Check out images from the third day of festivities during The Hukilau’s 14th annual Tiki weekender in Fort Lauderdale. Photos by day:Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday/Sunday
Symposiums:Browse the official photos from Go11 Events of syposiums by Kevin Kidney & Jody Daily (Prefab Paradise: A Look Back at Walt Disney’s World’s Original Polynesian Village), Jon Bortles and Tiki Gardener (The Story of Tiki Gardens), Domenic Priore (The Rise and Fall of Los Angeles’ Space Age Nautical Pleasure Pier), and Arthur Dong (Chinese American Nightclubs).
Three Hour Tour Cruise with Dawn Wells
Hundreds of villagers eagerly await a special cruise with Dawn Wells, best known as Mary Ann on iconic 1960s sitcom Gilligan’s Island. (Photo by Go11Events.com)
The line forms to gain entry to the 170-foot Lady Windridge Yacht at one of the docks at the Hyatt Regency Pier 66. (Jeff Chenault photo)
Fortifications arrive courtesy of spirits coordinator Dean Hurst (left), and The Hukilau’s bar team: George Jenkins (rear left) and Christina Jordan of the Straw Hat Barmen. (Photo by Go11Events.com)
Dawn Wells appears happy and surprised to see the large turnout of colorful villagers as she arrives with The Hukilau’s Christie “Tiki Kiliki” White (left). Many guests were in stylish garb to participate in the Gilligan’s Island costume contest. (Jim Masterson photo)
This week’s big news is the opening of Trader Sam’s Grog Grotto at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort. There are also updates on Miami Cocktail Week, Tales of the Cocktail tickets, and a new mug from Kevin Kidney. Plus: Montreal loses a classic Tiki venue, while Milwaukee may be gaining one. Weekly features spotlight artist Tiki Tony, Robert Burr’s Rum Guide, Japanese band Kenny Sasaki & The Tiki Boys, and San Francisco’s historic Tonga Room. The rum of the week, Smith & Cross, is featured in the Captain’s Blood cocktail.
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LAST WEEK IN REVIEW (March 23-29, 2015)
Crowds flock to Trader Sam’s soft opening at Polynesian Village Resort
The Disney and Tiki universes collided on Saturday, March 28, to create the perfect storm of excitement at Disney World’s Polynesian Village Resort. Fans and devotees lined up five hours in advance and some waited for more than six for the chance to be among the first to experience Trader Sam’s Grog Grotto.
Trader Sam’s Grog Grotto is filled with Tiki and Disney memorabilia, plus many special effects triggered when patrons order specific drinks. (Disney Parks Blog photo)
The elaborate bar created by Disney’s famed Imagineers finally held its soft opening Saturday after a week of VIP and cast member previews. The announcement Friday on the Disney Parks Blog ignited the fan frenzy, with many showing up before noon for the 4 p.m. opening.
Hundreds were lined up around the resort’s Papatee Bay marina all afternoon. When they reached the front of the line, they were given pagers to alert them when there was space for them in the bar. Some reported waiting three hours to get a pager, then another three to get in the door. Once inside, many enthusiasts who have been waiting for months as news trickled out about Trader Sam’s coming to Disney World just didn’t want to leave.
The Grog Grotto seats just 50, and no extra guests are allowed, making the experience as immersive and enjoyable as possible. Another 82 can enjoy the outdoor Tiki Terrace, where the same food and drink menu is available (including all the souvenir mugs). Both stay open until midnight, with the Grog Grotto limited to ages 21 and older after 8 p.m. Also note that hours could be limited during the soft opening as the bar and restaurant are fine-tuned.
Our expedition through the mysterious tropical drink selection at The Mai-Kai takes a dangerous turn with another mid-century classic from the menu’s “STRONG!” offerings.
The Shrunken Skull, served in the Abelam mug in May 2012. (Photo by Hurricane Hayward)
Tongue-in-cheek drinks lionizing primitivism were common during Tiki’s golden age. The ominous Shrunken Skull and its variations were among the most infamous. The idea was to conjure up a sense of danger lurking in your local tropical getaway. Classic Tiki bars offer the ultimate escape from the mundane day-to-day existence, and every island adventure needs a little bit of macabre yet kitschy risk-taking.
In this case, the danger lies in the strong rums that permeate this deadly concoction. The Shrunken Skull is one of only two current Mai-Kai drinks that feature a rum floater (a shot of rum added to your drink as it’s served). Not coincidentally, the other also comes with an element of danger attached to its name: the Shark Bite.
The Shrunken Skull is also one of only a handful of Mai-Kai cocktails to come in its own custom mug, originally a vintage shrunken head design by Al Kocab. The artist had his hand in many projects at The Mai-Kai, from furniture to advertising design.
It was replaced some time in the 1980s by a modern version based on Kocab’s design that remains to this day. The modern version features the details painted under the glaze, while the vintage version has the details painted over the glaze.
Our collection includes Mai-Kai Shrunken Skull mugs from the 1960s (left), 1970s and 1980s. (Photo by Hurricane Hayward)
The above links and info come courtesy of My Tiki Life, a website featuring a user-generated database of mugs past and present. This highly recommended resource is so robust, in fact, it lists nearly 300 mugs (as of October 2023) with a tag of “skull.” Featuring photos, designer and manufacturer info, plus a full description of the mugs, mytiki.life is essential even if you don’t register as a member.
In recent years, the Shrunken Skull is also often served in a modern Abelam mug, which features a mask-like design of the Abelam people who live in the East Sepik province of Papua New Guinea. The original was also designed by Kocab.
Both mugs have a handle, which is atypical of most Tiki mugs. It’s usually an indication that the mug does double-duty on the dessert menu as a vessel for hot coffee drinks. At The Mai-Kai, the current Abelam mug also can be enjoyed with an after-dinner classic, the flaming Kona Coffee Grog. The Shrunken Skull mug is also used for the Tahitian Coffee.
Hundreds of villagers eagerly await a special cruise with Dawn Wells, best known as Mary Ann on iconic 1960s sitcom Gilligan’s Island. (Photo by Go11Events.com)
The line forms to gain entry to the 170-foot Lady Windridge Yacht at one of the docks at the Hyatt Regency Pier 66. (Jeff Chenault photo)
Fortifications arrive courtesy of spirits coordinator Dean Hurst (left), and The Hukilau’s bar team: George Jenkins (rear left) and Christina Jordan of the Straw Hat Barmen. (Photo by Go11Events.com)
Dawn Wells appears happy and surprised to see the large turnout of colorful villagers as she arrives with The Hukilau’s Christie “Tiki Kiliki” White (left). Many guests were in stylish garb to participate in the Gilligan’s Island costume contest. (Jim Masterson photo)
