 |
Crypto-Mugs. Do these legends exist and who has them? |
Pikeys Dog
Grand Member (first year) 
Joined: Jun 03, 2008
Posts: 265
From: England
|  Posted: 2012-06-06 05:22 am Permalink
Quote:
|
On 2012-04-09 11:23, OceaOtica wrote:
Kona Hilton from my collection
|
|
I have one of these - came from a UK seller on ebay for under $15 including shipping.
|
aquarj
Grand Member (8 years) 
Joined: Apr 02, 2002
Posts: 1040
From: SF bay area, CA
| Posted: 2012-06-07 01:04 am Permalink
Back on page 8, we were talking about this hat / ice cone thing in the Delmonico's menu illustration of the Kon-Tiki (on the right below). Here's woofmutt weighing in...
Quote:
| On 2010-03-20 11:32, woofmutt wrote:
Notice the bottom of the Kon-Tiki "mug" and the bottom of the vessel the Banana Calyspo is served in:
 
I wonder if this is some sort of plate or saucer. In the case of the Kon-Tiki it looks like the drink could be served in a pineapple that has been peeled and trimmed in a conical shape and then set in the saucer.
|
|
I thought the general consensus made sense, that it was some kind of base saucer plus ice cone thing. But I never saw anything real and photographic until I noticed DC's post on the thread for the Shangri-La in Chicago...
Quote:
| On 2009-06-01 12:30, Dustycajun wrote:
|
|
Bingo bango, right down to the pineapple lid. But what's that blue part anyway - is that ceramic or ice?
-Randy
|
HOUSE OF KU
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Apr 15, 2005
Posts: 537
From: TIKILAND, USA
| Posted: 2012-06-07 04:02 am Permalink
Damn..... Randy...Good eye! 
[ This Message was edited by: HOUSE OF KU 2012-06-07 04:03 ]
|
Mr. NoNaMe
Tiki Socialite
Joined: May 10, 2006
Posts: 1866 | Posted: 2012-06-07 8:22 pm Permalink
[quote]
Quote:
| On 2009-06-01 12:30, Dustycajun wrote:
|
|
Bingo bango, right down to the pineapple lid. But what's that blue part anyway - is that ceramic or ice?
-Randy
I'd say ice. However, how does the fluid stay in and not level off?
_________________
Viva Kate!
|
Tattoo
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Sep 24, 2005
Posts: 151
From: Los Angeles
| Posted: 2012-06-11 3:07 pm Permalink
Got super lucky and found, what I presume to be, an old Trader Vic's Samoa Fog Cutter mug. At least it sure looks like one.
Earlier in this thread (bottom of p.17) Aquatic Safarinaut found the same mug which is found in the 1944 Life Magazine Article. And later he (p. 19) got a letter from Trader Vic's stating that these early mugs were hand made locally and thus display some variety... so here's another one for comparison.
_________________
The plane! The plane!
|
Chub
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jan 26, 2005
Posts: 258
From: Detroit, MI but now in sunny Los Angeles
| Posted: 2012-06-11 8:05 pm Permalink
Very cool Tattoo!
|
Tattoo
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Sep 24, 2005
Posts: 151
From: Los Angeles
| Posted: 2012-09-23 6:46 pm Permalink
Always wanted a Trader Vic's 3 Tiki bowl and jumped at the opportunity when i saw this version with the cool green glaze.
But wow, what a surprise once I got it. It's incredibly heavy and completely handmade. It feels and looks more like a mid-century ceramic studio piece rather than a drinking bowl. A little too nice for barware. It's sculpted out of a think clay and is completely matte on the outside. The inside of the bowl has a cool thick green glaze. It has a really nice pitted texture to it from the firing process. The bottom is inscribed: "Made for Trader Vic by Dickman Walker."
Dickman Walker was a mid-century potter and artist from the San Francisco area. I found a 1952 article that mentions him as a famed potter and his work being exhibited at a museum opening. Not much to go on but Trader Vic did seem to commission his early barware from local producers like the pieces in the 1944 Life Magazine article. This bowl is probably not that old but most likely early to mid 50s. However, I really don't know and don't know what the story is behind this version. Does anyone else have a Dickman Walker bowl? Hope someone here can help me out...
[ This Message was edited by: Tattoo 2012-09-23 18:47 ]
|
Tikinomad
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jul 20, 2005
Posts: 364
From: Outerspace
| Posted: 2012-09-24 08:46 am Permalink
I don't have any info for ya but that is a beautiful Tiki bowl Tattoo! Great find!
|
bigbrotiki
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Mar 25, 2002
Posts: 10560
From: Tiki Island, above the Silverlake
| Posted: 2012-09-24 10:52 am Permalink
Whoa - Never seen one like this, you might indeed have found one of the earliest "TIKI"-depicting cocktail containers! As there is still no clarity about WHO invented the first Tiki mug, and WHEN, one thing becomes apparent when looking at dates and Tiki mug illustrations in vintage cocktail menus:
The Trader Vic Tiki bowl was there before any other restaurants began to serve their libations in Tiki mugs. Technically it is not a Tiki mug, but the step from the bowl to the mug was the next logical one.
|
SilverLine
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Mar 02, 2004
Posts: 608
From: Kansas City
| Posted: 2012-09-25 6:44 pm Permalink
Wow Big Bro! Could this then be the "Tiki" of Tiki mugs?
[ This Message was edited by: SilverLine 2012-09-25 18:45 ]
|
Tattoo
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Sep 24, 2005
Posts: 151
From: Los Angeles
| Posted: 2012-09-27 7:55 pm Permalink
I've found out a little bit more history regarding this bowl. First off, John (aka Aquatic Safarinaut) was super kind enough to ask the fine folks at Trader Vic's about this bowl. Kier Fullmer at Trader Vic's forwarded the info to Peter Seely who is the CEO and Trader Vic's grandson. Here's Kier reply:
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hi,
I showed the pictures to Peter and he said that Dickman Walker made some for the San Francisco restaurant on Cosmo.
He has one with a different color scheme.
Peter loved it!
If I get any more info on the bowl (year it was released), I will let you know.
Have a great day!
~Kier
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mahalo John, Kier and Peter for that great info. So it was actually used at Trader Vic's and others were made. Also, with the San Francisco Trader Vic's opening in 1951, the bowl isn't any older than that. But I also found out some more info about the maker of the bowl.
Dickman Walker (born circa 1908) was indeed quite an accomplished artist and potter. He won numerous awards for his pottery in 1940s. He eventually moved to San Francisco in the late 40s where he started his studio. Unfortunately Dickman Walker passed away in 1953. Sadly he died relatively young and not sure how.
With the San Francisco Trader Vic's opening in 1951 and Dickman Walker passing away in 1953, we can now safely date the three Tiki bowl within that time frame. Hope that helps your timeline Sven. The rest is guess work but I would imagine that soon after Trader Vic contacted Tepco to make the same bowls based on this design. Probably around the time they expanded into the Hilton chain. Not sure when that exactly happened.
Either way, some interesting info regarding the history of this bowl all thanks to the Tiki Central community and Trader Vic's. Curious to see what the other bowl with the different color scheme looks like as well as other pieces Dickman Walker might have made for Trader Vic's.
_________________
The plane! The plane!
[ This Message was edited by: Tattoo 2012-09-27 20:04 ]
|
bigbrotiki
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Mar 25, 2002
Posts: 10560
From: Tiki Island, above the Silverlake
| Posted: 2012-09-27 9:41 pm Permalink
Great research, Taboo, that really seems to make this bowl the earliest Tiki cocktail container ever made. I do not know of any Tiki mugs having appeared earlier than the mid-50s. Perhaps the first cylindrical logo Tiki mug ever was the the Tiki Bob's mug. Then there was Spurlin in L.A. who hand-made mugs for The Islander. Steve Crane's The Luau did not have any Tiki mugs until the Kon Tiki chain started, Don The Beachcomber never had any, and Trader Vic's "Suffering Bastard" mug came out much later and was never used in the restaurants. The heyday of the Tiki mug, the explosion of the many designs and manufacture in Japan really did not happen until the late 50s - early 60s, paralleling the heyday of Tiki Style in design and architecture.
The Tiki supported drinking bowl is a very logical "first", as the concept was take directly from museum pieces, most likely one of the Hawaiian bowls, this being the most famous one:
The Hawaiians made quite a few others...
...and there are Maori-made designs too:
But what inspired the first MUG ? Clearly, there were cylindrical Tiki poles, and on a smaller scale, Marquesan bone toggles that were hollow inside...
|
Tiki Kaimuki
Grand Member (4 years) 
Joined: Sep 25, 2006
Posts: 813
From: OAKLAND, baby
| Posted: 2012-09-28 08:37 am Permalink
This thread is what makes Tiki Central great. I wish I had some info to contribute, but mahalo to all of you who keep the information flowing.
|
Ragbag Comics
Tiki Centralite
Joined: Feb 24, 2009
Posts: 70
From: Chicago
| Posted: 2012-09-28 9:28 pm Permalink
I have a weird mug here that hasn't turned up yet on TC based on my searches &
reading this thread (which kept me highly entertained when I was home sick on Monday
I might add, so thanks for that...)
Clearly, this is some variant on the Oceanic Arts "Mahi Mahi" mug (which is in and of itself nearly a crypto-mug), but there are no markings of any kind on it, and it's in a reddish-brown color (as opposted to OA's mottled brown paint job...)
On the OA mug (and the Tiki Farm repop from 2001) there's the "Mahi Mahi" text on
the rear where there's only a blank box on this one:
No markings on the bottom:
Maybe it's a prototype or some kind of salesman's sample? To my knowledge, OA only made this model for the Mahi Mahi in TN; I've never seen one with any other restaurant on it and I know OA didn't veer into the mug business too often, so I can't see where a prototype or salesman's sample would make much sense.
If it were a hobbyist job, modeled from the original, I would assume there would be imperfections and there aren't any. I've seen the original, and the Tiki Farm version, and this sculpt is identical except for the missing text (and the heft.)
Did OMC or Orchids do a Mahi Mahi knock-off (a la Orchids' Kona Kai knock off)?
Or is this something painfully common I've just somehow never stumbled on before (even though it's been in my house for two years)
Thoughts?
--Pete
|
Trader Tom
Grand Member (5 years) 
Joined: Jan 26, 2006
Posts: 744
From: Hillsboro, OR
| Posted: 2012-09-28 11:24 pm Permalink
I could swear I saw one of those a year or so ago on e-Bay that had a Mister Tiki Mai Tai Lounge heat decal on the back. Same color. I searched around then for another example of it, but never found one. However, you can see a pineapple mug from Mister Tiki's with the same heat decal here:
http://www.ooga-mooga.com/cgi-bin/all/mug.cgi?mode=view&mug_id=1343
The rounded rectangle space on the back is the same. My guess is that both the pineapple mug and the mug in question are from the same manufacturer.
|
