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The show me your Witco thread. |
Ratzaroony
Tiki Centralite
Joined: May 29, 2007
Posts: 72
From: Dublin, Ohio
|  Posted: 2008-08-01 12:43 pm Permalink
EDIT - They aren't Witco.
[ This Message was edited by: Ratzaroony 2008-08-01 15:37 ]
[ This Message was edited by: Ratzaroony 2008-08-01 15:37 ]
[ This Message was edited by: Ratzaroony 2008-08-01 15:38 ]
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TIKIBOSKO
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Oct 17, 2004
Posts: 297 | Posted: 2008-08-01 2:46 pm Permalink
Aloha everyone,
I hate to be the barer of bad news but the owl/s and whale are not Witco, they were clearly influenced by Witco and they must have sold millions. As far as I have been able to gather these were sold in gift shops we have a few with price stickers that say redwood forest (these are made of redwood) maybe it was exclusive to the area? I have had the hardest time getting this across to well meaning friends who bring these to us thinking they are Witco, last year we put all our owls in storage, perhaps forever.
Witco’s “The Fun Touchables” line is the same wide grained material as their other carvings and the eyes are not felt but wood.
I did try going back a couple of pages looking for the quote attributed to Sven but couldn’t find it. If you want Witco these are not it, if you want something cute then you have found another thing to collect
Good Luck,
Bosko
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Ratzaroony
Tiki Centralite
Joined: May 29, 2007
Posts: 72
From: Dublin, Ohio
| Posted: 2008-08-01 3:36 pm Permalink
Good to know! Thanks Bosko 
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TikiTres
Tiki Socialite
Joined: May 28, 2008
Posts: 263
From: Forney, TX
| Posted: 2008-08-01 6:01 pm Permalink
Bosko, thanks for the clarification. The mistake is mine rather than Sven's, this is the picture he was referring to:
I mistakenly thought the whale and owl were from the same Zoo-ettes line as this duck. You have to go way back in the thread to find this, it was back in 2006. This is a link to Sven's response to the above photo:
http://www.tikiroom.com/tikicentral/bb/viewtopic.php?topic=20416&forum=5&vpost=254438&hilite=Zoo-ettes
By the way, Truus emailed me that you finished up the columns, beam and trim for me, I really appreciate it! I'll send ya'll pics when I get the patio conversion done!
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boutiki
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jun 03, 2002
Posts: 485
From: The fly-over states
| Posted: 2008-08-08 7:39 pm Permalink
Aloha everyone!
I've enjoyed seeing all the great Witco pieces folks have posted on this thread. We have recently added a couple new pieces to our collection and along with Sven's Tiki Modern and the fact that we get to totally redo our Tiki room in our new place (Now with more Witco!) we are pretty jazzed on Witco right now. I finally sat down and photographed most of our Witco treasures. Sorry for the wildly inconsistent pictures — our old camera took a dive off an outdoor table and I've yet to get the hang of this new cheapy we got as a replacement.
This is what the Witco area of our old place looked like. We have more space now, but greater challenges (including a low ceiling) come with the space. Anyone want to help us with the build-out?
Here are the two new acquisitions. We got the one-arm chair on ebay and when I went to pick it up in Cleveland I was invited to see Tiki David's digs. He and his wife have a wonderful collection, are both great hosts, and Tiki David was super cool to hook me up with his two-arm Witco chair so Amy and I each have a chair to lounge in (like Archie and Edith Bunker?). The upholstery on both the chairs were pretty beat, so we redid them. Amy was thinking of the kid, the cat, the dog and the tropical drinks when she voted down replacing the leopard print and going with a period-appropriate orange Naugahyde. I think they came out pretty well. Thanks again to Tiki David!
I think the orange of the chairs will look just grand in the room with the large wahine wall hanging:
We also have the Polynesian couple, but just the figures:
These Primitic masks reflect the color palette that we want to incorporate into the new Tiki room. We brought them home from a trip to Washington DC a while back:
The firedancers usually have an orange background, but ours is white. We rescued this from a resale shop in Michigan City, IN which burned to the ground a couple years later.
Another recent addition to the collection is the bongo player. Got him at the Aku Tiki auction. I've wanted one of these forever.
Amy got this for me as a Father's Day present:
Here is a shot of our bar. The same design is on page 165 of Tiki Modern. I brought this home from a trip to South Florida.
On another S. Florida trip a couple years later I found these:
Two different friends hooked us up with these two different lamps:
Another fellow Tiki Collector told us about this guy sitting in a second-hand shop in Kentucky back in '98. Amy and I trekked down there and brought him home.
There is a long story that goes with this fountain. Ask me another time and I'll share the tale. It came from a Kalamazoo, MI estate.
Another estate sale score is this Wahine chair. We bought it in Chicago long-distance while we were fleeing hurricane Jeanne during Hukilau 2004 (With help from bamboolodge of course. Thanks!)
Since our bar only has two stools, we do have a few more for guests:
Some cool masks for the wall:
I like this mask, but I think there is some dispute as to whether it's really Witco.
A couple mid-size Tikis. The one on the right came from Elkhorn Flea Market in Wisconsin.
And two little Tikis:
Of course, our passion for Witco also includes contemporary work. Amy got this Bosko piece when we were in Toronto for the Savage City Tiki art show at Swizzle Gallery in the summer of 2000.
And if we don't find vintage examples of a couple of our favorite Witco designs soon we'll be asking Ken to carve us up some.
-Duke
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boutiki
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jun 03, 2002
Posts: 485
From: The fly-over states
| Posted: 2008-08-08 7:40 pm Permalink
I figured that y'all would be interested as well in seeing more Witco even if it's not strictly Tiki in subject matter. Sadly, we don't have nearly enough room for all these cool pieces and we'll have to let some go soon. Some of my favorites:
Sven says "musical instrument." I say "modernist abstraction."
Much more modern than primitive is "MoonCity."
A bit more primitive is "voodoo"...
...which reminds me a bit of this piece that I love because it reminds me of the work of Alexander Girard:
This piece is pretty remarkable. The depth and complexity (both of the carving and forced perspective) is wonderful and the little details like the metal cross and painted sun are just great.
Boats you ask?! We have boats, whether you are a viking:
...or want to sail the tall ships:
Maybe you are a Spanish conquistador? You probably need these. (Think I should challenge Basement Kahuna and his weapons? Maybe not.)
You'd probably want an image of your king and queen as well:
...and maybe these too:
If you are a lover rather than a fighter, perhaps a musical instrument to serenade your sweetie?
Where do you put all those pesky magazines? Why, in your llama of course.
You can watch a flock of geese fly by:
... or a parade of cats:
Me, I'm partial to these cats:
Your cat might like this fish:
And you simply have to love this cute little turtle. We bought this at the Hala Kahiki gift shop ages ago. He still has his price tag.
This guy will help light the way:
... and this firetool holder will help you stoke those flames:
Just don't let this big guy scare you in the dark:
I find this Balinese dancer's moves very exotic:
So you see, there really is something for everyone. All in all, it's a very Witco world!
-Duke
_________________
Check out Tiki Quest at http://www.pegboardchicago.com/TCintro.html
Tiki Central members get a discount and a special premium!
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bigbrotiki
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Mar 25, 2002
Posts: 10561
From: Tiki Island, above the Silverlake
| Posted: 2008-08-08 10:52 pm Permalink
Jeez, Duke and Amy, I am speechless. To see pieces like "Moon City", "Voodoo", and that sun as real objects after only having seen them in the catalog for years is amazing. They really exist! Maybe one day....
I would like everyone to know that the "very thirsty bar stool" on page 241 of Tiki Modern IS from the Carter collection, photographed in situ in Chicago! Thanks again, Duke, and congrats on these incredible finds.
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hiltiki
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jun 10, 2004
Posts: 2774
From: Reseda, calif.
| Posted: 2008-08-08 11:39 pm Permalink
Duke, your collection is amazing and what's really nice is the fact that each and every piece is in perfect condition with hardly any flaws. You are a great collector.
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TikiTres
Tiki Socialite
Joined: May 28, 2008
Posts: 263
From: Forney, TX
| Posted: 2008-08-09 09:00 am Permalink
Excuse me while I pick my jaw up off the floor, that is an astonishing collection!!! Thanks so much for sharing!! That first picture looks like one of those vintage Witco showroom photos
[ This Message was edited by: TikiTres 2008-08-09 09:17 ]
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TIKI DAVID
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Apr 07, 2004
Posts: 1904
From: North Coast
| Posted: 2008-08-10 10:49 am Permalink
DUKE, the chair ,and everything else looks great. i am glad that MONSTER found a GOOD home.
It was fun having you over,the TIKI bar is always open.make sure to stop by anytime you are in town.
Donna says hello and hello to Amy.i am goning to have to make a road trip up your way.
TD
_________________
"Pets are welcome,Children 'MUST' be on leash" TD
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TikiTres
Tiki Socialite
Joined: May 28, 2008
Posts: 263
From: Forney, TX
| Posted: 2008-08-11 1:21 pm Permalink
ARGH! I bought this seahorse (mentioned half a dozen times as Witco in the ad) off of eBay and it arrived and is clearly not Witco. This is the auction photo:
It looked like it might be legit, but looking at it up close once it arrived the grain is all wrong as is the finish. It's not very tiki, but I was curious to see the actual Witco finish up close to went ahead and bought it. Oh well, at least I didn't pay a Witco-esque price for it 
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bigbrotiki
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Mar 25, 2002
Posts: 10561
From: Tiki Island, above the Silverlake
| Posted: 2008-08-11 3:42 pm Permalink
Sea horses are absolutely OK as nautical mid-century home bar decor, so don't feel bad, it fits.
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TikiTres
Tiki Socialite
Joined: May 28, 2008
Posts: 263
From: Forney, TX
| Posted: 2008-08-13 11:33 am Permalink
Thanks Sven, I'm carving some Witco-style fishies to hang in our gazebo, so it should fit in well with those. I'm just annoyed that I thought I would be able to finally examine a real Witco finish up close.... but nooooooo
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Psycho Tiki D
Grand Member (5 years) 
Joined: Oct 13, 2006
Posts: 1783
From: The river Styx, can you pay the toll?
| Posted: 2008-08-15 4:44 pm Permalink
From today's finds...
Witco Cat magazine rack.
And his pal!
PTD
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Sweet Daddy Tiki
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jul 20, 2003
Posts: 1026
From: Edmonton
| Posted: 2008-08-18 12:37 pm Permalink
Quote:
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tikiwahine wrote
Last weekend I brought home this fabulous lamp. The wonderful Puamana(Mimi) of Seattle parted with this Witco Moai Lamp from her collection. That gal is the BEST!
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Has anyone seen Mimi lately?
[ This Message was edited by: Sweet Daddy Tiki 2008-08-18 12:41 ]
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