Taboo Island

Graffiti Stencil Paintings

2012-01-18T11:41:00.000-08:00

The Taboo Islanders have been busy this week! We've got a small batch of new original paintings, all made in the stenciled graffiti / street art style. They are available now on our site, ebay, and etsy!

More Woodrow Mugs!

2012-01-17T22:20:00.000-08:00

The islanders have finished another batch of unique Woodrow the 2nd mugs. Get one now before they are gone! For sale now in the Taboo Island Ebay Store.

Hand Carved Pendants by Hottiki

2011-12-29T11:11:00.000-08:00

The Taboo Islanders are excited to announce a new line of amazing tiki carvings by Orange County tiki carver and artist Hottiki! First off are his wonderful tiki pendants which are available now. Each is hand carved from exotic South Seas wood such as koa, teak, mango monkeypod, rattan and more. No two are alike! They have a great retro modern look - simple, witco like forms with intricate tattoo designs carved in.

You can find them now on our website or on ebay, and watch out for more items coming soon!

Woodrow the 2nd Tiki Mugs by Squid from Taboo Island

2011-12-27T16:02:00.000-08:00

The islanders have finally finished their first batch of Woodrow the 2nd tiki mugs by Squid! He is the reworked version of the 2011 Luau at the Lake mug. Each one of these is made as a custom one off with no two alike and limited to the life of the molds. On ebay now as an easy but it now! Check them out here!

Tiki Wonderland 5 - December 3rd

2011-11-22T10:07:00.000-08:00

It's that time of year again, time to get all your tiki Christmas shopping done. Which means it's time for the annual Tiki Wonderland art show at the Tonga Hut. This is number 5!! They will also be celebrating the GRAND RE-OPENING of the Tonga Hut. Taboo Island and other vendors will be set up outside from 12 to 4:30, and then the party moves inside with great drinks and the Glasgow Tiki Shakers playing from 5 to 8! Tonga Hut - 12808 Victory Blvd. - North Hollywood. Click here for more info.

2011-11-15T09:43:00.000-08:00

Even the Taboo Island natives decorate a Christmas tree and prepare for Santa's arrival during the holiday season. Only thing different is that Santa comes via seaplane! They finally got off their butts and got some of our xmas ornaments up on the website. Check them out here!

Vintage Travel Trailer Signs

2011-04-30T10:17:00.001-07:00

Inspired by the recent Mojave Oasis tiki and travel trailer event, the Taboo Island natives have created a whole series of vintage travel trailer signs, using logos and emblems from the actual trailers of the 1940s, 50s and 60s. Everything from classic Airstreams and Shasta Trailers to the fun Flamingo and Serro Scotty campers.

You can see more of them here!

Tiki Bob Vintage Signs

2011-04-09T12:20:00.001-07:00

The natives at Taboo Island just finished a small batch of vintage tiki bar signs, all dedicated to one of the most famous Polynesian Pop icons - Tiki Bob! These were produced as part of the Tiki Bob Art Show that was held at the Tonga Hut, North Hollywood in March, 2011. These 1950s graphics come from menus, matchbooks, and signs from that wonderful tiki bar and restaurant in San Francisco.

As always, these wood signs are made out of recycled and reused wood and paint. 100% environmentally friendly!

You can check them out here!

Squid Super Sale 3.0

2011-02-24T09:40:00.000-08:00

Taboo Island is proud to announce the third run of the Squid Super Sale.

Celebrating his 10th anniversary in the Tiki movement, artist Squid has decided to release many mugs from his personal stash back into the wild. These are all factory samples or artist proofs with test glazes of mugs that he designed or sculpted. Lots of very rare and early Tiki Farm mugs! As proof that they come from his own collection, each mug is signed by Squid and comes with a certificate of authenticity as well. Squid has authorized Taboo Island to conduct this sale, going on right now on eBay.

Auctions end Monday, so check them out here!

Here's a quick sampling of some of the great mugs for sale now.

Southern California Slack Key Festival - Redondo Beach - Jan. 23

2011-01-08T11:16:00.000-08:00

Taboo Island will be vending out at the Southern California Slack Key Festival in Redondo Beach on the 23rd. Come by and say aloha!

Here's some info from their press release:

KALA KOA PRESENTS THE 2011 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA SLACK KEY FESTIVAL

The biggest Hawaiian music concert event outside Hawaii returns to Los Angeles January 23, 2011

WHEN: January 23, 2011
WHERE: Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center, 1935 Manhattan Beach Blvd, Redondo Beach CA 90278
TIME: 2pm - 5pm (Island Marketplace featuring island-themed food and gifts opens at 11am)
TICKETS & INFO: http://www.slackkeyfest.com

(REDONDO BEACH, CA) On January 23, 2011, Kala Koa Entertainment will present the highly anticipated 4th Annual Southern California Slack Key Festival at the Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center, a showcase of the best Hawaiian slack key guitarists in the world, all on one stage.

The 2011 lineup features Cyril Pahinui (son of Gabby Pahinui) performing with GRAMMY winner Jeff Peterson, Guitar magazine Guitar Superstar finalist Makana, three-time GRAMMY winner George Kahumoku, Jr with internationally renowned steel guitar player Bob Brozman, slack key guitarist and falsetto singer Gary Haleamau and - for the first time - the legendary slack key master Keola Beamer (Honolulu City Lights)together with one of Hawaii's top female vocalists Raiatea Helm.

The Festival - the first one of its kind anywhere outside Hawaii - set a major milestone for Hawaiian music events on the mainland when it debuted in 2008 and has already garnered a huge loyal following - creating, cultivating, and renewing interest in Hawaii and its music.

What is Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar Music?

Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar (ki ho'alu) is truly one of the world’s great acoustic guitar traditions, considered to be one of the oldest music traditions to still be a viable (other than just historical) part of a modern culture. Ki ho'alu, which literally means to "loosen the key," is the Hawaiian language name for the solo finger-picked style unique to Hawaii. In this tradition, the strings (or "keys") are "slacked" to produce many different tunings, which usually contain a major chord, or a chord with a major 7th note, or sometimes one with a 6th note in it. Each tuning produces a lingering sound behind the melody and has a characteristic resonance and fingering.

Proud sponsors of the 2011 Southern California Slack Key Festival: Trader Vic's L.A. LIVE, Bruddah's Hawaiian Food, Sun Noodles, PRIMO Beer, Bridges Design Group

Castaway Ceramics Tiki Mugs by Squid

2011-01-07T14:48:00.000-08:00

This just in! - A few crates of Castaway Ceramics mugs by Squid have washed ashore on the beaches of Taboo Island. The local natives were more concerned with the wood from the crates to make some "home improvements", so they've decide to put the mugs up for sale! We have the whole line up for sale now on the website, and at new, lower prices! Check them out here!

Don the Beachcomber, Huntington Beach - December 18

2010-12-12T23:07:00.001-08:00

Taboo Island will be at Don the Beachcomber in Huntington Beach on December 18 for the Hula Girls and The Tequila Worms Concert. Live music, DJ Big Tiki Dude, $5 Mai Tais and other drink specials, and lots of tiki vendors. We will be there selling a wide variety of our wonderful tiki wares! Starts at 6pm on Staurday at Don the Beachcomber, 16278 Pacific Coast Highway, Huntington Beach. See you then!

Tiki Wonderland at the Tonga Hut - December 11

2010-12-04T18:49:00.000-08:00

Come visit us at the Tonga Hut on December 11 for the Tiki Wonderland Art Show & Christmas Party. Lots of great tiki and X-mas items for sale, wonderful drinks, and a DJ playing exotica and christmas music. Taboo Island will be there unveiling some swell tiki christmas ornaments and more! Starts at 4pm at the Tonga Hut, 12808 Victory Blvd., North Hollywood. Be there!

Squid Super Sale 2.0

2010-11-10T11:20:00.000-08:00

Oops! Squid did it again!

He was so happy how his first sale went that he has decided to release a lot more of his tiki mug collection back into the wild!

Same as the first one:

Celebrating his 10th anniversary in the Tiki movement, artist Squid has decided to release many mugs from his personal stash back into the wild. These are all factory samples or artist proofs with test glazes of mugs that he designed or sculpted. Lots of very rare and early Tiki Farm mugs! As proof that they come from his own collection, each mug is signed by Squid and comes with a certificate of authenticity as well. Squid has authorized Taboo Island to conduct the sale, going on right now on eBay.

Check them out here!

Here's a couple of the highlights of the sale:

2010 Squid Super Sale on eBay

2010-10-11T12:13:00.000-07:00

Celebrating his 10th anniversary in the Tiki movement, artist Squid has decided to release many mugs from his personal stash back into the wild. These are all factory samples or artist proofs with test glazes of mugs that he designed or sculpted. Lots of very rare and early Tiki Farm mugs! As proof that they come from his own collection, each mug is signed by Squid and comes with a certificate of authenticity as well. Squid has authorized Taboo Island to conduct the sale on eBay now.

Here's a quick example of some of the tiki goodness - an unnumbered artist proof of the Shag Enchanted Tiki Room 40th Anniversary mug, the limited edition Tiki Magazine moai, and a super early and rare Headhunter mug from 2000!

Check them out here!

3 New Images by Kirby

2010-10-01T23:42:00.000-07:00

Well, Kirby took a long overdue vacation to Taboo Island, and he was kidnapped by the natives! He is now chained to a coconut tree to spend the rest of his live painting here. Here's 3 new images that are available now, with more to come later! Presenting "Searching for Surf", "Voodoo", and "Fish"!

Check them out here!

New Gecko Mugs Added to the Website

2010-10-01T19:47:00.000-07:00

Aloha!

Just a quick note to let everyone know that we have a bunch of new Gecko mugs added to the website. Some of you may have seen some of these at Oasis, but most are newer designs including PNG drums, bowls, moai, seahorses and more. As a bonus, many of them are even on sale! Pick one up before they're gone. Here's a couple pics:

See the rest here!

Mahalo!

All Rise for the Mystic Imperial Potentate!

2010-09-07T18:43:00.000-07:00

Finally, some new dead shriners now available, all with the new and improved lava rock eyeball!

Check them out here!

New Tiki Oasis Sideshow Banners by Thor

2010-09-02T20:51:00.000-07:00

Some of you may have already picked these up from us at Oasis, but for those of you who couldn't make it, the Tiki Oasis banners featuring Marina the Mermaid, King Kukulele, Tana the Tattooed Lady and Crazy Al are up on Taboo Island now.

In full character with the 2010 Tiki Oasis Tenth Anniversary theme, "Extravaganza", Artist Tom Thordarson, better known as Thor, has created a series of epic stage banners through hand painted imagery and digital typography to celebrate four of Oasis' featured performers. These banners, capturing the character of both the performer featured and the hint of old style side show art served as both the stage backdrops in large scale and these mini poster prints to commemorate this special event.

Check them out here!

New Thor Original Paintings

2010-07-30T20:15:00.000-07:00

Aloha Everyone!

Taboo Island now has a number of Thor original paintings available. There are a few new ones as well as some older ones that we just received from the galleries in Hawaii. All of them are now available at the much lower Taboo Island prices, which are as much as half the original gallery prices! Here's a peek at a couple of the newer ones, which are monochrome studies of larger paintings.

Check out all of them here!

2 New Skull Black Velvet Paintings by Thor

2010-07-17T20:39:00.000-07:00

Well, Thor is at it again! Two more new black velvet original paintings, but this time, skull studies. The shrunken heads went quick, so act fast if you want to be one of the few to own a Thor original. These are amazing!!!

Check out the details here!

New Black Velvet Paintings by Thor

2010-07-12T22:13:00.000-07:00

Here's a sneak peak at 2 new black velvet paintings by Thor, with more to come in the near future.

Check out the details here!

New MeduSirena Art Line

2010-06-21T14:51:00.000-07:00

Taboo Island is proud to announce our newest product line, the MeduSirena Line! It includes art and products featuring Marina the Mermaid and her MeduSirena Pod.

The most important thing about this new line is that a portion of each sale goes to the mermaids themselves so that they can fund their aquatic travels and help promote their wonderful but slowly disappearing dance form.

This new line includes pin up style photos as well as original art by Thor, with future products including t-shirts and more. As an added bonus, each print is also signed by the mermaid herself to make it that much more special. Here are a few teasers, but you can check out the full line here:

MeduSirena Line

Taboo Island Has Moved!

2010-06-21T14:46:00.000-07:00

Well, its been quite a busy year here on the island. Through some strange tectonic plate movement, Taboo Island has shift across the Pacific and now rests right off the coast of San Diego. Keep your eye out for the natives to start showing up on the mainland a lot more often at your favorite shows and events!!

New Products

2009-07-01T19:09:00.000-07:00

Well, I've definitely haven't had the time to update the blog as much as I originally wanted to. Oh, well... This message is just a short one to announce some new products. The natives at the Taboo Island workshop have been busy! First off, we have a new pendant by Squid:

"All rise for the Mystic Imperial Potentate! He has returned from his extensive tour of Shriner conventions and parades on Taboo Island.

This pendant, designed by Squid, is the deluxe version of the limited edition Squll pendant we did for Tiki Oasis 8 in 2008, which sold out very fast during the show. This version is an open edition and is one of the most complicated pendants produced by anyone to date. His aged fez has real velvet flocking and a tattered tassel, and his bloodshot eyeball is made from real coral. After drinking just too many zombies during his trip, his eyeball has started to sag a little, but don't wory, you can always regain his attention by pulling the tassle and watching his eyeball bounce back into place.

Each pendant measures 1.75" tall, has an adjustable waxed cotton cord for your wearing pleasure and is hand made right here in Hawaii. Be sure to check out the other versions currently offered. You will find different colors of skulls (including a "ghost white" and "zombie green" version), as well as variations on the color of the fez, size of the eyebal, color of the tassle, and amount of eyeball droopage. No two are alike!"

We've also brought back an old Thor design in the form of a fridge magnet:

"Here is Thor's classic Easter Island Moai tiki design in magnet form. A set of 3 perfect for the refrigerator or office file cabinet, each 2.5" tall!

Each of these is cast from high quality resin and is hand painted, so colors may vary slightly. Attached to the back is a very strong neodymium magnet, which is way stronger than the usual flexible brown magnets. Hand made right here in Hawaii!"

We these and a bunch of new vintage tiki art prints, there is a lot of new, great stuff that has washed ashore at Taboo Island!

Don the Beachcomber's - 1959

2009-04-17T17:50:00.000-07:00

At a very early age, I developed a love of all far off, tropical places, as well as history in general, which turned into, specifically, a love for the Hawaii Islands. That of course led to the need to collect everything vintage Hawaiiana, and also eventually moving there. As many may know, if you spend some time learning about Hawaiian history and culture you're bound to stumble upon the world of Tiki. Needless to say, I haven't been the same since, living and breathing a world of Polynesian Pop culture mixed with the newer revival of Tiki. Daily life lubricated with sweet smelling rum!

Since then, I have amassed a huge collection of vintage Hawaii and Tiki photos, which I would like to start to share with you. This first set of images dates to August 1959, and all show the Don the Beachcomber restaurant which was located in the International Market Place in the heart of Waikiki. These images come from a group of photos that were taken by a couple on vacation, and the best thing about it is that the couple actually typed up a mini travel log which numbered each image and gave great descriptions. Quite a rarity! Usually you have to figure out what each image shows based on your general knowledge, or lack there of!!

The photographer's travel log gives a perfect description to set up the images. "Went to a famous place for dinner last night, called Don the Beach Comber at the International Market Place on Waikiki Beach. Had a fabulous Chinese dinner, and plenty of entertainment, strictly island style". These first few images show some dancers and a band performing for the audience there. The best part of these images is how you can see the construction and decoration of the restaurant. It is great how all the different layers of bamboo, thatch, wood and tapa all blend together for a very eye pleasing tropical expierence.

It is a shame that these are slightly out of focus, but I guess you can't get everything you ask for!

Note the tall Tikis flanking each side of the stage, and a couple of the rum based cocktails sitting on the tables that Don was so famously known for. You can almost picture the order of that night's line up of entertainment. First up, you have the older lady in the mu'umu'u, most likely signing some of the Hawaiian classics. I bet she ended with Aloha 'oe...

Following her is a much younger girl in a sarong and long shell necklaces. You've got to bring out the cute hula girl to keep those guys' attention!

And then comes the finale, which is one of my favorite images. The young hula girl quietly leaves the stage, and then suddenly all of the lights in the restaurant dim.

What's going on??? First you hear the beating of some island drums, then a large man comes out on stage with a torch and starts doing the famous Samoan Fire Dance - the crowd's favorite! Luckily, the photographer slowed down his exposure speed, and caught the path of the fire knives, making it look even more magical. I'm sure that this has been some of the best entertainment that these people have seen in Hawaii, and probably anywhere else. I love how the fire lights up the Tiki on the stage. Kind of hard to imagine any one doing this today in such close quarters, with all the thatch, bamboo and tapa around. Damn fire codes... What a great night...

But wait! There's another stage over there in the corner, with some guys setting up. Everything so far was just the opening act! Ladies and gentlemen, presenting Martin Denny!

Going back to the couples' description, they say about Martin Deny; "Their music is terrific - you have watched shows on t.v. of a jungle scene, with all of the wild life sounds, well, that is somewhat of what his band makes you think of". Can you even imagine what these people thought the first time they heard Quiet Village? And then trying to explain it to the people back home, many of whom would never even see Hawaii. In this candid shot, you see the many different instruments the band used. That, of course, is Martin Denny in front playing the piano, with Augie Colon in the far background playing percussion. Could that be Arthur Lyman behind the bamboo pole playing the vibes?

Oh, how I yearn to be sitting there, drinking a zombie, making some bird calls. I was born in the wrong time...

Aloha!

2009-04-05T14:24:00.000-07:00

Aloha!

Welcome to the Taboo Island blog. Here I will post updates as to what is happening here on the island, including new projects and products, as well as anything else that may hit me as fun, weird, or just down right wrong. Topics will include tiki, polynesian pop, rum and much more. I'll also start sharing my large collection of vintage Hawaii and tiki photos.