Creators

LowTiki is an artist based out of Richland, Washington. She sells curated vintage items, paintings, and custom ceramics.

Clay by Clay Jarratt is often found at Renaissance Festivals. His partner, Wick Thomas, makes all-natural candles.

Born into an artistic household in Colorado, Chris Sanders grew up drawing and penning short stories. Although Chris drew throughout school and served as the cartoonist for the Arvada High School newspaper, he hadn't considered art as something he could do for a living. But when his grandmother found a random article about the California Institute of the Arts (or CalArts) in the Denver Post, everything changed.

Chris applied for and was accepted to CalArts' Animation Program, and went on to work for Marvel Productions, and then Disney Studios. He worked as a story artist on The Rescuers Down Under, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and The Lion King, before he was made head of story on Mulan.

Near the end of Mulan, then-Head of Feature Animation Tom Schumacher asked Chris if there were anything he wanted to develop. "I remembered a story from eighteen years before that I had tried to write as a children's book, but had given up on, because I couldn't compress it into a short story format. Over a sushi dinner at the Walt Disney World Swan Resort, I pitched that story -- a tale of a strange forest creature, shunned by all, and unaware of his own origins. Tom liked it, and when he suggested I relocated the tale of the lonely little monster into the human world -- Lilo & Stitch was born."

Chris wrote, boarded, and directed Lilo & Stitch with Dean DeBlois. In 2006, Chris left Disney Studios to join the filmmaking team at DreamWorks Animation. When he was given the opportunity to direct How to Train Your Dragon, he jumped at the chance.

At DreamWorks, Chris also wrote and directed the comedy-adventure feature film The Croods with Kirk DeMicco, which was released on March 22, 2013.

Today, Chris writes, draws, and inks from his home in Los Angeles, California, which he shares with his wife, Jessica Steele-Sanders; his daughter, Nicole; Brody, an English shepherd; and Sparkle, a bossy little stray cat who comes in through the dog door whenever she pleases.

Trader Luke was a tiki carver based out of San Pedro. For a time, he ran a self-named store, Trader Luke's, and sold carvings and nautical decor. He also trained a new generation of carvers who went on to replicate his naive and slightly cartoony style at other locales across Southern California.

Lake Tiki Woodcrafts was started around 2000 by artist Dave Hansen when he took an interest in the Polynesian art form of woodcarving. His humble beginnings were hand carved tiki idols and necklaces from locally sourced driftwood that he sold to fellow Great Lakes surfers. After selling his carvings at his first Hukilau in 2004 he was hooked on Polynesian Pop and traditional Oceanic Art. His first commercial tiki bar came in the form of Foundation Tiki Bar in his hometown of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Since then he has had the opportunity to work for tiki bars nationwide such as The Inferno Room, Smuggler's Cove, Hale Pele, The Bamboo Room, False Idol, Tiki Cat, Three Dots and a Dash and Max's South Seas Hideaway just to name a few. His hand carved and personalized home bar signs and woodcarvings can be found in hundreds of homes and home tiki bars around the world.

Marwal Industries, Inc. was a private company located in Miami, FL. It was incorporated in 1962, although it appears to have been producing pieces stretching back into the 40s.

Marwal offered a wide variety of plaster of Paris statuary, among which were several variations of head and shoulder busts of Polynesian/Hawaiian woman/girls and men/boys. Spanish themes included head and shoulder busts of conquistadors, bullfighters, and senoritas. Reproductions of famous sculptures featured Michelangelo’s Moses and Pieta and Michel Lucchesi’s The Ascent of Man. The garden statuary line had an 18" ostrich.

The company withdrew from the decorative/reproduction plaster of Paris sculpture market by the end of the 1960s.

Marwal pieces are marked as such with an oval stamp, usually on the back or underside. They are recognized by their precision paint jobs, with "eye lights" and careful shading.

Holland Molds and other hobbyist companies produced similar lines for hobbyist makers, but these pieces are not marked as Marwal and vary vastly in quality and paint schemes.

Chris Raimo is a graphic artist based out of New Jersey.

Billy Crud is a tiki carver and tiki bar designer and builder. He has worked on several renowned home bars for different clients like Tikibuktu in Las Vegas and has helped with designing commercial bars like Wilfred's in Napa. He does commission stand-alone carvings and pieces also.

Kelly Towles, a leading Washington, DC, artist, has literally painted the town since moving to the Nation’s Capital in the late 1990s. His murals, showcased on area buildings and garage doors, and paintings, displayed in local galleries and businesses, are electrically playful. From partnerships with DC Brau Brewing Company, U St Music Hall, and DC United, to working with the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities and the Greater Washington Creative Community Initiative to revitalize neighborhoods using his creative energy, he is focused on sharing his passion for street art while making an impact on the local community. Towles’s characters range from the traditional to the fantastical, retaining hints of people, places, and things that positively influence his life.

Blake is a ceramicist and tiki mug maker based out of Riverside, California.

From Trader Jak's:

"My first trip to Disneyland was in 2015 for the 60th Diamond Anniversary celebration (we had only been to Florida's park before). While at Disneyland, we stumbled on to possibly the most magical place my wife and I have ever experienced. There were stars above and the sounds of a live Ukulele playing. The weather was perfect for the outdoor seating and the tiki torches touched our hearts. And inside... WOW! We were hooked on tiki! And that's where MY love and fascination for the tiki culture blossomed. Since then, I've mostly collected tiki mugs, art and sculptures, but at the request of a few people, I thought this Tiki Tiki King could do a little to spread some fun tiki merch around the globe, as any Trader should. By the way, I'm Jacob, or Jake for short, but Trader Jake's was taken. So 'Hi, I'm Jak!' Mahalo!"

Ron House is an artist, tiki mug maker, and sign builder based out of Nuevo, California. He is perhaps best known for his "Chieftain Sticks" -- decorated skulls on bamboo staves. His inventory is always changing, and he frequently vends across Southern California's tiki marketplaces.

This is a team made up of Bobby Doran (Bodo, based out of Simi Valley) and Ben Short (GoblinTown Creations, based out of Fresno California). They make spectacular shrunken heads, paintings, dioramas, masks, tiki mugs and other artworks.

Doug Schaeffer is an artist based out of Collinsville, Illinois who specializes in horror-based themes with his work. Of particular interest is his OddiTikis line of horror themed mugs.

The company was founded in 1964 on West 56th Street in New York City by 25-year-old Hiroaki Aoki, the father of Steve Aoki and Devon Aoki.

Aoki, a wrestler who had qualified for but did not attend the 1960 Summer Olympics, started the restaurant with US $10,000 (equivalent to $87,371 in 2021) earned from driving an ice cream truck in Harlem. The first restaurant, Benihana of Tokyo, was named for the red safflower that was the name for the coffee shop owned by his parents in Tokyo.

Aoki's concept was for the meals to be theatrically prepared by a knife-wielding, joke-telling chef at a teppanyaki table surrounded by a wooden eating surface in front of the guests (Teppan meaning "steel grill" or "griddle" and yaki meaning "grilled" or "broiled"). It did not do well until early 1965, when Clementine Paddleford of the New York Herald Tribune gave it a rave review. The Beatles and Muhammad Ali were among the celebrities who then descended on the four-table restaurant. The restaurant then paid for itself in just 6 months.

Soon after, Rocky opened a second Benihana in New York and a third Benihana restaurant in Chicago. By 1972, there were six Benihana locations in the United States, with more opening every day. Sadly, Rocky Aoki died in 2008 at the age of 69. But, his legacy lives on with more than 70 Benihana restaurants in the United States, Caribbean, and Central and South America, and more than 100 million meals served.

Corporate headquarters is located in Aventura, Florida, United States.

NOTE: Benihana is known for its souvenir cocktail mugs, most of which come in a completely white glaze. These were put into service soon after the formation of the restaurant in the mid 60s. Some are long-running designs and some were issued for a limited time at only some locations. Among tiki mug collectors, there is great controversy as to whether these should be included as "Tiki Mugs" but they are ubiquitous and most mug hunters are familiar with them from hunting thrift stores and estate sales, if not from going to the actual restaurants. These are labeled under the site as "Orientalia" and many of them were originally used to serve mai-tais or other tropical cocktails, although it appears that some mugs can now be directly ordered from Benihana at their online shop.

Back in 2009, Blair Reynolds was interested in making tropical cocktails and started a blog called Trader Tiki. Getting feedback from other cocktail enthusiasts, he saw the need for off-the-shelf syrups to make these tropical cocktails and started his syrup company that same year.

Originally the business was called Trader Tiki, but another well-known tiki corporation with "Trader" in the name threatened legal action as they were already selling their own pre-mixes and thought he would be infringing on their brand recognition.

So, in 2011, the re-branding of the company as B.G. Reynolds took place, with the same products under new labels.

It wasn't the name, but the quality of ingredients that sold the product, however, and the BG Reynolds line of syrups has thrived.

Blair Reynolds also ran Hale Pele in Portland from its opening in 2012 until 2016 when he stepped away to focus exclusively on his syrup manufacturing business.

His company is familiar with the volume needs of larger bars and can supply smaller or larger bottles of each flavor as needed.

BG Reynolds Syrups are used by many well-known commercial tiki bars, like Trader Sam's, in addition to countless home bars.

All the syrups are crafted in small batches in Oregon, United States.

Paul Tanner is an artist based out of Canada who started focusing on mug production in 2020 with his creation of The Poseidon's Downfall mug for Chris McKee (and released at The Shameful Tiki Room in Vancouver on September, 2021). Since then, he has worked on many more designs.

From Poly's Custom Shop:

"I've been a professional artist now for 32 years in many different mediums. I first started doing custom painted and modified figures for miniature wargames (Warhammer, Blood bowl, etc...). I then starting making jewelry at 16 years old and did that for 11 years. After that I was a character artist for video games for 12 years and now melding all my experience into one shop!"

Hi my name is Christine. Born and raised in Florida. But currently reside in Seattle, WA with my partner and our dogs. I recently fell in love with making ceramic mugs! Growing up I’ve always loved doing art. I’ve tried all kinds of methods of expressing art, from traditional oil pointing and graphite sketching to pretty geeky ones like acrylic miniature painting and board game themed pin design! But nothing had really clicked as ceramics did with me. So I made the investment and bought myself a kiln. I’m now a solo mug maker working out of a tiny shed and my garage.

Mold making, slip casting … I’m constantly covered in clay. Why would I do this to myself? Well It all started during 2020, I pretty much binged watched everything and I just so happened upon a show called the Great Pottery Throw Down. Binged that real quick too. BUT little did I know…the show planted a seed into my head. It wasn’t until early 2021 when we started emerging from our caves, I visited my first a Tiki bar called Devil’s Reef. I stepped foot into that place and was transported somewhere else entirely for a night. The escapism and the strong but balanced drinks made it one of my favorite nightly getaways for a long while. One night I asked the owner of the bar, Jason Alexander, about the mug collection he had displayed at the bar. He showed me all these amazing CERAMIC mugs. Then it all clicked. I love this Tiki bar, I love these mugs, I love ceramics… I can do this. I drunkenly declared that night to the Devil’s Reef crew that I was going to make my own mug that I’ll bring in to drink from. Then I did and I’ll continue to do this to myself because I love doing it.

While working a full-time day job, I’ll continue to sculpt and make mugs in the evenings and weekends. But my plan is to save up and go full time into ceramics within the next 5 years or so. It’s just so much fun, plus all the cool people I’ve met in the Tiki community just makes it all even more worthwhile!

Elle Tiki is a Central Florida artist that specializes in ceramic cocktail mugs. All Elle Tiki mugs are hand sculpted and created at her home studio.

Jordan Reichek is an award-winning, veteran animation producer/director whose versatile work has spanned feature films, television and web series as well as animation techniques for the last 30 years.

Jordan’s love of pop culture is informed by his work in entertainment and extends to his avid collecting of memorabilia, relics, objet d’art, etc. in wide ranging subjects from Disneyland and Tiki culture to The Beatles and Americana. He was educated in film and animation at Cal Arts, USC Film School, NYU Film School, and Pratt Institute before entering the professional animation field.

Starting as a core member of the Spumco “Ren & Stimpy” creative team, he moved on to work in various production capacities on shows such as Steve Spielberg’s “Tiny Toons” and “Animaniacs,” “The Simpsons,” “The Baby Huey Show,” and “The Woody Woodpecker Show.” Later, he began to develop innovative animation properties for the major studios and networks like Disney/Buena Vista Home Entertainment, Amblin Entertainment, Universal Cartoon Studios, Nickelodeon, and Warner Bros. Television Animation. He produced, wrote and directed the Cartoon Network Special, “The Groovenians,” which was created by famed pop artist, Kenny Scharf. This groundbreaking CGI show starred Dennis Hopper, Paul Reubens, Debi Mazar, Vincent Gallo, RuPaul and features the music of the B-52’s and Mark Mothersbaugh of Devo fame. He also produced and directed the cult web series, “Dream Detective,” which was created by maverick underground artist, Robert Williams. In addition, he produced and directed pilot and series development for the Nickelodeon series, “Invader Zim,” for which he received “the best television pilot award,” at the prestigious International Festival of Animated Film in Annecy, France. His most recent productions include creation of several new shows for Cartoon Network, “Animal Control!” and the Lego series, “MIXELS”.

His other accomplishments include animated corporate graphics, commercial graphic design, story and development work, and videogame story and design for franchises such as, “Crash Bandicoot” for Vivendi-Universal. Most recently, he has produced successful gallery exhibition sales featuring items from his Disneyland and Tiki culture collections. He founded Peekaboo Gallery in January 2018, in Pasadena, California.

Bridget McCarty is the artist of the popularly known "Full of Life" miniature cats. Her cat sculptures and miniatures have been featured in MINIATURE COLLECTOR MAGAZINE, MINIATURA (Spain), DOLLHOUSE MINIATURES MAGAZINE (UK), and collected around the world, as well as recognized by Warner Brothers Consumer Products for a line of THE WIZARD OF OZ™ miniatures.

François is an artist based out of Geneva, Switzerland.

World Market, formerly Cost Plus World Market until 2021, is an American chain of specialty/import retail stores, selling home furniture, decor, curtains, rugs, gifts, apparel, coffee, wine, craft beer, as well as several international food products. The brand's name originated from the initial concept, since abandoned, of selling items for "cost plus 10%".

Its headquarters were located in Alameda, California when it was previously a subsidiary of Bed Bath & Beyond (since being acquired in 2012).

It was sold in 2021 to Kingswood Capital Management, which is based in Los Angeles, CA.

Founded in 1960.

Sanrio Company, Ltd. (株式会社サンリオ, Kabushikigaisha Sanrio) is a Japanese company that designs, licenses, and produces products focusing on the kawaii ("cute") segment of Japanese popular culture. Their products include stationery, school supplies, gifts, and accessories which are sold worldwide, including at specialty brand retail stores in Japan. Sanrio's best-known character is Hello Kitty, a little cartoon girl cat and one of the most successful marketing brands in the world.

Besides selling character goods, Sanrio takes part in film production and publishing. Sanrio has the license to produce Peanuts merchandise for the Japanese market. Also, Sanrio owns the Mr. Men and Little Miss characters, having purchased the rights to them in 2011, taking over Chorion's THOIP company. Their animatronics branch, called Kokoro Company, Ltd. (kokoro being Japanese for 'heart') is best known for the Actroid android. The company also runs a franchise of KFC in Saitama Prefecture.

Eric is a lifelong artist and formally trained product designer with 20+ years of experience in the toy industry, and 8 years as a freelance designer supporting animation studio productions. He specializes in creative development, character/prop design, and illustration with a unique sensitivity to style, paired with an uncanny instinct for how to strategically and creatively blend the worlds of product and entertainment/IP development.

He has worked on tiki mugs as an artist/designer for MONDO.

Tiki Lee runs an antique mall booth in Las Vegas devoted entirely to tiki, and which offers a mix of both modern and vintage tiki collectibles, especially mugs.

This booth had been located at the Charleston Antique Mall for many years but moved in October 2013 to a new antique mall, Main Street America, at 1400 S. Main St. and is currently still there as of 2022 (although the name of the mall has changed to Main Street Peddler's Antique Mall).

Additionally, Lee has begun commissioning his own mug designs and other products to be sold under the Tiki Lee brand. He also vends at some tiki events.

Open since at least 2012.

Mahalo Tiki is an online store and seller of Polynesian pop tiki mugs and other collectibles. They re-sell items and also produce/commission original items from tiki artists.

Additionally, they often have a booth at major tiki events and marketplaces.

Started in 2016.

Hi-Tide Recordings is an international record label and lifestyle brand based in Freehold, New Jersey, USA. Founders Vincent Minervino and Magdalena O’Connell tour the world as vinyl DJs and event curators, and produce their very own Hi-Tide “Holiday” series of music & cocktail weekenders.

Gilbert is an accomplished artist and sculptor based out of Tucson, Arizona. He has worked in many different fields, as a creator for Theme Parks, Museums, Zoos , the Video Game Industry, and the Movie Industry.

Tanner Perks is an artist and sculptor who has worked with The Shrunken Monkey and others.

Brian Kesinger is an Annie award winning story artist, illustrator and author. His 20+ year career at Disney has spanned both hand drawn and cg animated films from Tarzan to Frozen 2. In addition to Brian's film work, he has also become a celebrated author and illustrator of several books that showcase his style, wit and ability to tell engaging stories in original ways. His artistic journey has lead him to find an additional home with Marvel Comics and Lucasfilm where he blends his animation background with the comic art form to create dazzling and expressive art.

Weekend Maker parents, Artists in the Animation / Theme Parks industries, & two Disney fanatics! Doug’s the builder, Jess’s the finisher!

Chrissy Weena resides in Littleton, Colorado making art inspired by her love for Tiki, Disney, and Adventure.

Al Kocab, who died in 1994 at the age of 64, is closely associated with the Mai-Kai.

Mai-Kai founder Bob Thornton was so impressed with Kocab's art and design work that he got him involved designing many projects.

Al illustrated Happy Talk, a humor magazine that the restaurant published semi-regularly. He also designed postcards, lamps for each of the dining rooms, dining chairs, annual souvenir calendars, the Shrunken Skull Shrunken Head Mug ("dangerous and deadly"), the Abelam Mask Mug for their Coffee Grog, and the Mai Kai Tangaroa decanter.

Dave Dexter is an accomplished lowbrow/pop surrealist artist whose works have appeared at La Luz de Jesus and other galleries. He came on board with Munktiki as a studio artist in January 2022, with his first limited mug release, Punch Drunk.

Ben is a Portland, Oregon based artist and sculptor. He currently works at Laika animation studio.

Long before his introduction to the Tiki sub-culture, Doc Parks was collaborating with artists and musicians to create good times. Before moving from San Diego to the Bay Area and making a name for himself in the San Francisco bar scene, Doc ran a production company, curated art shows, managed tasting rooms, and played in bands. In the coming years, Pagan Idol and Zombie Village would be brought to fruition, with Doc Parks at the helm. Both bars commanded the attention of restauranteurs and bar owners from around the country who sought out his expertise for their own projects. This prompted Doc to found DDP Hospitality Consulting. During the Covid-19 pandemic, a consulting client would make him an offer, pulling him from the City by the Bay to Napa Valley to run a tiki bar, and today, Doc Parks is the General Manager of Wilfred's Lounge in Downtown Napa.

All sales made from Doc Parks Designs merchandise will go towards funding his next great escape!

Founded in January 2018 in Pasadena, California by veteran animation director/producer, Jordan Reichek.

Peekaboo Gallery The Pop-Culture Time Machine™, is a fresh concept in the curation, exhibition and sale of exceptional antiques and collectable memorabilia.

Started in 1993. Their corporate headquarters is in Seattle, Washington, but they have stores and restaurants all over the United States.

Tommy Bahama is an American manufacturer of casual, men's and women's sportswear and activewear, denim, swimwear, accessories, footwear and a complete home furnishings collection. Tommy Bahama is available at Macy's, Dillard's, Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue, Nordstrom, Lord & Taylor, Belk and Von Maur, along with resort locations around the world.

Tommy is an imaginary mascot for the brand, whose leisure themes run the gamut and often include vintage Hawaiian/Floridian/Cuban/Mid-Century imagery. Other popular themes include grilling & barbecuing, sailing and fishing, surfing, and sports.

For tiki collectors, Tommy Bahama is known for producing generously fitted silk or cotton "camp shirts" with tropical or tiki-adjacent imagery. Their seasonal offerings sometimes include tiki themed barware or other accoutrements.

Artist Alex Gupton’s energy, joy for life, and infectious spirit are infused into his art. Alex has spent most of his life living on the Kona coast of the Big Island, and the exposure to Hawaii’s stunning tropical landscapes, bountiful undersea life, and rich traditions sparked the passion for the islands that is readily apparent in his work. Whether drawing his fine pen & ink creations, forming the clay to be cast into his bronze sculpture or piecing together the intricate mosaic tile installations, Alex is constantly pushing the envelope of his talent and has been exploring new forms of expression as a professional artist for nearly 30 years. Inspired by his mother, artist Penny Gupton, a lifetime of sketching, drawing and designing have yielded a diverse portfolio of artwork ranging from tiny drawings to large scale murals. During this time, Alex has worked with his clients on a vast number of private and corporate commissions. Many of Alex’s pieces can be seen in fine art galleries throughout the Hawaiian Islands and beyond. Alex makes his home overlooking the Kona Coast on the Big Island of Hawaii, with his beautiful wife Jacqueline, their three wonderful children and a couple of cats.

Tiki guy, mug collector/maker, cocktail enthusiast, Penguin wrangler, bass for Hang-Ten Hangmen & Mai Tai Friday.

Tracy M. Lee (President/Creative Director).

At the time of Tracy's formation of Electric Tiki Design in 2001, Tracy had been in feature animation for 13 years and was burnt out and ready to work in a new medium.

Tracy's track record up until this point had been impressive: Having won an internship with Walt Disney Feature Animation Florida in 1989, he went on to a supervisory position within two years. While in Florida he worked on such features as "Beauty and the Beast", "Aladdin", "The Lion King", and "Pocahontas". In 1995 he relocated to LA where he contributed to such films as "The Hunchback of Notre Dame", "Tarzan", "Atlantis:The Lost Empire", "Treasure Planet", "Loony Tunes: Back in Action", "Fat Albert", "Enchanted", "The Princess and the Frog", and "Winnie the Pooh". At Warner Bros., Tracy has been involved with "The Looney Tunes Show", "Wabbit", "Scooby Doo and Guess Who?", multiple Tom and Jerry movies and most recently "Space Jam: A New Legacy".

UPDATE: Tracy has been back in animation full-time since 2011, but still runs Electric Tiki Design and welcomes projects that interest him.

Tiki Geo is a San Diego based artist specializing in Tiki Fantasy Comic Art styling.

Cory Starr currently leads the Tiki Tatsu-Ya beverage program in Austin, Texas.

His previous experience includes the Four Seasons Hualalai, Hawaii and Three Dots and a Dash in Chicago

Some of the cocktail vessels at Tiki Tatsu-Ya were designed by others, but the S.O.S. Banzai! Boat and Skeleton Cruise, were designed by Cory Starr himself.

From the DS Edwards website:

"WRITER. ILLUSTRATOR. ANIMATOR.

TIKI ENTHUSIAST.

Since 1999, Dan has been writing, drawing and creating professionally.

His clients include Kevin Smith, RKO Pictures, PopCap/EA, National Geographic Kids, Philips, and Discovery Kids. His work has been featured in films, television, and at San Diego Comic-Con.

He lives in Maine with two great kids, a crooked little dog, and a lovely wife."

Alex is a freelance artist based out of Costa Mesa, CA. He does custom 2-D and 3-D design work.

David McNeley, also known as “Mcbiff”, is an artist from Huntington Beach, CA.

The McBiff nickname originated with someone saying that he looks like an Irish version of the film character Biff from Back to the Future, like a "Mc-Biff".

Mcbiff specializes in Acrylic Painting. Clean simplicity and hidden surprises characterize his paintings with American mid century modern. Inspired by Disney artists that came before him and a healthy union with a paintbrush, Mcbiff has created a style that is familiar but enthusiastically new.

Skipper Brodie and Lord Paddy, two makers and sellers based in Michigan, created Colonel Coconut in 2020. Their first mug, "Snakes on the Brain" premiered in 2022.