Geeki Tikis Star Wars Landspeeder Punch Bowl with Luke and R2-D2 Mini Muglets
Stop by Tosche Station and power up with this Star Wars Landspeeder Punch Bowl, complete with Luke Skywalker and R2-D2 Mini Muglets. Luke Skywalker owned an X-34 landspeeder which transported him across the sands of Tatooine in Star Wars. The design of the punch bowl and mini mug set was inspired by the classic Star Wars Trilogy.
Landspeeder | Star Wars: A New Hope
This high quality Geeki Tikis ceramic punch bowl made by Beeline Creative can hold 20 ounces of your favorite beverage, and the Mini Muglets each hold two ounces. The set is currently available from Toynk for $69.99.
Disneyland fans take heart, the Disneyland Resort is opening in phases and the Disneyland Hotel will soon be reopened with fantastic renovations, including corridor flooring featuring new patterns inspired by the art of Mary Blair, who was the Small World artist and concept artist for several Disney animations including Peter Pan and Cinderella. During the hotel’s hiatus, upholstery and fabrics in guest rooms and other areas were refreshed and updated, and guest room carpets now feature a fun new fireworks pattern.
Disneyland Hotel | Disney
The Disney Parks Blog recommends staying in the Fantasy Tower, stating “the Fantasy Tower is enchanting, where the nostalgia of Disneyland, touches of pixie dust and “hidden” Mickeys meld with the hotel’s mid-century modern design. Initially, the Fantasy Tower will be the first Disneyland Hotel tower to reopen.”
Trader Sam’s Grog | Disney
The Trader Sam’s Enchanted Tiki Bar and Tangaroa Terrace will also be opening July 2, an popular immersive bar inspired by the Jungle Cruise, and Trader Sam’s Enchanted Tiki Bar fits right in with the Adventureland theme. Trader Sam’s lounge menu items feature unique versions of Asian and Pacific Island favorites like the enticing Poke Bowl, Tonkotsu Ramen, and a Hawaiian Platter. The drink menu has several exotic choices, too, including a “Tiki Tiki Tiki Tiki Tiki Rum” that sounds like a perfect blend of fruits, spices, and creamy coconut.
Disney Parks recommends using the mobile order service on the Disneyland app** for added convenience at Tangaroa Terrace and the Coffee House.
I’m starting a ‘Selected Classics’ line of posts as a part of my own foray into the world of classic movies that I hadn’t seen until recently, but were really worth the watch. The first is this dear film starring Jennifer Jones, The Song of Bernadette.
This is a beautiful movie. It is based on the real life story of the experiences of Bernadette Soubirous, who reportedly saw visions of Mary at Massabielle in Lourdes, France, from February to July 1858, and who received much criticism, as well as many followers for it. The film was adapted from The New York Times Best Seller novel by Franz Werfel, which also depicts the story of Bernadette.
Bernadette Soubirous is played by a young Jennifer Jones, who does an amazing job of portraying the wonder and innocence of Bernadette. The fact that she is such an endearing character was the biggest appeal of this movie for me. I like the depth in the other characters, too, especially that of her family, who teeter between taking cruel, sensible, and understanding stances, capturing the complexity of the situation. Even though it can be frustrating for the audience to watch the cruelty, it comes across as realistic that not everyone in this story leans strictly one way or the other.
Vincent Price and Jennifer Jones in ‘The Song of Bernadette’
The Song of Bernadette was directed by Henry King, famous for making excellent literary adaptations, including the 1945 film A Bell for Adano and The Sun Also Rises in 1957. It co-stars Charles Bickford as Abbé Dominique Peyramale, William Eythe as Antoine Nicoleau, Gladys Cooper as Marie Therese Vauzou, and a skeptical Vincent Price as Imperial Prosecutor Vital Dutour, Jennifer Jones won the 1943 Academy Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role for her performance in the film.
I highly recommend The Song of Bernadette because it is an intriguing story told with interesting characters and superb acting. The special effects work because they are subtle, and the film itself is sublime in its subtle beauty.
One of the first bars I went to after being vaccinated was my favorite one in my hometown of Tulsa, the Saturn Room. What pure joy to relax in this T-town tropical hut under low lighting with an ever impeccable playlist playing. Tonight’s musical selections included “Care of Cell 44” by The Zombies, “Rock and Roll” by Velvet Underground, and “Lover Undiscovered” by The Coral.
Saturn Room
Guests are typically greeted as they enter the cozy tiki bar, meeting the hospitality standards described in on their site, which states that the bar “was built on the fundamental ideas of the forefathers of tiki, Don the Beachcomber, Trader Vic, and Stephen Crane. These stewards of hospitality created some of the most classic of tiki drinks and ideals.”
And the cocktails are incredible. In fact, their Macadamia Chi Chi is one of the best drinks I’ve ever had. With the perfect blend of macadamia nut liquor, pineapple juice, coconut cream, and vodka, this drink is too heavenly, because I just want to sip and sip, and sip…
Macadamia Chi Chi
The weather was warm and windows open, making the perfect setting for sipping their cool Piña Colada, which also had a smooth, almost nutty flavor.
Piña Colada
They have a Mystery Tiki option on the menu, as well, so we tried our luck and got a delectable sweet and fruity concoction.
Mystery Tiki
The Chairman Mao is one that I’ve been eyeing for years, but never took a chance on it until now. It’s a strong blend of exotic flavors and spices, the boldest being peppercorn from the peppercorn gin! It also has coffee liquor, kings ginger, Blackstrap rum, falernum, lemon, lime, grapefruit bitters, and fragrant absinthe.
Chairman Mao
It’s a truly relaxing experience, with the music at the perfect level for listening or talking, decadent drink mixes, and an exotic tropical setting.
The Saturn Room is located at 209 N Boulder Ave in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and open daily from 4 pm until 2 am.
Beside my new found love of poke’ bowls, there are several Hawaiian foods that are recommended that we should try. We will start with the first which is of course the beloved, Hawaiian Ice. This is shaved ice, but not like a snow cone. Not crunched ice, but shaved ice. There is a difference. And the flavors are unique from mocha to mochi, ice cream, li hing mui, and even condensed milk topping.
Hawaiian Ice | Akkharat Jarusilawong
Hawaiian Acai Bowl
The next food to add to the list is the Hawaiian acai bowl. This is a tasty dish with a variety of fruit and berries, coconut flakes, poi (pounded taro), pitaya (dragon fruit) and honey.
Acai Bowls | Maridav
Kalua Pig
Another delightful Hawaiian dish is Kalua Pig. It is best served with cabbage and rice. This is the Hawaiian version of pulled pork.
Kalua | Ferdz Cacal
Haupia
A fun dessert to try is haupia. This is a coconut milk-based dessert. It has a gelatin consistency and is served in squares. Sometimes haupia is used as icing on wedding cake. In Hawaii, haupia can be purchased at McDonald’s.
Haupia, Hawaiian Stiff Coconut Pudding | Toni Genberg
Loco Mocos
Just the opposite of dessert is a food called Loco Mocos. This is a hearty dish that consists of a mound of rice, plus a beef patty with an over-easy egg. The entire plate is then topped with brown gravy. Mmmmm. Mmmm!
Loco Moco | Leigh Anne Meeks
Spam Musubis
Spam musubis is spam fried in shoyu and wrapped with rice in nori. (Nori is the Japanese name for edible seaweed species of the red algae genus Pyropia) This is an easy snack to take on picnics and to pack in lunches. Hawaiians take this to the beach, soccer games or to school. This snack is actually available near cash registers in most convenient stores in Hawaii.
Spam Musubis | Leigh Anne Meeks
Liliko’i Butter
Liliko’i butter – is a passion fruit butter in Hawaii. And it spreads on everything, from oatmeal to bread, to desserts and is sold on food trucks all over Hawaii. Don’t miss out when you are there.
Liliko’i Passion Fruit Pancake | bonchan
Some of these foods can only be found in Hawaii or in specialty stores on the mainland, USA. But half of the fun of going to the islands is seeking out authentic food, and trying new things when you are there for a visit. One of the things I have recently discovered is all of the Poke’ restaurants available in the Kansas City area. I was so happy to find out one restaurant was only 10 minutes from my house! I had never been to this place and it’s right in the center of where I go all the time. I just didn’t notice.
Expanding your tastes and trying new foods is one of the best things about travel. But staying home and trying new foods is fun as well. As Hawaiian food continues to gain more traction in the Mainland, we are getting more familiar with foods we didn’t know about even 20 years ago. “People are becoming more curious about food and noticing that Hawaiian cuisine is more than what we once thought,” said Troy Guard, chef and owner of Eight Concepts across Denver. “It is this melting pot of the Pacific Rim, so really all of these flavors and combinations are infused in a diverse culture of food.”
And people across this country love the Hawaiian flavors and the cuisine. If you haven’t tried any of the Hawaiian dishes, please seek out a restaurant that cooks some of these flavors. It will be worth the effort, and you will enjoy a new taste and a healthy way to eat thanks to the Hawaiian people.
A well appointed Tiki bar on the deck with grass roof and hammock. | Steve Skjold
With all the Tiki rage in restaurants and bars the past few decades, is it any wonder that the Tiki fun has entered into our yards and homes? Many people are feverishly studying plans at this very moment trying to figure out how they are going to design a Tiki hut in their backyard this summer. With ideas from Pinterest to several other outlets and retailers, having a Tiki hut in your backyard is not as far fetched as it once might have been.
A Tiki hut can be as elaborate or as simple as your budget, creativity, and the space allows. So anyone who wants a Tiki Hut can potentially create one, have one built, or purchase a hut to their liking. A large Tiki hut with four poles that measures 12 ft. by 12 ft. can be manufactured and be ready for assembly at the cost of about $2000.
Or, you can make something as simple as a small Tiki Bar out of used wood pallets. Take two wooden pallets. Use one for the front and cut the other pallet in half. Use the two halves to put on the ends and secure. Place a wooden shelf on the top and a shelf in the middle of the inside of the pallet fixture. Paint the top a bright aqua or red color. Then cover the outside with hula grass skirt material or thatch. Add lights and more décor and presto! You have a Tiki Bar for the cost of paint, thatch or hula grass, and boards for shelves if you have to purchase them.
An indoor idea for a Tiki area is to cover one wall from the ceiling to the floor in thatch or hula grass. This gives a backdrop to the room a Tiki feel. Then keep an eye out for bamboo furniture on sale or at garage sales. People buy this type of furniture all the time and then change their minds. Keep an eye out this spring for the sales! Colored lights are always a nice touch for the room.
Bamboo torch lights surrounding an area, along with a string of colored lights also give a hint of a Tiki hut feel. If you have a current bar set up or a gazebo, the thatch is fairly inexpensive to add to your current décor. The nice thing about building a Tiki structure is that is doesn’t have to be perfectly measured, or made with matched pieces of wood. Tiki isn’t fancy. Let your creativity run wild and see what you might have around the house to use for construction. Add some color, and you will have what you need for a Tiki bar or Tiki hut.
Remember, almost anything can be found online. There are tons of online companies that you can order Tiki supplies and actual Tiki setups already created with just minor assembly required. But for some of us, half the fun is in the design and creating of Tiki huts and bars. Pinterest is your best friend. There are so many ideas about how to build a multitude of Tiki huts and bars on Pinterest.
Tiki is fun. Have fun in creating a Tiki lounging area for your yard or your home. Enjoy the colors, the lights and the spirit behind the fun of Tiki.
Trader Joe’s vintage exterior and sign. | Ken Wolter
After all, we know Trader Joe’s is completely unique. I remember the first time I went to Trader Joe’s was when my daughters were in college in California and we went to the store. Wow! Being from Kansas, I had never seen anything like it. So many varied types of foods and different cuisines that only were available at Trader Joe’s.
Trader Joe’s store located in Palo Alto Town & Country Village shopping center | Michael Vi
Trader Joe’s began where Tiki pop culture simmered down. The first Trader Joe’s opened up in Pasadena, California in 1967. By 1967, Tiki establishments across the mainland USA were in full swing, and now here was this new grocery store where the employees wore Khaki shorts and flowered, Hawaiian shirts. Cedar planked lined walls, and the entire store had a tropical feel. It became cool and trendy to shop at Trader Joe’s. And California put Trader Joe’s on the map.
The history of Trader Joe’s dates back a little further. A man named Joe Coulombe started a chain of convenience stores in 1958 in Los Angeles called Pronto Market. Fearing a loss to 7-11, Joe decided he had to make a fast change. He rebooted and took advantage of the Tiki fad and started the grocery chain, named Trader Joe’s, playing on the name, Trader Vic, of the restaurant chain, Trader Vic’s.
Edina, MN – Interior of the fruit and dairy section of a Trader Joe’s grocery store | Jeff Bukowski
Joe Coulombe began selling groceries that were different from any other grocery store in California. He knew that with increased air travel, people were visiting places outside of their local regions. They were tasting new foods and then coming home and wanting to have these foods in their own kitchens. He first introduced granola in his Pasadena Trader Joe’s in 1972. This became a first of many new foods under the Trader Joe’s personal label. He had a knack for figuring out what people wanted and then putting it on the shelves.
Photo by Kristi Blokhin
Coulombe also bought wine from every California vineyard he was able, and sold the wine at bulk prices. This not only drove up sales, but helped to put small California wineries on the map. Eventually, Joe Coulombe sold the market to a German entrepreneur who had big plans for Trader Joe’s. The new owner, Theo Albrecht, expanded Trader Joe’s into Northern California, then Arizona, and finally further east. We finally got two Trader Joe’s in the Kansas City Metropolitan area after a tremendous petition drive aimed toward the company. The stores in Kansas City are always crowded!
Bethesda, MD – Daffodils for sale at Trader Joe’s grocery store chain off of Wisconsin Avenue. | Nicole S Glass
Trader Joe’s has become very well liked because of the prices, the friendly atmosphere, products, and packaging. Some of the Trader Joe labeled wine used to be called Two Buck Chuck and it was sold for $2.00. Now this same bottle sells for $2.00. There is a desert aisle that is unbeatable and if you like unique chocolate, Trader Joe’s has so many ways to package chocolate. They still have granola and power bars, fresh fruit and veggies, and many delightful precooked meals with whole food ingredients. In parts of the store, there are samples for customers to try. Fresh flowers are cut and brought in every day, and are reasonably priced as well. This may sound like an ad for Trader Joe’s, but if you want to shop at a healthy grocery store and get a slice of Tiki, seek out a Trader Joe’s.
Ceramics by Carl-Harry Stålhane for Rörstrand, 1950’s. Photo: Sothebys
Carl-Harry Stålhane, born on December 15, 1920 in Mariestad, Sweden, was one of the most innovative Swedish ceramic artists of the twentieth century. His designs and craftsmanship have become so revered that he has been an inspiration for modern designers and has been featured in the Swedish National Museum of Art and Design and New York’s MoMA.
Ceramics by Carl-Harry Stålhane for Rörstrand, 1960’s. Photo: galerie mobler
In 1939 Stålhane started working for Rörstrand, one of the oldest ceramic houses in Europe, and continued through 1973. He started at Rörstrand as a decorative painter and assistant to the ceramic artist Gunnar Nylund, and eventually created decorative accessories and tableware, including his elegant Blanca Tableware line which won international awards.
Vases by Carl-Harry Stålhane for Rörstrand, 1950s. Photo: Pamono
While working at Rörstrand, he was also an art student at Grünewald’s Art School in Stockholm from 1947 to 1948, and studied sculpture at the Paris Académie Colarossi from 1947 to 1948.
During the 1960’s, he worked on some major works of art which were brilliant combinations of painting and stone. The largest one was created for Kansas City’s Commerce Tower in 1964. He also created public works for Volvo in Gothenburg, Sweden.
Blanca 1955 Rörstrand Tableware. Photo: Bukowskis
In 1973 he went on to establish his own ceramic house, Designhuset, in Lidköping and continued working there until he passed away in 1990. There, he enjoyed the freedom of experimenting with various minerals and clays. Now, it serves as a school for ceramists.
Carl-Harry Stålhane
He created so many ceramics that many are still available for collectors today, often found in auction houses and costing anywhere from the surprisingly affordable $100 range to $10,000 and up, depending on the pieces.
Looking to shake up your tiki mug collection? Consider these ceramic galactic beauties from Beeline Creative.
The newest addition to the Star Wars line of Geeki Tikis mugs is none other than the blue elephant-nosed Ortolan keyboardist from Jabba the Hutt’s palace, Max Rebo. This unforgettable character is now available in all his blue glory in the form of a tiki mug from Entertainment Earth.
Star Wars Max Rebo Geeki Tikis Mug
Max Rebo is scheduled to be available sometime in May, and you can currently pre-order the 28 ounce ceramic glazed mug from Entertainment Earth for $39.99. The mug is all Max Rebo in the front, with an opening in the back for straws and garnishes.
Other mugs in the Star Wars Geeki Tikis collection include Luke Skywalker (released at the end of April), BB-8, Darth Maul, and of course, Baby Yoda.
The Mandalorian The Child Force Pose “Baby Yoda” Geeki Tikis Mug
Crayola Crayons has offered a great idea of how to get kids involved in the Tiki crazy by making their own Tiki mask. There are a number of different variations you can use off of their designs.
Materials suggested: poster board, oatmeal containers, construction papers, and of course crayons! Some items can be precut for younger children, such as the holes for the eyes and mouth in the oatmeal containers.
Once the holes are cut out, the kids can use paper plates with strings for the masks, or the oatmeal containers, or poster board cut down to Tiki Mask size. Children can cut out construction paper designs, and glue those along the sides for the colors variations, or use crayons or paint for the designs. You should glue paper around the oatmeal container and then decorate the container. This could be a free standing Tiki or a totem. The wood grain effect on the masks can be made by laying a crayon sideways and rubbing the sides on the white background.
Paper Bag Tiki Masks
Another suggestion would be to use a full size grocery bag and cut eyes and a mouth out of the front of the sack. Children could glue construction paper on the sack or even paint designs on the sack front. Then the sack could be a full on Tiki mask.
Cardboard Totems
And do not forget those different size boxes you have just laying around. These are the perfect building blocks for a Tiki totem. Each box could be painted individually and then taped together to complete the full totem. Children could even design these totems to represent pets or something in their history just like the Polynesian people do when they make Tiki totems. If you want to go smaller, you can always use toilet paper rolls or paper towel rolls for totems.
Clay Tiki Statues
Use regular modeling clay to make Tiki statues. The Tiki statues can be formed and then painted when they are dry. Kids will have so much fun looking at Tiki statues and then designing their own.
Paper Flowers
Add more color by making simple flowers by cutting out construction paper or using tissue paper and pipe cleaners. To make a tissue paper flower with pipe cleaners just take a few 6 inch squares of tissue paper and put a pipe cleaner in the middle. Twist the pipe cleaner until it closes up on the tissue. Fluff out the tissue and you have a flower with a stem! These can go on the Tiki masks, totems, or hang around the house for a kid Tiki party.
Paper Plate Parrots
Paper plate parrots are easily made by cutting a paper plate in half, then putting one half of the plate long ways and the other half across the top. The top is the head and beak and the lower half is the body. Put some tissue on the bird or glue some feathers if you have them and you have a Toucan!
Cardboard Palm Trees
Another use for toilet paper rolls to complete the Tiki set up, might be to paint or color the rolls a darker brown and then put green leaves coming out of the top like palm trees.
Kids love arts and crafts and what better idea than to pop in the movie Moana, make a fruit salad, and create some Tiki fun!
