Tag Archives: Tonga Hut

Tiki Wonderland at the Tonga Hut

Posted by The Tiki Chick in Events and tagged with , ,

Tiki Wonderland flyer

It was sort of surreal to sit in a tiki bar and listen to Bing Crosby’s rendition of “Let it Snow” while it was over 70 degrees outside. But that’s what we were doing on Saturday at the annual Tiki Wonderland event at the Tonga Hut.

Tiki Wonderland cocktail at the Tonga Hut

Every person that brought a gift to donate to the Toys for Tots drive got a free Tiki Wonderland cocktail garnished with a mini candy cane. Later I ordered the Little Buddy, which Kelly created last month in honor of “Gilligan’s Island,” and it was all kinds of deliciousness. I hope it keeps making encore appearances!

Tonga Hut tiki mugs

The real hot ticket were these Tonga Hut tiki mugs, made by Kirby and Grog, that made their debut that night. (The two artist proofs are shown above.) They’re based on the moai that stands at the entrance, cracks and all.

Mele Kalikimaka signs by Lake Surfer

Lake Surfer (who hails from Wisconsin, hence the alias) had these very cool carved Mele Kalikimaka signs, and I snapped one up for the tiki room, along with a tiki ornament. I can’t help but adore tiki-holiday mashups.

Tonga Hut fountain

Even the Tonga Hut’s fountain was in a festive spirit and donned one of Eric October‘s Tiki Bob Santa hats, complete with a fluffy green fish float on the end.

Halloween Art Show at the Tonga Hut

Posted by The Tiki Chick in Events and tagged with , , ,

I started off my Halloween festivities over the weekend with a theme-appropriate cocktail at the Tonga Hut: The Zombie (recipe circa 1934), garnished for the occasion with a gummy eyeball and fake finger.

It was the perfect potion to sip while browsing the art that had been brought in for this special Halloween show. Here’s a peek at some of what was on display. (From left: Painting by Kirby and Stephen Sandoval‘s “The Best Candy” & “Rebirth”)

I was blown away by these black velvets by Thor. Although the subject of shrunken heads might not normally be my cup of tea, it’s hard to look away from the golden glow of these paintings.

Eric October has a knack for making tikis look cute, like this happy Ku toasting a Dia de Los Muertos figure. And I love how the scrap wood frame looks with Kirby’s “Skully Brains Cocktail” on the right.

MP found inspiration for this very cool “Keep to the Code” piece from the movie “Treasure Island” and a hot buttered rum. (I could go for one of those right now, if it wasn’t 88 degrees outside!)

Speaking of salty old pirates, I’ve always admired this Cap’n Sqully mug by Squid, so I snapped one up from the Taboo Island tent that was set up in the vending area in the parking lot.

Coming up at the Hut are a Gilligan’s Island-inspired gig on November 21, and the Christmas-themed Tiki Wonderland on December 11. I’ll be there with bells on! (Quite possibly literally.)

Tonga Hut Parking Lot Sale

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Tonga Hut in North Hollywood

I’m altering the space/time continuum (or something) here on my blog to skip ahead to the Tonga Hut Parking Lot Sale the weekend before last. I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to make this event, but I live so close by that I thought I’d make a quick stop…

Crazy Al tiki mugs

My buddy Bri accompanied me and I believe she was bowled over by the amount of cool stuff and artistic talent on display. I had enlisted her to be my voice of reason while browsing, but she kept insisting “Buy it! Buy it!” on most things. (Although after she left I didn’t really need much encouraging to continue that trend…)

Crazy Al tiki lightswitch plates

I’m currently decking out our guest room tiki-style, so I convinced myself that getting one of these rad light switch plates from Crazy Al (whose masterful mugs are seen above) was also a practical move.

Tiki Bob by Eric October

And I knew a cuddly Tiki Bob from Eric October would be just the thing to prop up on the guest bed. He was also distributing some bamboo pieces (from The Islander restaurant in Stockton) that were discovered in a warehouse after 25 years.

Tiki pendants from Tropical Designs by Mieko

I’d kind of been on the lookout out for a tiki pendant, but I’d never really found any that grabbed me until I saw these brightly colored ones from Tropical Designs by Mieko. This girly girl had a trying time deciding between pink and purple.

Atomikitty's coconut monkey art

Atomikitty had some very neat vintage dresses at her booth (including a little blue and green number that sadly was a size or so too small for me) plus some art from her coconut monkey project.

Driftwood Toucan by Tiki Tony

My last purchase of the day was this friendly toucan made from driftwood by Tiki tOny. It already has a perch of honor at our place. I would have to award Tony with the best vending space—it was all decorated with beachcomber and nautical ephemera.

Tonga Hut Parking Lot Sale

And second prize would have gone to Kirby‘s yellow dune buggy. All in all it was a lovely and productive afternoon!