DvA Gallery’s Anniversary Tiki Party

Chicago art space DvA Gallery will be celebrating their second anniversary on June 17 with their Gala-Tiki Anniversary event. The Cocktail Preachers will be performing; other details have not yet been announced, but last year’s shindig was jam-packed with artists, books and music. The party starts at 4pm and goes until 11pm. DvA Gallery is at 2568 N. Lincoln Ave.

• DvA Gallery Shows [DvA Gallery]

Moonlight Paradise by Ramirez,
from Archie McPhee

Archie McPhee, the Seattle-based delightful crap purveyor (they are the retail outlet for Accoutrements), is offering this painting on their website for only $99, frame included. It’s 25″ x 19″, and is signed and numbered by the artist, Ramirez. The photo on the website isn’t large enough to get an idea of the quality, but it’s likely to hold true to the long-standing tradition (of both Archie McPhee and vintage behind-the-tiki-bar art) of being totally awful.

• Ramirez Paintings [Archie McPhee]

Tiki mug made of Legos

Ah, Legos… is there anyone who doesn’t love them? When I was about thirteen, I used to spend all of the money I earned babysitting on Lego sets, and I daydreamed often of one day having a house of my own with a whole room dedicated to Legos. I’m having fun daydreaming about it right now, as a matter of fact.

The unusual item pictured here is a tiki mug, made entirely out of Legos. It’s hollow, and while it surely isn’t water-tight (or food-grade, for that matter), it is suitable for use as a pencil cup, and it comes with a lid so it can be used as a sort of box. It is 10″ tall, the eyes are made of translucent red Legos, and the body is made from a now-discontinued brown color. Two of them are for sale at an eBay Store, for $74.99. They were made by a former Legoland California Master Model Builder, who is now a “freelance Lego artist.” I bet he has a room just for Legos at his house. Found via Unlikely Moose.

• TIKI GOD – Lego Sculpture [eBay]

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When I was kneehigh to a menehune, I loved the “What In the World” feature at the back of the National Geographic World magazine for kids. It showed zoomed-in photos of things (a butterfly’s wing, the center of a dandelion), and you had to guess the item. I thought I’d try the same with some of my tiki stuff I have here at home — and so I bring you What in Polynesian Pop. If you recognize an item pictured above, post your guess as a comment! Be warned — some of these items are probably pretty hard to guess — but I’ll offer clues if people are truly stumped. They’re all Polynesian Pop-related, and they are all objects in my own collection. When someone has a bang-on guess, I’ll announce the item and the name of the correct guesser.

I Dream of Jeannie goes Hawaiian

On December 26, 1967 and January 2, 1968, I Dream of Jeannie went to Hawaii. In the first episode, “Jeannie Goes to Honolulu,” Don Ho guest stars, and filming took place on Waikiki Beach and at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel and Duke Kahanamoku’s. The second episode, “Battle of Waikiki,” has a great tiki scene at Ulu Mau Village, and a luau. Sabu the Coconut Boy has put a series of fantastic screenshots up in a thread on Tiki Central, highlighting lots of great aloha wear, leis, tikis, tropical cocktails served in tiki mugs, and scenes of late-’60s Hawaii. He has also posted links to download both of the entire episodes.

• I Dream of Jeannie: Hawaiian Style [Tiki Central]

USB Tiki with pulsing eyes,
from Tiki Zone

This hand-carved 15″ tiki has light-up eyes that can throb in time to music played on your computer. It can also be set to slowly shift through a variety of colors, or to simply glow with one color. There are three of these up on the Tiki Zone site, each with a slightly different style, and a fourth is on its way.

• USB Tiki V2 [Tiki Zone]

The Enchanted Tiki Room Under New Management at Walt Disney World, photo by Humuhumu

Re-Imagineering is a blog written by a group of current and former Disney Imagineering and Pixar employees, who turn an often critical eye to Disney’s current Imagineering efforts, contrasted against How Things Used to Be Done, and How Things Could Be. While it will take time for recovery from the horrid mis-management of the last decade or so of the Disney parks, things are looking up with recent changes in park management, and hope is in the air with the injection of Pixar into the Imagineering picture. Re-Imagineering can at times read as much hopelessness and despair, but they have some interesting perspectives.

Most recently, Mr Banks has written an insightful item looking at the parallels between the recent mis-management and the tone that was introduced to Orlando’s version of the Enchanted Tiki Room when it was redone in 1998. This new incarnation is called “Under New Management,” and it is one of the most universally reviled bits of Imagineering in the history of the company. Adding insult to injury, Under New Management has the gall to actually mock its predecessor, and thus also mocks the many, many Disney guests who still adore the original. Thankfully, when the Anaheim Enchanted Tiki Room was in need of refurbishment recently, Imagineering decided instead to faithfully restore it. This has paid off handsomely in not just a beatiful looking and sounding Tiki Room, but also surges in attendance of the attraction, and in related merchandise sales — clearly demonstrating that Orlando’s Under New Management is the one that is out of touch.

Also take a look at pariartspaul’s call for the return of the Tahitian Terrace at Disneyland. Naturally, I wholeheartedly agree with that idea, not just because tiki=good, but even more so because the Aladdin structure looks so very out-of-place amongst the other Adventureland buildings.

• When Birds Attack! [Re-Imagineering]
• Tiki, tiki, tiki! [Re-Imagineering]

False Idols, by Heather Watts

Vancouver, B.C. artist Heather Watts excels at creating exotic moods. With her moody use of light, she’s able to create an air of mystery and intrigue, while also injecting her own sense of humor through the use of anthropomorphized monkeys and tigers. Heather has announced that she’ll soon be moving her online website from theartdeck.com to heatherwatts.com. After the move, her print prices will be going up slightly, so now is a great time to take advantage of her low print prices.

• The Art Deck

The Los Angeles Conservancy’s Modern Committee is organizing to work to halt the demise of the historic Beverly Hills Trader Vic’s. As Adrienne Biondo, chairwoman of ModCom, was quoted in the Los Angeles Times, “I’ve gotten calls nationwide. It’s not an issue that’s going to go away.”

Oasis West Realty (the group behind the plan to demolish Trader Vic’s) spokeswoman Marie Garvey told the Los Angeles Times “We understand that a lot of people are fond of Trader Vic’s, but very few people frequent the restaurant. It’s just not a viable business, and hasn’t been for many years.” This runs directly contrary to the current trend, which has seen not only new tiki bars spring up around the world, but specifically new Trader Vic’s locations, which can only dream of having the history, charm and decor of the Beverly Hills location. Trader Vic’s has played a prominent role in Hollywood nightlife from the time it opened in 1955 to today (it is still the site of huge afterparties every year after the Golden Globe awards); it is hardly a dying restaurant. I’ve personally been in that Trader Vic’s plenty of times and have seen it quite packed. It sounds to me more like wishful thinking, hoping that no one cares enough about this restaurant that happens to be situated right where they want to put their new towers.

The Los Angeles Conservancy and their Modern Committe (a.k.a. ModCom) need your help. They have already held one emergency meeting to get the ball rolling, and they now need volunteers. The groups behind the plans to demolish Trader Vic’s need to hear the word that it will not go unnoticed. To get involved, email savebhtv@humuhumu.com.

• Tiki tacky? Not to fans of Trader Vic’s [Los Angeles Times Calendar Live]
• Los Angeles Conservancy
• Beverly Hills Trader Vic’s to Be Demolished [Humu Kon Tiki]

Enchanted Tiki Room Dress on DisneyShopping.com

Last night, the new Enchanted Tiki Room merchandise went up for sale on DisneyShopping.com, and if the message board chatter I’ve seen is any indication, it’s selling like hotcakes. Look ma, I’m a Disney model!

Here are links to the items on DisneyShopping.com:

• Enchanted Tiki Room Dress [DisneyShopping.com]
• Enchanted Tiki Room Shirt [DisneyShopping.com]
• Tiki Drummers Figurine from Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room [DisneyShopping.com]

And here’s the Great Enchanted Tiki Room Dress Story, from beginning to end:

• The Great Enchanted Tiki Room Dress Story [Humu Kon Tiki]
• The Great Enchanted Tiki Room Dress Story Gets Awesomer [Humu Kon Tiki]
• Disney Enchanted Tiki Room Merchandise [Humu Kon Tiki]