












Ahhh, remember waiting in Disneyland’s Tiki Garden, the courtyard area of Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room, and perhaps – if there was time and the line wasn’t too long – purchasing that quickly melting, delightfully, delicious Dole Whip? If you arrived early enough you’d be there in time for the pre-show: the gods and goddesses of the Hawaiian Islands. Each of the eight figures surrounding the waiting area would come to life and give a humorous description of their powers: Pele, Goddess of fire and volcanoes; Maui, a trickster who gave people Time; and Tangaroa, the Father of all the Tiki gods and goddesses, who is represented as a tree. As he advises everyone to stand back, small, carved tiki statues drop down from the branches, making a fitting end to the preshow. And if you’ve heard the preshow and recognize the voice of Tangaroa but can’t quite place it, its Thurl Ravenscroft – the original voice of Kellogg’s Tony the Tiger – They’re Grreat! For The Enchanted Tiki Room’s 40th Anniversary, Disney commissioned Josh Agle – more commonly known as SHAG – to create artwork commemorating the attraction. His unique, distinctive, mid-century modern artwork could be found on prints, mugs, notecards, jewelry and three different purses and handbags. The lavender handbag depicts a stylized young boy observing Tangaroa, whose image is carved into the tree trunk and seven miniature gods dangle from the branches. Next to the tree is a plaque with “Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room 40th Anniversary” inscribed upon it. The handbag measures 9 1/2″ wide x 7 1/4″ high x 3 3/4″ deep, with the curved bamboo handles adding an additional 6 1/2″ to the height. There is no material content listed but it appears to be vinyl, which makes cleaning fairly easy: just wipe clean with a damp cloth. The interior has one zippered pocket and the purse can be closed with a magnetic snap across the top. The exterior and interior of the handbag show minimal wear and are in excellent condition, with no rips, fading or damage to the purse.
