Plastic Paradise: A Short, Swingin’ Trip Through America’s Polynesian Obsession
Find out how a dedicated group of culture vultures unearthed America’s 20th century obsession with Polynesia and created their own Plastic Paradise — hipsters, hula girls, and mermaids included. In the 1940s and ’50s, the return of American GIs from the Pacific and the runaway success of James Michener’s Pulitzer-winning Tales of the South Pacific (adapted into the famous musical) created a craze for all things Polynesian. Today, the spirit of Tiki endures among a new generation of Polynesian pop adherents, including painter Tiki Tony, musicians King Kukulele and the Haole Cats, cocktail anthropologist Jeff “Beachbum” Berry, and Tiki historian Sven Kirsten.
Explore this fascinating, little known, and surprisingly enduring subculture, culminating with a visit to the annual Hukilau celebration, a gathering of Tiki enthusiasts from around the country held every June at Fort Lauderdale’s famed Mai-Kai Restaurant, itself one of the last great holdovers from Tiki’s golden age—waterfalls, Polynesian floor show, and all.