Tiki Farm Magazine ...

Keeping up to date with all the great new creations coming from Tiki Farm is tough ... as they pointed out in their latest newsletter they've been asked to create mugs for designers, restuarants and events across the world ... even those far flung places like Australia!!

To help out they are going to print with the very first copy of the Tiki farm Collectors magazine...

We decided the best way to keep all of our collectors “in the know” is with our new magazine. For years now, we’ve been fielding so many questions about “what’s coming out”, “what events are coming up”, “what artists are doing new mugs”, etc. We’ve been asked for years to do a magazine.

Also if you weren't able to get to any of the events held this year but still want the mug (and maybe a t shirt) then get down to the Farm today as the surplus stock is being sold now...

Red Pepper Retro Vintage Style Graphics ...

Most things here on the Secret Island, and around the rest of world I guess, work best through word of mouth and so today I'll share a little love for someone locally who is becoming a real mover and shaker in the world of vintage design and graphics.

Red Pepper Retro was established in 2009 as an offshoot of the successful graphic design business, Red Pepper Graphics. Founder Susan Cadzow had discovered that many of her clients shared her love of vintage and retro, and there was a huge demand for graphics in that style. Rockabilly bands like the Sonic Aces and Blue Denim needed CD covers designed and retro illustrations drawn. Sydney vintage icons Limpin Jimmy and the Swingin Kitten needed a website to run their gig guide and promote their DJ business, Doll Deluxe and Retrospec’d needed labels designed for their retro fashion ranges, and on it goes!

The Vintage, Retro and Kustom Kulture world is growing in popularity and it seems even people in the mainstream are now contacting Red Pepper Retro to create evocative, iconic imagery to promote their products and services. Susan can create custom illustrations and designs for people who require exclusive or personalised work.  Or she has a vast library of vintage clip art and imagery to create a design tailored especially for you ... the examples shown here are both available as freebies!

With a wealth of experience, and very reasonable prices, there are packages to suit all budgets. Please contact Susan to discuss your needs at Red Pepper Retro.

Visit the Tikiyaki Polynesian Village Resort ...

As I mentioned in my previous post the Secret Island is currently under the firm grip of an Icy Winter... 16 degree maximums inside a bamboo hut has me wishing for Summer and/or warmer climes!

I stumbled across the Tikiyaki Orchestra Village Resort and found a really good deal. Not only to you get the keys to room 151 for a week in the sunshine you also get a copy of the Tikiyaki Orchestra's new album Aloha Baby and a whole heap of booty that Tiki aficionados swipe from reputable Tiki establishments ... you know the mugs, ice bucket, matches, ash trays ... need I go on?

Here is a little more about the hotel itself...

"The Tikiyaki Polynesian Village was constructed at great cost on the golden sands of Waikiki Beach. The well known architectural firm of Dewy, Chetham & Howe was contracted to draw up the plans and build the tropical destination. All the interiors were contracted to be designed by I.M. Bland-one of Hawaii's greatest interior designers. I.M. Bland chose the decore of the Shanghai International Trading Company (ShITCO) as the outfitter for the well appointed room. ShITCO was chosen for its hand made Island look featuring carved furniture made of real Polynesian driftwood and other found artifacts."

Aloha Lanes just one of the substandard facilities available to guests!

Mr. Ho's Orchestra - Third River Rangoon ... a review.

In 2010, Mr. Ho decided to release a series of albums over the next few years under the title "Exotica for Modern Living." These records will attempt to take the best elements of mid-century living, music, and culture and merge them with modern life to provide listeners with a "retro futuristic" listening experience.

The beautiful  artwork by Javier Garcia

The series opened with "The Unforgettable Sounds of Esquivel" featuring 23 musicians playing Mr. Ho's transcriptions of the lost arrangements of Mexico's king of space-age pop. Following this came "Third River Rangoon," featuring third-stream exotica music.I've recently downloaded this and I'm not regretting it... particularly when you can pick up the digital download and CD for $9.99 from their official website.... almost double that on iTunes!

It truly is a wonderful piece of modern exotica. I could give you a review but would rather leave it to the professionals who can far more eloquently articulate what I want to say...

"… Mr. Ho's new album Third River Rangoon, by his shapeshifting ensemble Mr. Ho's Orchestrotica may have been inspired by that subgenre, but it's considerably more magical. It leaves far more to the imagination, a lushly nocturnal collection whose most impressive feat of sorcery is getting a simple lineup of vibraphone, bass flute, bass and percussion to create the sweep of a hundred-piece orchestra. The production is genius…"Lucid Culture. 2011.

"… a perfect cocktail of mid-century 'space age bachelor pad' music deliciously accented with chamber, jazz, classical, and world music…"—Jonathan Perry. Boston Globe. 2011.

Go get it...

Adventureland T-Shirts ...

It takes a little while for the Jungle Drums to reach the Secret Island, and sometimes it means you miss out on what's hot... like this fantastic shirt from graphic designer Richard who describes himself as..

"A born dreamer & doer. An idea guy who understands the importance of magic. Specializing in graphic design, typography, painting and illustration."

His blog page is stuffed to the brim with wonderfully creative designs for Disney, that are in every way unofficial but are of the quality that should demand respect from the head honchos in purchasing.

His retro inspired designs have created quite a stir around Tiki Blogs and Forums. To avoid any complications with Disney this shirt design is not based on a show or attraction. Richard says

"Within Adventureland at both Disneyland and Walt Disney World, there's a "must eat" on every visitor's list: the Dole Pineapple Whip! If it's not on your bucket list, it should be. It's the most amazing frozen concoction in the parks! The Dole Pineapple Whip is a staple and is so popular that Disney added a whip machine in the Polynesian Resort back when the quick service area was refurbished."

"I tried to take a whimsical yet kitschy approach with the design. I wanted to not only represent the whip itself, but to also reflect the tropical Tahitian feel of Adventureland. What better icon to represent the spirit of Oceania than a Tiki warrior? To throw a bit of tongue-in-cheek humor into the design, I thought it would be clever to have him holding a whip in his hands. Of course this fierce tropical warrior couldn't be so mean when enjoying this delectable treat, so his intimidating frown has been turned upside down. I can imagine after the park closes that the statues, carvings and idols from around Adventureland break their poses and all hit up the Dole Whip stand to reward their hard day’s work of entertaining guests."

The good news for Richard is that the demand was so huge that he fulfilled his order ... the bad news for most of you guys and me is that we missed out! ;0(

... it won't happen again!

Tiki Farm: Von Franco Ashtrays ...

In a short term departure from mugs Tiki Farm have created from the artwork of Von Franco two new ashtrays.

Done up in “Purple Haze” and “Mellow Yellow” glazes, the ashtrays are further finished in an authentic mother-of-pearl overglaze! Each ashtray features 1 cigar rest and 3 cigarette rests.

They only have 250 of each color so the supply of these is limited. AND… are you ready for the price? Their Smokin’ Joe ashtrays are only $11.11 each!

Get down to the Farm quickly!

The Tiki Bus @ The Shady Dell ...

Here on the Secret Island I'm slowly being pushed out ... once our primitive hut was our domain. Mrs. Tiki Sasquatch my beautiful wahine and I would kick back, drink cocktails from coconuts watching the waves wash on the shore. Four years and two savages later our lives have become a little less relaxed and a whole heap more exciting.

The savages (as beautiful and adorable they might be!) come with their own flotsam and jetsam which has slowly filled the hut to the point where the now fabled tiki bar might need to go for what the wahine describes as a rumpus! I could kick up a fuss but what's the point! ;0)

That leaves me with the problem of what to do with the bar, the grog and all the tiki goodies collected since the Tiki Bug took over! There seem to be only two options

1, Leave the island never to return and move to the Shady Dell, Bisbee, Arisona, USA
2, Use the Dell as inspiration and do something similar outside!

The Shady Dell’s epic journey began in 1927 as a place to provide trailer and camping spaces to weary travelers along Highway 80, which stretched from Savannah, Georgia to San Diego, California. Like its more famous brother Route 66, Highway 80 was a center of travel, exploration and family getaways in the early portions of the 20th century. Today, the park is a nice mix of practicality and vintage fun-seeking. Their sleek collection of vintage travel trailers are all perfectly restored to combine mid-century Americana kitsch with the comforts of home in a way that only the 1950s were capable of.

My obvious favourite is the Tiki Bus where you and two friends can spend a night in this 1947 Airporter bus that has been transformed into a “Polynesian Palace”, complete with your own hand carved outrigger bar. After a night of Mai Tai’s you can stagger inside and pay homage to the resident Tiki God!

The search for Tiki-able Tin begins ...

Tiki for Dogs ...

So you and your dog love Tiki right? Well why not mix the two with some items from Kawaii Paws? They'll be the talk of the next Labrador Luau!

This cool Easter Island Moai dog toy brings the Islands to your backyard or living room! Soft durable Bodies all squeek and are stylized like cool stone Polynesian Gods!

This Casual Canine Aloha Camp shirt is a lightweight Hawaiian print shirt for pets. The perfect relaxed style, this dog shirt features a classic beach scene print and high cut belly for a cozy fit.

Perhaps my favourite is the Tiki Hut collar, with more than a hint of Shag, its a great way to Tikify your Terrier without getting you pointed at in the street. I struggle enough with the "You know the guy with the Hawaiian shirt!" tag as it is!

LEGO Tiki Bar...

A few weeks ago I posted my first and hopefully last plastic Wahine of the Week! While she is plastic she does have a certain charm ;0) But where would you find such a woman? I think I've found the answer...

As featured on TikiTalk.com this model was built by LEGO enthusiast Bill Vollbrecht. This incredible reproduction of a tiki bar made from LEGO bricks was created in homage to the now long gone King Kwongs Polynesian restaurant in Salt Lake City.

There are a lot of great details in the piece, including glass float lights above the bar (that actually light up), a waitress serving a drink in a coconut cup, and a giant tiki in the corner!

Shag Tiki Cake ...

We all love Tiki's and SHAG and heck most of us like cake too!

Well cupcakejonas shows that you can have all three! Check out his flickr site for this and more delicious looking creations.

Mahalo and Welcome ...

It would seem that The Secret Island isn't quite the secret that it once was as we celebrated our 5,000th visitor this week!

I'm so pleased that you good people are finding what started out as a place for me to store all my tiki outpourings useful. I quite like doing the background reading, dusting off some thrift shop vinyl and bringing you the Tiki tidbits, but getting frequent visitors (... from ten different countries!) makes it all the more worth while. I'd like to think that this is just the start and that Mia Huna Moku can continue to grow.

If you have any comments or feedback, likes and dislikes I'd love to hear them so don't be afraid to leave a comment or pop that message in a bottle and address it to ...

... here!

I suppose special thanks should go to my most popular Wahine of the Week: Monica Renee who single handedly brought in almost eight hundred hits... and I thought it was my words of wisdom you were after!

... "that oughta set the hit counter spinning!"

Tiki on Tumblr...

Ah you've got to love social networking ... so little spare time but so many ways to connect with others and while away the hours! To be honest though when you live on a place like The Secret Island you'll use any way possible to connect with other Tiki-philes out there who have access to some of the most iconic Tiki venues and events on their doorsteps. I was recently asked on Twitter "Hukilau or Tiki Oasis?" ... my response "Neither both half a world away!" (... but oh how I'd love to go!)

I recently signed up at Tumblr and I'm loving it. Its a great way to blog if you're short on time but still want something creative in your life. I like how visual it is and the way that people can share their images with the world. Here are three of my favourites from Tikilicious.

One of the best things about Tiki Culture is the community that it creates. If you want to get in touch then leave a post, or get yourself across to your social networking site of choice.

MySpace
Twitter
Tumblr

Hula Dancer Hullabaloo ...

Forgive me for another scantily clad post but Miss Judy Luck burlesque performer and Hula Dancer for the Hula-billy band the Hula Girls needs our help.

She's a front runner in the Viva Las Vegas Rockabilly Weekender Burlesque Competition and needs votes so that she can rightfully claim the crown... it really does take thirty seconds!

Still not convinced then check out her show reel ...



Promise to post something less bikini orientated tomorrow ... ;0)

Swanky's Blather ...

I thought I would give readers of The Secret Island a heads up (not that he needs it ... he is the master I am the student!) of Tim "Swanky" Glazner's blog Swanky's Blather. I'm a regular reader and love the attention to detail in his posts which bring together his collecting of Tiki ephemera, cocktail capers and all round retro goodness.

I'm currently trawling through the archives of vintage commercial Hawaiian slides. For me they sum up perfectly the essence of what attracts me to the Tiki Lifestyle and a great visual source of information about the past. Here are a couple of samples ...

Swanky is a real Poly Pop mover and shaker as well as author of his blog he is also creator and organizer of Hukilau and collector of Polynesian Pop. He created the first carving seminar for Tiki carvers and helped organize Tiki Eyeball at the Aku Tiki Room in Illinois. He is a writer for Tiki Magazine. He produced the Tiki Daze calendar and was voted “Best Mixologist” by Metro Pulse magazine. He is into Midcentury culture and Tiki is a part of that.

Some new additions ...

Here are a couple of my most recent additions to the collection here on the Secret Island. The first is a mug from Tiki Location John's Garden, Malibu, manufactured by Tiki Farm in 2010. The mug is available in two colors: bright orange and blue, the colors of nearby Pepperdine University. The mug is a highball design, with four surfboard "shields" and a tiki. I ordered this from Hermosa General Store which is an excellent online eBay store. Check them out.

The other is a set of SHAG coasters in a collectible tin. I must mention that the first set I ordered were lost in the post but the seller expressed a second set to me when I mentioned that they'd not arrived. Proof that there are some nice people still out there.

Critiki ...

Critiki is a reference resource for the collecting, travelling or researching tikiphile, with information on over 700 locations and over 3,000 images. Regular readers are encouraged to share their opinions on any of these locations they've visited, in the form of a critiki — a ratings on a scale of 1 to 10 on a variety of criteria are given, including drink quality, music, service, mood and tikiness. Helping fellow tikiphiles know whether a place is, in the words of Humuhumu the webmaster, "a must-see, classic-tikis-everywhere joint, or a tiki-stops-at-the-name, beer-and-karaoke dump."

As well as the uploaded reviews there are also the images which help build a picture of what a place is really like, or might have been like in the past! Each day there is theme and I particularly enjoyed the recent advertising one. Lots of retro design and fonts to check out, I particularly liked this one...

Critiki is a free, not-for-profit website, created by Humuhumu aka Michelle Trott who lived in Hawaii for a short while which left a lasting impression plus a love for themed environments, midcentury Americana, Tiki and Polynesian Pop. Her life hasn't been the same since and it wouldn't be as she also runs two other tiki themed websites, Humu Kon Tiki - A tiki news & information blog and Ooga-Mooga - A website for tiki mug collectors which I hope to feature in another post.