Tiki, a Polynesian term for carved wood amulets, figures and posts, first took hold after World War II when servicemen returned from the South Pacific, bringing home images of scantily clad natives and pounding drums that emblazoned the
conformist 1950s culture. While Tiki collectibles were once relegated to garage sales and flea markets, today's trend has gone mainstream…and mass market. Macy's East opened a decorated "Patio Luau" department complete with patterned plastic
plates. On the other end of the island, Kmart, Savon Drugs and Home Depot sell Tiki torches and figures for the yard. Ralph Lauren even sports a line of T-shirts with a wooden Tiki idol ingrained with "Polo." For the ultimate in Petiki, Bamboo
Ben, who designs custom Tiki bars, builds Polynesian-style dog huts and litter-box covers, complete with thatched canopy.
Tiki artist
Tiki artist and consummate hipster, Shag, provides the illustrations for Tiki Drinks.
His clean, tight graphic style, reminiscent of '50s and '60s commercial art, has also been a hit with Time Magazine, Entertainment Weekly and Forbes. Shag recently expanded into gallery work, and his latest piece, the Madonna of Kahiki, is
nothing less than, well, shagadelic. The culture is as much lifestyle as it is art, and its revival may be an antidote to the frantic pace of a wired generation seeking comfort from a primitive haven at home. Perhaps the trend reflects a desire
for a simpler time, tinged with a nostalgia that author Dennis Coupland, who coined the term Generation X, first described as a longing for experiences we never had, a hunger to be part of a previous generation.
Conclusion
Tiki is really about Tiki bars serving up flaming cocktails, and Gen X doesn't have a lock on the fad: a president or two has been known to partake in Politiki. Richard Nixon, for example, used to escape to
Trader Vic's for some daytime tropical ambiance along with his favorite drink: the Navy Grog. Many bamboo-thatched bars and Tiki-toriums are vanishing, but Tiki drinks provides all that's needed for spirit lovers of all generations to set up shop at home. So kick back, hang a light and sip a drink.
Build a Tiki bar
The essence of the use of bamboo in the states, nothing says party animal like a custom built Tiki bar. If you can construct a bird house, you can build a Tiki bar. Just take a look at this easy Tiki bar which uses our rain cape, bamboo, and reed...
Tiki bar accessories
A luau party just isn't complete without tropical Hawaiian barware and accessories. Let us help you stock and create a Tiki bar for your luau party with our selection of Tiki mugs, coconut cups, bamboo cups, bamboo bar signs, drink umbrellas and...
Tiki bar thatch
Thatch is a plant stalks or foliage, such as reeds or palm fronds, used for roofing. Or it can also understand as something, such as a thick growth of hair on the head, that resembles thatch. It is basically a dead turf, as on a lawn. Tiki style may...
Tiki room
A Tiki bar creates a startling atmosphere that must somehow conjure up the lost spirits of ancient man, which these days end up in a party. When people see a Tiki hut bar, they just somehow shift into instant party mode, the conversation flows and...
Tiki bar construction
Here is your chance to give your pool, patio or deck area a Polynesian island flavor with a Tiki Bar for parties and entertainment. Your family, friends and kids will love it and you will be the envy of all your neighbors. A Tiki bar attracts and...
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