Alec Yuill-Thornton's main claim to fame is that he designed the classic Tiki Bob logo, which was turned into a mug for Tiki Bob's in San Francisco and later "borrowed" by a few other tiki establishments.
During the Tiki Revival and to the present day, the Tiki Bob design continues to be one of the most popular and has been mashed-up with all number of themes and homages paid by many many creators. Some people collect almost exclusively Tiki Bob-related designs.
*Note, this site has endeavored to credit many of these homages in part to Alec, but a search for "Tiki Bob" will probably turn up many more than credited to his page.
Yuill-Thornton also illustrated Trader Vic's Kitchen Kibbitzer cookbook. Born in Manila, PI on April 29, 1917. About 1933 Alec Yuill-Thornton moved to the San Diego, CA to attend the Army & Navy Academy. He then studied architecture at San Mateo Jr. College and UC Berkeley. Following a few years in Boulder City, NV, he returned to San Francisco and worked as an architect for Gardner Dailey and others. In the 1960s he took up etching, which he studied at the San Francisco Art Institute, as well as metal smithing, calligraphy, and jewelry making. His watercolors include scenes of Yosemite, the Mother Lode country, and San Francisco. He died in San Francisco on Nov. 14, 1986.
71 Tiki Mugs
