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Tiki Pop: America Imagines Its Own Polynesian Paradise
Cult of kitsch: The art and history of the Tiki phenomenon
Tiki culture at its height was a manifestation of exotic visions of island culture inspired by the tales of American soldiers stationed in the South Pacific during World War II: trees loaded with exotic fruits, sleepy lagoons, white-sand beaches, and gorgeous people wearing grass skirts as they danced half-naked during all-night orgies of food and music. Americans embraced these visions and incorporated fantasy into reality: mid-century fashion, popular music, eating and drinking, and even architecture were influenced by the Tiki trend. With unfettered enthusiasm—ignoring scholarly authenticity and political correctness—American artisans molded the Tiki into their own image, creating a mid-century pop culture genre that was forgotten until the 2000s, when urban archeologist Sven Kirsten wrested the figure of the Tiki from obscurity with his pioneering TASCHEN books The Book of Tiki and Tiki Modern.
This book traces the development of Tiki as romantic vision and kitschy cultural appropriation, from its earliest beginnings when James Cook “discovered” the Pacific Islands in the second half of the 18th century to Herman Melville’s South Sea adventure stories like Moby Dick and Gauguin’s exuberant, exotic paintings to the jungle fantasies of the Hollywood dream factory. Published in connection with an exhibition at the prestigious Musée du quai Branly in Paris, Tiki Pop the culmination of Sven Kirsten’s research efforts. With his widely lauded visual style, the author places venerable ancient godheads next to their Polynesian pop counterparts. With hundreds of previously unpublished images, the story of Tiki the 20th-century pop icon unfolds from its earliest beginnings to its spectacular downfall in the dawning awareness of the Western world’s colonial misdeeds.
Tiki culture at its height was a manifestation of exotic visions of island culture inspired by the tales of American soldiers stationed in the South Pacific during World War II: trees loaded with exotic fruits, sleepy lagoons, white-sand beaches, and gorgeous people wearing grass skirts as they danced half-naked during all-night orgies of food and music. Americans embraced these visions and incorporated fantasy into reality: mid-century fashion, popular music, eating and drinking, and even architecture were influenced by the Tiki trend. With unfettered enthusiasm—ignoring scholarly authenticity and political correctness—American artisans molded the Tiki into their own image, creating a mid-century pop culture genre that was forgotten until the 2000s, when urban archeologist Sven Kirsten wrested the figure of the Tiki from obscurity with his pioneering TASCHEN books The Book of Tiki and Tiki Modern.
This book traces the development of Tiki as romantic vision and kitschy cultural appropriation, from its earliest beginnings when James Cook “discovered” the Pacific Islands in the second half of the 18th century to Herman Melville’s South Sea adventure stories like Moby Dick and Gauguin’s exuberant, exotic paintings to the jungle fantasies of the Hollywood dream factory. Published in connection with an exhibition at the prestigious Musée du quai Branly in Paris, Tiki Pop the culmination of Sven Kirsten’s research efforts. With his widely lauded visual style, the author places venerable ancient godheads next to their Polynesian pop counterparts. With hundreds of previously unpublished images, the story of Tiki the 20th-century pop icon unfolds from its earliest beginnings to its spectacular downfall in the dawning awareness of the Western world’s colonial misdeeds.
635 pages, Hardcover
First published August 1, 2014
16 people are currently reading
265 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
July 24, 2024
Got this book as a gift (thanks Laura). Wasn’t sure what to expect, but really enjoyed it and learned a lot. As a guy whose wardrobe consists of 50 per cent Hawaiian shirts, I am the target audience for this book. Strange set up of each chapter in English, German and French, but it makes for a quick read. Lots of research went into this book, with many fun photos of items, albums, restaurants etc. Kind of sad that so much of it is gone, I’ll have to find my nearest Tiki lounge and drown my sadness away with a Mai Tai.
April 10, 2020
My fathoms-deep dive into into the world of tiki and Polynesian pop was always going to lead me to Sven Kirsten. His The Book of Tiki (impossible to find for under $65 now) is credited as an origin text for the tiki revival. Someday I will own it. Until then, there’s Tiki Pop.
This book was written (or republished?) in conjunction with an exhibition on Poly pop for the Musée du Quai Branley in Paris, and it’s trilingual - English, German, and French. This edition seems to be still in print, and hallelujah. If you’re an English reader, you’ll thank the pages with the other translations, simply because there’s more room for pictures and illustrations and artifacts. Tiki Pop is packed with full-color photos of the entire tiki movement from its earliest beginnings through to the current revival.
And that’s interesting. Most books I’ve read on tiki start at Donn Beach and go from there. Some discuss pre-tiki, but not deeply. Tiki Pop delves a little deeper into the actual indigenous South Seas origins of the movement, and then - and this is crucial because I had never really understood the whole picture before - the Poly pop trend BEFORE tiki was even a thing.
Before there were tiki bars, there were Hurricane bars and bamboo bars, all building the groundwork for what would come next. Each point in the evolution of tiki and Poly pop connects seamlessly with the next. And Kirsten gets out of the bars and restaurants, too, taking a look at the culture as a whole, from tiki apartments to bowling alleys to amusement parks and more. He also discusses the demise of the movement in the 80s and 90s, a painful time other authors had merely alluded to. Warning: the pictures in this chapter are rough.
But we come back around to the revival, and that’s where we’re at now. There are so many more books I want to read on tiki, but already I can tell that this overview is going to be one of the most comprehensive. Long live tiki!
This book was written (or republished?) in conjunction with an exhibition on Poly pop for the Musée du Quai Branley in Paris, and it’s trilingual - English, German, and French. This edition seems to be still in print, and hallelujah. If you’re an English reader, you’ll thank the pages with the other translations, simply because there’s more room for pictures and illustrations and artifacts. Tiki Pop is packed with full-color photos of the entire tiki movement from its earliest beginnings through to the current revival.
And that’s interesting. Most books I’ve read on tiki start at Donn Beach and go from there. Some discuss pre-tiki, but not deeply. Tiki Pop delves a little deeper into the actual indigenous South Seas origins of the movement, and then - and this is crucial because I had never really understood the whole picture before - the Poly pop trend BEFORE tiki was even a thing.
Before there were tiki bars, there were Hurricane bars and bamboo bars, all building the groundwork for what would come next. Each point in the evolution of tiki and Poly pop connects seamlessly with the next. And Kirsten gets out of the bars and restaurants, too, taking a look at the culture as a whole, from tiki apartments to bowling alleys to amusement parks and more. He also discusses the demise of the movement in the 80s and 90s, a painful time other authors had merely alluded to. Warning: the pictures in this chapter are rough.
But we come back around to the revival, and that’s where we’re at now. There are so many more books I want to read on tiki, but already I can tell that this overview is going to be one of the most comprehensive. Long live tiki!
March 31, 2024
Maravilloso recuento en imágenes y texto del mundo tiki.
August 24, 2025
“TO CREATE THE ULTIMATE ESCAPIST experience for their customers, proprietors of tropical restaurants used theatrical effects not unlike those being employed on movie sets. In Los Angeles in particular, where Polynesian supper clubs flourished, close proximity to the film industry and its artisans was a crucial influence. Set designers, builders, and special-effects artists gladly freelanced their talents to the Polynesian restaurant industry.
The earliest and simplest icon of the tropical-island fantasy, the palm tree, was not native to Los Angeles. They were imported from Mexico in the late 1800s to beautify streets and became synonymous with the area thanks to tourism ads and motion pictures. Of course, movies used the palm as an exotic prop for all kinds of locales. Restaurants also favored them for their exotic effect. The famous Cocoanut Grove nightclub was supposedly decorated with faux palm trees from the set of Rudolph Valentino's The Sheik.
Another film trick used in Polynesian restaurants was the backdrop: Murals depicting island scenery gave the customers the impression of beholding beautiful tropical views while actually sitting in urban dining rooms. Sometimes these vistas were equipped with day-to-night special effects with stars sparkling where sunrays had beamed just a few minutes before.
Before the many Hurricane nightclubs unleashed their storms onto customers, it was rainy season in tropical club land.
W. Somerset Maugham's novel Rain was filmed twice: in 1928 and again in 1932. Its locale, the port of Pago Pago in Samoa, lent its name to numerous Polynesian bars that offered the patter of "rain on the roof" for tropical atmosphere.
Along with rain effects and artificial diorama windows, some establishments featured whole jungle environments that included live tropical plantings dowsed by showers at regular intervals. In the more elaborate Tiki temples, like the Kahiki in Columbus, Ohio, exotic birds like parakeets flittered from branch to branch. This type of make-believe island flora and fauna was especially effective in the long winter months of the Midwestern and Eastern United States.”
The earliest and simplest icon of the tropical-island fantasy, the palm tree, was not native to Los Angeles. They were imported from Mexico in the late 1800s to beautify streets and became synonymous with the area thanks to tourism ads and motion pictures. Of course, movies used the palm as an exotic prop for all kinds of locales. Restaurants also favored them for their exotic effect. The famous Cocoanut Grove nightclub was supposedly decorated with faux palm trees from the set of Rudolph Valentino's The Sheik.
Another film trick used in Polynesian restaurants was the backdrop: Murals depicting island scenery gave the customers the impression of beholding beautiful tropical views while actually sitting in urban dining rooms. Sometimes these vistas were equipped with day-to-night special effects with stars sparkling where sunrays had beamed just a few minutes before.
Before the many Hurricane nightclubs unleashed their storms onto customers, it was rainy season in tropical club land.
W. Somerset Maugham's novel Rain was filmed twice: in 1928 and again in 1932. Its locale, the port of Pago Pago in Samoa, lent its name to numerous Polynesian bars that offered the patter of "rain on the roof" for tropical atmosphere.
Along with rain effects and artificial diorama windows, some establishments featured whole jungle environments that included live tropical plantings dowsed by showers at regular intervals. In the more elaborate Tiki temples, like the Kahiki in Columbus, Ohio, exotic birds like parakeets flittered from branch to branch. This type of make-believe island flora and fauna was especially effective in the long winter months of the Midwestern and Eastern United States.”
December 11, 2021
Sven A. Kirsten's 2014 Tiki Pop: America Imagines Its Own Polynesian Paradise is a thoroughly enjoyable tome covering the aesthetic and popular culture eventually termed "Tiki."
A bit smallish for a hardcover, at only 5.75 by 8 inches, the piece nevertheless is a whopping 340 pages, and gorgeously illustrated.
When we hear "Tiki," many of us think immediately of the 1950s and early '60s, but Kirsten takes us all the way back to what in the title of the first of the book's three sections he calls the "pre-Tiki" period. Here we will learn something of the early Polynesians, Western contact with the islands and their cultures in the 18th and 19th centuries, and the resultant escapist mythos of getting away from it all in the South Pacific, which led to cliches of beachcombers and South Seas traders, and palm- and bamboo-decked restaurants and bars decorated with the accoutrements thereof. Kirsten takes us through the spread of thousands upon thousands of American service personnel across the Pacific Theater of operations during the Second World War, the postwar return and the growth of faux-island culture Stateside, now at last including the statues we think of as "Tiki," to ever more eateries, to suburban homes, and eventually to countless weird and wonderful other businesses...and then to the sad collapse and, finally, re-appreciation.
This book is one of those heavy Taschen volumes whose chapter text comes first in English, then in German, and finally in French, thus able to appeal to a wide multinational readership. Copious contemporary illustrations, both black-and-white photos and also full-color ones, introduce us to people and places from Polynesia to the heartland of America, and to objects from the ancient and sacred to the modern and kitchy. Each chapter's text is informative but fairly brief, with the tri-language format allowing enough pages to hold the huge treasure trove of images that make the book so enjoyable. Sven Kirsten's Tiki Pop will be a 5-star delight to anyone who has had even the faintest bit of curiosity about the Tiki craze of old.
A bit smallish for a hardcover, at only 5.75 by 8 inches, the piece nevertheless is a whopping 340 pages, and gorgeously illustrated.
When we hear "Tiki," many of us think immediately of the 1950s and early '60s, but Kirsten takes us all the way back to what in the title of the first of the book's three sections he calls the "pre-Tiki" period. Here we will learn something of the early Polynesians, Western contact with the islands and their cultures in the 18th and 19th centuries, and the resultant escapist mythos of getting away from it all in the South Pacific, which led to cliches of beachcombers and South Seas traders, and palm- and bamboo-decked restaurants and bars decorated with the accoutrements thereof. Kirsten takes us through the spread of thousands upon thousands of American service personnel across the Pacific Theater of operations during the Second World War, the postwar return and the growth of faux-island culture Stateside, now at last including the statues we think of as "Tiki," to ever more eateries, to suburban homes, and eventually to countless weird and wonderful other businesses...and then to the sad collapse and, finally, re-appreciation.
This book is one of those heavy Taschen volumes whose chapter text comes first in English, then in German, and finally in French, thus able to appeal to a wide multinational readership. Copious contemporary illustrations, both black-and-white photos and also full-color ones, introduce us to people and places from Polynesia to the heartland of America, and to objects from the ancient and sacred to the modern and kitchy. Each chapter's text is informative but fairly brief, with the tri-language format allowing enough pages to hold the huge treasure trove of images that make the book so enjoyable. Sven Kirsten's Tiki Pop will be a 5-star delight to anyone who has had even the faintest bit of curiosity about the Tiki craze of old.
February 5, 2015
No two words about it: this is the ultimate book of Tiki. Wow.
March 4, 2025
i sincerely love this book so much. it was full of information and also really engaging, immersive, and entertaining.
others have noted this as a quick read, and i do think it is/will be for future readers — but it wasn't for me, which is especially amazing in my case because i read *everything* too fast.
the reason? this felt like being on my ideal road trip – and with zero time, monetary, or time-travel constraints – all without leaving the house.
the text itself felt like a primary travel route, the 'A-to-B' – but the fun kind, with lots of great scenery, punctuated by steep hills and valleys. the starting point is centuries ago, and your journey brings you through to the present. you may not pick up every detail on the way, but you learn what made the motorway to begin with and what keeps it intact.
where the text provided direction, the accompanying images were the 'roadside attractions', the places along the way that you can't help but pull off to explore and immerse yourself in. i didn't just glance at the artwork and images, i *studied* them. i read every word of the newspaper clippings and old menus and letters; i examined the textures and designs and architecture of the buildings and idols alike. quick glances were not possible for me with this one; there was just so much to enjoy.
it's worth noting that, as with most Taschen publications, 'Tiki Pop' is written in three languages: English, German, and French. it's a feature that i've always loved about the company (which is based in Germany).
i read the English and French sections alike (my German is atrocious) and enjoyed them both.
any tiki/Polynesian/MCM-culture enthusiast will surely consider this an integral book for the shelf once they've read it. i felt like i was submerged in nostalgia for a time i didn't even live through, and i imagine those who did will enjoy it that much more.
[3 March 2025]
others have noted this as a quick read, and i do think it is/will be for future readers — but it wasn't for me, which is especially amazing in my case because i read *everything* too fast.
the reason? this felt like being on my ideal road trip – and with zero time, monetary, or time-travel constraints – all without leaving the house.
the text itself felt like a primary travel route, the 'A-to-B' – but the fun kind, with lots of great scenery, punctuated by steep hills and valleys. the starting point is centuries ago, and your journey brings you through to the present. you may not pick up every detail on the way, but you learn what made the motorway to begin with and what keeps it intact.
where the text provided direction, the accompanying images were the 'roadside attractions', the places along the way that you can't help but pull off to explore and immerse yourself in. i didn't just glance at the artwork and images, i *studied* them. i read every word of the newspaper clippings and old menus and letters; i examined the textures and designs and architecture of the buildings and idols alike. quick glances were not possible for me with this one; there was just so much to enjoy.
it's worth noting that, as with most Taschen publications, 'Tiki Pop' is written in three languages: English, German, and French. it's a feature that i've always loved about the company (which is based in Germany).
i read the English and French sections alike (my German is atrocious) and enjoyed them both.
any tiki/Polynesian/MCM-culture enthusiast will surely consider this an integral book for the shelf once they've read it. i felt like i was submerged in nostalgia for a time i didn't even live through, and i imagine those who did will enjoy it that much more.
[3 March 2025]
September 1, 2020
I've been a terribly slow reader this summer, but it wasn't due to the quality of books. Tiki Pop was a delightful history into mid-century Americana and the fascination with Polynesian culture pre-and-post WW2. With influence across cinema, music, restaurants, architecture and fashion, tiki really was the aesthetic of the mid 20th century.
Sven Kirsten gathered one of the finest collections of artifacts and ephemera for this book, and it really feels like a perfect start for anyone who loves Mai Tais and wants to learn a bit more.
Sven Kirsten gathered one of the finest collections of artifacts and ephemera for this book, and it really feels like a perfect start for anyone who loves Mai Tais and wants to learn a bit more.
September 17, 2023
Wonderful images and a quick read as the book is in 3 languages (English, German and French) in an all-in-one format; the English part amounts to just 86 pages. The book is crammed with color photos of every imaginable aspect of Tiki: every page has multiple images of places, people, architectural plans, interiors, collectables, old photos, posters. It was a very informative read and made me wish I had visited several of the places described before they were closed. Highly recommend!
August 24, 2022
This was of particular interest to me; as a child of the 60s in Los Angeles I grew up with the Polynesian/Hawaiian fad. My sixth birthday party was a luau on our tiki-ed patio. Of course to anyone else, it might just seem weird.
December 27, 2020
This book is quite literally a tome of Tiki history and culture.
June 8, 2024
Strong compendium of the field. Well written.
September 4, 2024
Very thorough account of the rise, fall and resurrection of Tiki. Puts everything into social context as well.
March 29, 2025
“Long live Tiki, in all its forms!”
June 23, 2025
i love tiki. always have. good history. great artifacts of the journey. tiki is never dead.
March 6, 2017
This is a Very Large (dimensionally, not in terms of pages, though it's substantial in that dept. too!) book, richly illustrated, and yet with enough text to feel that you're definitely learning about the subject, and not just reading captions for a picture book. I've learned so much about the subject--it's pretty definitive unless you're looking for an unillustrated, purely academic dissertation on the subject ... but what fun would that be?
(Note: 5 stars = rare and amazing, 4 = quite good book, 3 = a decent read, 2 = disappointing, 1 = awful, just awful. There are a lot of 4s and 3s in the world!)
(Note: 5 stars = rare and amazing, 4 = quite good book, 3 = a decent read, 2 = disappointing, 1 = awful, just awful. There are a lot of 4s and 3s in the world!)
October 14, 2020
Famed Tiki historian Sven Kisrten gives an excellent history of the American Tiki culture from the early days of Donn Beach and Trader Vic setting up their exotic and tropical themed restaurants in the 1930s, up through the recent Tiki revival in the 21st Century. As one would expect in any Taschen book, there are many photos throughout of Tiki bars and restaurants, including mugs, menus, matchbooks, and other decor. I really enjoyed learning more about the history of Tiki, including the context of cultural appropriation, and took my time savoring this gorgeous book, reading just a chapter or two at a time over the past couple months.
October 11, 2014
Sven Kirsten's Tiki Pop is like his earlier Book of Tiki on steroids. At almost 400 pages, this book reads quickly because of the amazing amount of pictures throughout. Although the fall and rebirth of Tiki get a precious few pages at the end, Tiki Pop is significant for its thorough telling of the history of Tiki culture in Mid-Century Modern America. The story of Tiki's rebirth is still being written, so read up on the past and climb aboard for a journey to paradise. Mahalo!
October 7, 2014
Massive coffee-table exploration of all things Tiki. Surprisingly informative, goes fairly in-depth into the roots of American tropical obsessions in the 20th century. The chapters on the decline and resurrection lag a tad but that's perhaps unavoidable.
August 30, 2015
Splendidly illustrated tiki compendium. Taschen at it's best.
August 13, 2020
Delightful
January 4, 2022
This coffee-table-size tome is a comprehensive guide by the professor of Polynesian pop movement. A must have resource for all tikiphiles.
August 31, 2014
3 stars for the text, 7 stars for the photos. A most pleasurable trip back in time!
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews