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Tiki Man Inc.

Cultural tidbits
mark new Tiki Man
card game

Burl Burlingame
Star-Bulletin

Tiki Man's got a serious tan. He's so dark he's like a black hole. He's like a photographic negative waiting to be filled with a kid's imagination. Which is sort of the concept behind a new line of collectible cards of the same name.

Tiki Man is the invention of long-time off-and-on Hawaii resident David Makela (the name is Scandinavian, not Hawaiian), and was designed as a collectible card series that could also be played as a game.

"It's only been out for five weeks, and it's just getting into stores," said Tiki Man Inc. vice-president Alan Benoit at company headquarters in Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif. "The game is a kind of cross between Crazy Eights and Uno, or kids can use their own imaginations and create games."

The well-printed artwork is created by Richard Fields of Maui, and each card is sprinkled with intricate clues about Tiki Man on one side and some aspect of Hawaiian culture on t'other. No two cards seem to match in every detail. There are 85 different cards.

"The idea is to showcase the beauty and enchantment of the islands," said Benoit.

"The Hawaii Visitors Bureau likes the idea," said Makela.

Each pack holds 10 cards and suggested retail is $4.99. "We're placing them in upscale retail establishments like hotels and Hilo Hattie's," said Benoit.

For more information, email tikimaninc@aol.com.

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