to late 60s(?) but also had some taller "Chi Chi" versions for Trader Vic's in Waikiki such as this https://mytiki.life/tiki-mugs/chi-chi-coconut-mug-by-polynesian-pottery-for-trader-vics-waikiki.

• Spurlin Ceramics:
Spurlin was a small Californian operation distributing mugs and bowls in the 60's to Polynesian restaurants via Oceanic Arts, and also made several fairly plain coconut cups for Studio City and Pasadena, as well as a larger lidded coconut cup and a golden coconut cup. They sold their molds to Desert Ceramics around 1965.

• Steve Crane: marked “Designed by Steve Crane Associates”
Made a very nice coconut cup characterized by a thick, double-inner wall design and a triangular base.

• Tepco: marked “TEPCO USA Made in China”
Made a pale blue coconut cup (as shown here: https://tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic_id=40077) as well as a more standard brown one, most likely in the mid 60s (as shown here: https://mytiki.life/tiki-mugs/tepco-coconut-mug)

• Terra Ceramics: marked “Made in Hawaii Terra-Ceramics”
Active approx. 1965-89, they made coconut cups for Duke Kahanamoku's at the International Marketplace in Waikiki, Hawaii (restaurant name appears in raised letters within a flat “badge” area on the side).

• Treasure Craft: marked “150, copyright 1959”
Treasure craft was active from 1947 to the mid 90’s and produced coconut cups since at least the very late 50's.

[ Edited by Tiki_Thor on 2025-08-29 09:18:11 ]

Followup;

So far in looking at various scanned vintage menus, I think 1965 is the earliest I've seen a ceramic coconut mug specifically called out for a drink, whereas coconuts themselves appear in menu artwork back to at least 1963.

Anyone have an older dated scan showing a ceramic coconut mug?

[ Edited by Tiki_Thor on 2025-05-21 11:55:52 ]

A quick google image search pulled up this… allegedly 1941.

Although it could be served in a real coconut.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Tiki/comments/8juspv/help_identifying_year_of_don_the_beachcomber_menu/#lightbox

[ Edited by leevigraham on 2025-05-18 19:46:16 ]

Yep a real coconut.

[ Edited by leevigraham on 2025-05-18 20:02:55 ]

Yeah, a lot of the earlier (pre 1965) menus I have googled up were not dated, or had no artwork/images... and if a coconut was featured, they didn't specify if it was served in a real or ceramic coconut, which makes it kind of hard to know without a good dated image to go with it. Much less what specific potion was served in it (beyond some coconut and some rum)!

I have no doubt real coconuts were used before the concept of ceramic "souvenir" mugs came along.

I have followed some leads here and elsewhere for "tiki menu repositories" that led to dead ends or downed sites, unfortunately. It would be really great if good quality scans of collections could be assembled in one place.

[ Edited by Tiki_Thor on 2025-06-10 14:00:40 ]