Top 5 Spooky Tiki Mugs

Posted by The Tiki Chick in Objets de Tiki and tagged with Disneyland, Frankie's Tiki Room, Halloween, Psycho Suzi's, Tiki, Tiki Farm, Tiki Mugs, Trader Sam's October 31, 2013

Tiki mugs have gone way beyond ersatz portrayals of Polynesian gods. Thanks to creative companies like Tiki Farm and Munktiki there are now ceramics in all sorts of shapes and styles. In the spirit of Halloween, I present this round-up of a few of my favorite spooktacular spirits vessels.

The mugs that Tiki Farm produces for Frankie’s Tiki Room are some of my all-time favorites, especially the ones with Las Vegas details like the dice eyes on the Thurston Howl mug designed by Mark T. Zeilman. The regular version of this mug is green and red but for Halloween 2010 there was a limited run of 100 “Halloween Howl” mugs made in orange and black. (This photo is from an eBay auction since I missed out on this one…)

Trader Sam’s tiki bar at the Disneyland Hotel contains many references to Adventureland attractions like The Enchanted Tiki Room, Jungle Cruise and Indiana Jones, but this creepy collectible bears a resemblance to the Hatbox Ghost/tall Hitchhiking Ghost from the Haunted Mansion. Manufactured by Tiki Farm, it made its debut in 2012 but is still available as a souvenir when you order the Shrunken Zombie Head cocktail.

One of the first mugs I ever ordered from Tiki Farm was The Gravekeeper (center), which was sculpted by Baron Shivers of the spooky surf band The Ghastly Ones. (Their song “Ghastly Stomp” is an infectious ode to “Grim Grinning Ghosts” from the Haunted Mansion.) This ghoulish guy was so popular that it was later released in another color: “Perilous Purple.”

Another eerie locale-exclusive mug I like is the shrunken head mug from Psycho Suzi’s in Minneapolis. They commissioned it from Tiki Farm in 2011 for The Shrunken Head bar, one of the sections of the Shangri-La Cocktail Lounge upstairs. (Read more about this mug in my Psycho Suzi’s gift shop post.)

The Southern California event Tiki Oasis has a signature mug every year, and Munktiki drew inspiration from 2008’s theme “Voodoo Vacation on Zombie Island” for this clever creation. (Here again, photo is from an eBay auction.) It’s a zombie-fied take on the Don the Beachcomber head mug — fitting since Don the Beachcomber invented the Zombie cocktail. Speaking of Zombies, if you’re in the mood to mix one up on Halloween (or any other night of the year), you should check out Professor Cocktail’s Zombie Horde: Recipes for the World’s Most Lethal Drink by David J. Montgomery. (Stay tuned for a full review of that e-book.)

Do you have a favorite tiki mug you’ll be imbibing from this All Hallows’ Eve?

Who Wears Short (Tiki) Shorts?

Posted by The Tiki Chick in Objets de Tiki and tagged with Aloha Shirts, Clothes, Fashion, Old Navy, Shopping, Tiki May 17, 2013

Does some bigwig out there at Old Navy subscribe to this blog? Last summer I wrote about the store’s tiki wear and I said the tropical cocktail pajama pants would have been better if they’d had tiki mugs on them, and lo and behold…

I found these women’s tiki lounge shorts ($9) online with coconut cups, Ku and Lono tiki mugs, and a couple mugs that resemble the ones from Mark Thomas Outrigger in Monterey, CA. The drinks are even garnished! I purchased a pair of these and am perfectly pleased with them. The inseam is only 3” so they are pretty short, but they’re just for wearing around the house anyway. (There’s also a pineapple print.)

No need for dudes to feel left out, though. Old Navy has you covered too with these tiki boxers ($8.50). (Also available in blue hibiscus and hula girl prints.) Pretty sure these were the same ones they offered last year.

I also discovered this women’s Hawaii tee ($16.94) — plus-size only apparently — with a tiki that looks like a rip-off of a Mai Tiki. (R.I.P. Wayne Coombs.) Old Navy also stocks men’s Hawaiian shirts, but this year’s prints are not that special. Take note of that, anonymous and probably imaginary Gap Inc. employee reading this post!

Christmas Tiki-Ti Tiki Mug by Derek Yaniger

Posted by The Tiki Chick in Objets de Tiki and tagged with Derek Yaniger, Los Angeles, Tiki, Tiki Farm, Tiki Mugs, Tiki Ti November 17, 2012

I usually would say it’s too early to be thinking about Christmas until after Thanksgiving, but this is a special case. The Tiki-Ti has just released their second signature tiki mug, a festive little number designed by Derek Yaniger and produced by Tiki Farm. “Kahuna Kalikimaka” has a silver jingle bell on his Santa cap, a red and green gift and “Tiki Ti” embossed on the back. The beard and expression remind me of Kon-Tiki.

Around 500 of these mugs were produced — they cost $25 each and are only available at the Tiki-Ti (and surely eBay eventually). However the Buhens are about to close up shop for their holiday break, so Saturday night is your last chance to get one until they re-open the bar on December 12.

UPDATE: Kahuna Kalikimaka mugs are now available for shipping. Check out the Tiki-Ti’s Facebook page for details.

The Tiki Chick

A California girl chronicling modern tiki culture

Category Archives: Objets de Tiki

Top 5 Spooky Tiki Mugs

Who Wears Short (Tiki) Shorts?

Christmas Tiki-Ti Tiki Mug by Derek Yaniger