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Retro Tiki Lounges |
Dustycajun
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Nov 16, 2007
Posts: 3946
From: Santa Barbara, CA
|  Posted: 2008-03-28 6:44 pm Permalink
I got nice feedback on my last post so I decided to share some more postcards. I am trying to post stuff that has not come up before. The theme of this one is "Retro Tiki Lounges with Naugahyde". I know what your thinking, but Tiki and fake leather can go together as evidenced below.
The first one is from Chucks of Hawaii Steakhouse located in Waikiki - note the Tiki behind the bar. There is also a Chucks of Hawaii in Santa Barbara near where I live - they make great Mai Tais.
Hawaiian Tiki Bar
The second one is from the Outrigger Lounge in the Cest' Bon Hotel in Park City Utah. Very cool Outrigger hanging on the ceiling and nice tiki lamps.
Mormon Tiki Bar
The next one is from the Outrigger Restaurant in Prince George, B.C. Great Lamps.
Canadian Tiki Bar
These last ones are from Chin's Islander Lounge located in Buffalo NY. Check out the cool tiki mugs behind the bar.
Oriental Tiki Bar
After putting this together, I think its happy hour!
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Bora Boris
Mr. Unreasonable
Joined: Mar 25, 2005
Posts: 2416
From: Boogie Wonderland
| Posted: 2008-03-28 7:08 pm Permalink
Fantastic!
Thanks again Dusty Cajun. 
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dogbytes
Grand Member (8 years) 
Joined: Mar 24, 2002
Posts: 2240
From: seattle, wa
| Posted: 2008-03-28 7:35 pm Permalink
ooh thanks for sharing your paper collection..
whats the Chuck's like in SB? i dont recall anyone here talking about it!
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bigbrotiki
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Mar 25, 2002
Posts: 10599
From: Tiki Island, above the Silverlake
| Posted: 2008-03-28 8:08 pm Permalink
Very nice, Naugatiki should like this post! I have to admit to a slight confusion about the headline, to me a Retro Tiki Lounge would be a lounge that in this day and age aims to look like a vintage, mid-century Tiki Lounge...like let's say the Lucky Tiki. But these place ARE old, right? Chuck's Waikiki is a goner, for example.
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bigbrotiki
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Mar 25, 2002
Posts: 10599
From: Tiki Island, above the Silverlake
| Posted: 2008-03-28 8:31 pm Permalink
Oh, and here is my candidate for the coolest red Naugahyde Tiki Bar: The Lounge at the Tropicana Lodge in Fresno. With burning modernist Waterfall. By Armet & Davis. 
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Dustycajun
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Nov 16, 2007
Posts: 3946
From: Santa Barbara, CA
| Posted: 2008-03-28 8:58 pm Permalink
Bigbro,
NICE Tiki Naug from the Tropicana, I have never seen that before - it Rocks!
The "Retro" in my title meant old school, like your Dad's bar. I will try to work on my semantics for scholars such as you. All of the postcards are from the 60's except for Chin's which is from the 1970's. Don't know if any are still open, I thought I might learn more about that through this post (that's how it works on TC, right?)
I am on a search for more TIKI NAUGAHYDE!
(Where's Sabu?)
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Bongo Bungalow
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Aug 20, 2007
Posts: 1230
From: Indiana
| Posted: 2008-03-29 05:48 am Permalink
You just can't get quality Naugahyde like that anymore... such a shame... the poachers killed off all the wild naugas and now all we've got are farm-raised.
[Aside: Yes, yes, I know... but I'M that old!]
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bigbrotiki
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Mar 25, 2002
Posts: 10599
From: Tiki Island, above the Silverlake
| Posted: 2008-03-29 07:56 am Permalink
And they have become highly prized collectibles:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Nauga-the-Naugahyde-Monster_W0QQitemZ140218716780QQihZ004QQcategoryZ69855QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
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Dustycajun
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Nov 16, 2007
Posts: 3946
From: Santa Barbara, CA
| Posted: 2008-03-29 10:32 am Permalink
Quote:
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On 2008-03-29 05:48, Bongo Bungalow wrote:
You just can't get quality Naugahyde like that anymore... such a shame... the poachers killed off all the wild naugas and now all we've got are farm-raised.
[Aside: Yes, yes, I know... but I'M that old!]
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It turns out you were right BB, the wild naugas are rare indeed! Thanks to Bigbro for the nauga lesson.
I think that all of the red naugas must have been wiped out by the time that the Aku Aku was constructed in Cambridge, Mass. They ended up using the rarer purple, yellow and green naugas for their interior.
(Where's Sabu?)
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bigbrotiki
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Mar 25, 2002
Posts: 10599
From: Tiki Island, above the Silverlake
| Posted: 2008-03-29 10:55 am Permalink
Sabu comes out of hiding here periodically, albeit rarely and briefly, not in full visual force as he used to.
That Aku Aku entrance is a KILLER! Please allow me to use that for my booklet for my upcoming "The Sound of Tiki" CD. It'll have the Martin Denny/Julius Waechter tune "Aku Aku" on it, this would be a perfect illustration for it. Love that little face on the end of the outrigger beam. Somewhere here is a thread that shows how they deformed one of these Moai in a new location.
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Dustycajun
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Nov 16, 2007
Posts: 3946
From: Santa Barbara, CA
| Posted: 2008-03-29 11:37 am Permalink
Quote:
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On 2008-03-29 10:55, bigbrotiki wrote:
Sabu comes out of hiding here periodically, albeit rarely and briefly, not in full visual force as he used to.
That Aku Aku entrance is a KILLER! Please allow me to use that for my booklet for my upcoming "The Sound of Tiki" CD. It'll have the Martin Denny/Julius Waechter tune "Aku Aku" on it, this would be a perfect illustration for it. Love that little face on the end of the outrigger beam. Somewhere here is a thread that shows how they deformed one of these Moai in a new location.
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Bigbro,
I would be honored to help with your Sound of Tiki project. How do you want me to send the image? My scanner at work goes up to 600 dpi, that's the best I can do with technology on this end.
(Come back Sabu)
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bigbrotiki
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Mar 25, 2002
Posts: 10599
From: Tiki Island, above the Silverlake
| Posted: 2008-03-29 11:56 am Permalink
I have to find out from the label guy, but I think for a CD booklet size image that should be fine...check your personal messages to coordinate...
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GatorRob
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Aug 20, 2004
Posts: 1767
From: 3 hrs 33 mins to paradise
| Posted: 2008-03-29 2:42 pm Permalink
Quote:
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On 2008-03-29 10:32, Dustycajun wrote:
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My initial reaction to all that purple above was that it's a real challenge on the eyes, but places like that just weren't meant to be all lit up like that with such flat lighting. Give it some very low level lighting and some nice sunset lighting on that mural and it would look great. Sometimes I wonder what they were thinking when they took the shots for postcards like these!
Nice thread, by the way, Dustycajun.
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naugatiki
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jan 02, 2004
Posts: 809
From: Port Angeles, Wa
| Posted: 2008-03-29 3:24 pm Permalink
Before pleather Uniroyal invented the wonder fabric naugahyde and I understand they gave away these monsters as promos and with the purchase of a sofa. They were made in 2 sizes and in almost every color you can think of. Soon a guy in a nauga suit toured the country promoting the fab fabric and scaring young children in malls across America at the same time. The fact that you can still find a fair amount of these classic monsters in decent shape shows that this material lived up to the hype. Some where along the ride the Eames crowd got word and they became a mid century collectible. Later the mid 90’s tiki friendly lounge The Gentle People knew a good thing when they saw it and also used the monster as a mascot.
Now Uniroyal had the gumption to revive this monster and still sells them and much like the Cabbage Patch Dolls of the 80’s includes adoption papers. They don’t seem to have the nuance of the classic creatures and saw fit to get rid of the fierce teeth which I don’t understand.
http://www.naugahyde.com/promoitems_nauga.html
I enjoy them for their sense of whimsy and the one I have pictured on the right says “Nauga Flame Blocker” on the arm but I know full well that a cigarette lighter would burn it to a crisp. Just something to think about when you’re lucky enough to find one of those pristine naugahyde saloons. I have sad memories of a long defunct gentleman’s club called Club Hubba Hubba where they gave up on upkeep and I ended up sitting in a booth with the gold glitter upholstery repaired with silver duct tape.
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Dustycajun
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Nov 16, 2007
Posts: 3946
From: Santa Barbara, CA
| Posted: 2008-03-29 4:32 pm Permalink
Naugatiki,
Glad to see that you joined the thread, it was obviously meant for you.
One more post of some red and blue naugas in action at the Aloha Room.
(Sabu, Sabu?)
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