1961 Okole Maluna Drink Society Contest Tiki Bowl - from the Mai-Kai
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From the Sun Colony December of 1961 issue:
"Among the countless South Florida organizations which must be considered unique is one called Okole Maluna, candidly dedicated to drinking, but drinking of an unusual order. Its membership consists of patrons of the Mai-Kai Restaurant in Fort Lauderdale who can manage, over a given period of time, to slog their way through this quite fantastic Polynesian eating place's entire drink menu of 46 creations made of rum. In past years Okole Maluna has chosen a king (or queen) simply by awarding the title to the one who got through the menu soonest after the starting whistle. This year the competition was transformed in nature, from a race to a test of skill and memory. After certain pre-liminaries, those who qualified were summoned to a "drinkoff," which was rather like a rum-based spelling bee. The 24 contestants were challenged to identify correctly certain drinks, which were set before them in identical containers bearing no telltale marks, nor any of the usual Mai-Kai appurtenances, among which are fruit, gardenias and spurts of blue flame. Curiously, it was a woman contender, Pat Fay, who captured top prize of a holiday in Puerto Rico, and another, Mrs. Charles Cassel, who ran a stalwart second."
It is these 24 individual containers referred to that comprised the Contest Bowls. Each had a lidded top with a double sided tiki as the handle. Each bowl had an incised tiki face on one side and read "Mai-Kai" on the other. Today, very few of the originals remain and this is one of the most coveted Mai-Kai collectibles.
So collectible, that Tiki Diablo made a limited run of 125 (the Tiki Diablo Tupaupau Book Release Bowl) based on the original design in 2016 to help promote Tim "Swanky" Glazner's book on Mai Kai history. These modern versions can be told apart because they have a more bluish green glaze, more finely sculpted tiki images, and the addition of metal earrings on the sides of the bowl.
Production
- Producer
- Mai-Kai - Fort Lauderdale
- Count
- at least 24
Release
Physical Characteristics
- Material
- Ceramic
- Shape
- Bowl
- Colour
- Green
- Imagery
- Tiki
- Marking
- "Mai-Kai" on reverse.
- Notes
- green
