Cheap, cheerful, and temporary: tropical mascots

August 3, 2017 12:31 PM

"The plastic lawn flamingo was a smash hit across America when it went on sale in 1957, the year of Elvis Presley’s Jailhouse Rock: an expression, perhaps, of a sublimated suburban yen for escape. 'Flamingos aren’t something you see in everyday life,' says interior stylist Emily Blunden. 'And that’s the whole point...'" Club tropicana! Why kitsch is everywhere this summer by Jess Cartner-Morley, The Guardian.
posted by joseph conrad is fully awesome (20 comments total)

There's lately been a spate of posts on my Facebook of people being 'flocked' and coming home to a bunch of Flamingos on their lawn. I didn't realise this was a thing.
posted by 80 Cats in a Dog Suit at 1:09 PM on August 3, 2017 [2 favorites]

Pineapples on bikinis? C'mon, people, leave them where they belong: On pizza.

But seriously, this stuff is not merely general "kitsch"; it's specifically tiki and cabana kitsch. It's odd that in an article ostensibly about the history and politics of this stuff, the obvious reasons for the rise of both Hawaiian- and Florido-Cuban-inspired fashions in late 1950s America aren't even touched upon. (Hawaii became a state. Cuba became Communist. Rise of the middle class and their destination vacations. Etc., etc., etc.)
posted by Sys Rq at 1:10 PM on August 3, 2017 [9 favorites]

When is the Roseate Spoonbill going to get a fair shake?
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 1:23 PM on August 3, 2017 [8 favorites]

I'll just drop this here.
posted by lagomorphius at 1:26 PM on August 3, 2017 [3 favorites]

my name is Bird.
i guard his yard.
'midst grass and dirt,
life's not too hard--
'til, "girl wants gnomes,"
he sadly said--
i have new home--
i live in shed
posted by radicalawyer at 2:14 PM on August 3, 2017 [26 favorites]

Cheap, cheerful, and temporary -- are you talking about tropical house? How tropical house’s dreamy escapism took dance music by storm (Dorian Lynskey for The Guardian, March 3, 2016) -- Since emerging from the bedroom of Kyrre Gørvell-Dahll – AKA Kygo – in 2013, the genre has gone global and made a superstar of its creator. With upbeat tunes and an everyman appeal, perhaps it’s no surprise

Response: We Need to Stop Whitewashing Dancehall Music in 2016 (Bianca Gracie for Fuse TV, March 16, 2016)

It’s time to make one thing clear this year: “tropical house” is not equivalent to dancehall. Throughout 2015 and now well into 2016, dancehall has become increasingly whitewashed as certain pop stars have taken influences from the genre's sound without crediting its origin. Being a proud Jamaican, I'm honestly sick of the whitesplaining that continues to come from people whose idea of our country probably doesn't extend past sipping rum punch on a beach while getting their hair braided.

Sorry to burst your bubble, but the popular music you’re hearing on the radio didn't originate in Europe—there are a handful of countries in the Caribbean impatiently tapping their feet as they wait for major artists to recognize their musical worth. As much as we’ve accepted the fact that it’s okay for genres like rock 'n’ roll to be fronted by white artists despite being originated by black ones, it should always be necessary to treat music with respect. It’s completely fine to borrow a handful of musical aesthetics, just as long as you know and acknowledge where it’s coming from.

It's odd that in an article ostensibly about the history and politics of this stuff, the obvious reasons for the rise of both Hawaiian- and Florido-Cuban-inspired fashions in late 1950s America aren't even touched upon. (Hawaii became a state. Cuba became Communist. Rise of the middle class and their destination vacations. Etc., etc., etc.)

Going back further, Tiki tropicana can be traced back to the 1930s, then there was a serious (re)surgence in the next decade, when American G.I.s returned from the South Pacific. Tiki kitsch seems to ebb and flow.
posted by filthy light thief at 2:34 PM on August 3, 2017 [3 favorites]

Rose is exhausting.

Your trifecta of things popular that the cool kids pretend to hate yet are insanely popular here in the summer of '17; Tiki/kitch/tropikana, tropical house and rose.

Establishing your cooler than thou cred by trashing something still ascendant is the oldest trick in the book.
posted by Keith Talent at 3:21 PM on August 3, 2017 [3 favorites]

Rosé is cooling and delicious of a hot summer day, I don't even care
posted by sandettie light vessel automatic at 3:33 PM on August 3, 2017 [5 favorites]

Rosé, like iced coffee, is delicious all times of year and it's a sign of small-mindedness to limit its consumption to one season.
posted by 7segment at 4:36 PM on August 3, 2017 [5 favorites]

"There's lately been a spate of posts on my Facebook of people being 'flocked' and coming home to a bunch of Flamingos on their lawn. I didn't realise this was a thing."

You can call your local party rental store and they'll deliver a flock in the dead of night for you, and pick them back up a few days later. We did this to my husband for his 30th birthday because he was being super melodramatic about it.
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 4:54 PM on August 3, 2017 [4 favorites]

Establishing your cooler than thou cred by trashing something still ascendant is the oldest trick in the book.

Second oldest: Establishing your cooler than cooler than thou cred by trashing the trashing of something still ascendant.

#3 will shock you!

(Who are you even talking about, anyway? And what does rosé have to do with anything?)
posted by Sys Rq at 6:17 PM on August 3, 2017 [1 favorite]

sign of small-mindedness

There's no hard limit so much as it's fun to mark the seasons' cycle with divers boozes. YMMV.
posted by sandettie light vessel automatic at 6:35 PM on August 3, 2017 [1 favorite]

There's lately been a spate of posts on my Facebook of people being 'flocked' and coming home to a bunch of Flamingos on their lawn. I didn't realise this was a thing.

Viral marketing from Big Flamingo.
posted by Literaryhero at 6:56 PM on August 3, 2017 [1 favorite]

The Guardian article is a real strech. I mean, "we're going through an age of activism [...] and that means the colors and graphics are quite punchy and loud"? And yet minimalism is also trendy and one could just as easily say "we're going through an age of activism and that means the colors and design are quite serious and sophisticated."

But this post is great because I love kitsch and I love mefite's perspective on it. If anyone has a good relevant history/design book to recommend, I am all ears.

I'm pretty surprised tiki bars are coming back so strongly, though, given how racist the whole concept seems. I mean, I get the appeal because I'm a true LA kid who loves kitsch Americana and strong rum drinks, but wow I am not comfortable with tiki bars even as I find them fascinating.
posted by Emily's Fist at 8:10 PM on August 3, 2017 [5 favorites]

Emily's Fist: but wow I am not comfortable with tiki bars even as I find them fascinating.

FWIW, some tiki fans are thinking about their hobby/passion with a critical view of its history, such as Humu Humu, with her Critiki Symposiums, and her response to a critical look at some of the recent Tiki revival.
posted by filthy light thief at 8:58 PM on August 3, 2017 [4 favorites]

Needs an obligatory X-Files reference.
posted by fordiebianco at 2:11 AM on August 4, 2017

Our neighbor across the street got flocked a while back. This guy is a true lawn obsessive. When I saw all those flamingos, I thought he'd finally gone over the edge. My wife said it was the boy scouts that put them there, and that they'd remove them for a modest donation. Wouldn't surprise me.

If it had been our "lawn" (mostly clover, plantain and other such things) I'd have held the things hostage and demanded a modest ransom.
posted by metagnathous at 3:46 AM on August 4, 2017 [2 favorites]

> There's lately been a spate of posts on my Facebook of people being 'flocked' and coming home to a bunch of Flamingos on their lawn. I didn't realise this was a thing.

Obligatory acknowledgment of the orginators: The Pail and Shovel Party.
posted by klarck at 6:07 AM on August 4, 2017

Less than 90 days to turn your flamingo into a a vulture for Halloween.
posted by vespabelle at 7:21 AM on August 4, 2017

One of our local hardware stores: Ace at Trempers in Missoula has flamingos perched on top of the shelf dividers. Pretty cool.
Bought one for my yard several years ago and it got trampled by a deer.
I keep the stoney eyed gnome inside.

"Earth without Art is just 'Eh'.
posted by Mesaverdian at 10:54 AM on August 4, 2017