white japanese little girl (riding hood?) tiki mug

Hi, all. My folks and their friends have collected tiki mugs over the years and I have been divesting the collection for pop on ebay. Meantime, there are several in the collection that we got as kids and always referred to as Little Red Riding hood. They are all white ceramic with Japan etched on bottom. Some are different but they all feature a little girl w/ a peaked cap sometimes holding a doll or smaller child, sometimes by her side. and has a purse maybe or some straw basket that she also carries. What does this tiki depict????? I am sure she is some sort of symbol for good luck. Any info is mucho appreciated.

Doesn't sound like a tiki mug to me. Maybe a Benihana mug or some other Japanese restaurant.

If it looks like this one it's probably from Benihana's, I say that because mine is marked "Benihana".

The white ones can be bought new through Dynasty. they don't have the girl, but they do have a yellow version of the greeting bear with the big package. :wink:

wow! yes, that's a variation on the ones I have. But
none of them are marked with the restaurant chain. I
do remember getting them when I was quite young. Do
you know what the representation means? Who is she?
Why was this so prevalent? I have at least 6 in the
collection and there are differences in several of
them. Thanks so much for your posting. kia ora jane

I saw a similar mug in a flea market just yesterday marked "Benihana" on the back and "Japan" on the bottom. The hat(?) was different and the straw hole was in the chest. It was one dollar. I've seen the same one in Japanese restaurants sans the "Benihana" and with "China" instead of "Japan."

yes, thpse mugs are definitely out there in different incarnations, but WHAT does she represent????? Mine are all marked Japan, as they are from my youth.

I asked my brother (who lives in Japan) and he says he doesn't know, but I'd wager she represents some fable or story... probably she's the Japanese equivalent of Little Red Riding Hood. I know what the crazy bears mean... I know what the crazy waving cats mean... but this girl? Who knows.

My wife Naomi (Japanese) says she doesn't think the figure really represents anything like a particular story or legend. Just sort of a traditionally dressed rural girl, wearing typical warm clothes and headcovering for winter and snow.

i ttruly appreciate all the input and will keep looking to see if ANYONE knows more. aloha and kia ora

Errr...here's the Tiki academic talking:

This has been discussed before, but PLEASE do not call this a Tiki mug. It does not depict a Tiki, and I personally do not know any Tiki bars who used it as cocktail glass (and I know most of them). To call ANY Asian themed ceramic vessel a Tiki mug is a bad custom begun by e-bay dealers to get more clicks on their posting.
Barrel mugs are barrel mugs, skull mugs are skull mugs, The Chinese yellow face mugs are Dr. Funk mugs, Fog cutter mugs are...

Anyway, the mug name should denote what it depicts, OR the cocktail that was most commonly served in it, or the manufacturer's name...or, like in the case of the "Suffering Bastard", a commonly used descriptive term.

So you can make up the name for your Japanese farm girl, but it ain't Tiki.

The Chinese yellow face mugs are Dr. Funk mugs

Is that the same thing as a Fu Manchu mug?
Would the OoH surfer girl (R80A) and hula girl mugs be considered tiki mugs because of the Hawaiian culture connection and the fact that they were used in many tiki bars...or not because they do not literally depict tikis?

I found a few Benihana mugs yesterday at a thrift shop in the Bay Area -- they're not my bag, so I didn't pick them up, but I thought someone else might be into them. Unlike the Benihana mugs I've seen, these actually had "Benihana" molded in raised letters on the back, rather than it just being printed in black. There were three Geishas and three Hoteis.

Benihana Geisha

Benihana Hotei

If these are your groove, lemme know, and I'll see if I can get them for you.

Humu, watcha doin' up there, anyway !? Your profile sez your from West LA! C'mon back here, Jeff Berry will guest bartend tomorrow at the Ti with his Moai head on (last night before their X-mas vacation!).

Oh man, you're killing me! Please give my love to all there, I'm so sad that I'm going to miss Tiki-Ti, I won't be down there until next week at the earliest. Here's the lowdown on why I'm not in Los Angeles, I'll change my "From:" when I've completed the move:

http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=17343&forum=15&6

Humu, I am collecting geisha mugs, if you still have that one I'd be interested.Please let me know, thanks.