Opening: • Welcome to Fastpass to the Past. The Theme Park History Podcast. o If you’ve ever wondered what kind of work going into making some of your favorite attractions, you’re in the right place. Except today, because today we are talking about a bar – but not just any bar – Trader Sam’s. • Introduce Yourself: o Hello I’m your host, Austin Carroll. o I am a history nerd o a former Disneyland Cast Member o And I love to drink… UH oh! so I’ve been to Trader Sam’s quite a few times. In fact, it’s one of my parent’s favorite places to go when they visit me. Episode Introduction • Thank you so much for sticking around after learning that we’ll be talking about the origin of one of my favorite bars – Trader Sam’s. • Located first in the Disneyland Resort within the mid-century edifices of the Disneyland Hotel and now as a recent addition to Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort, this is not your average tiki bar. Inspired by the Jungle Cruise’s head salesman of the same name, these intimate locations serve up more fun than the God’s will tolerate. • There’s no other way to say it but, Trader Sam’s could be in Disneyland. It offers just as much as a themed environment and fun as the Tiki Room or the Jungle Cruise – without the price of admission. • Before we get started…. Moment of silence for Jingle Cruise. • Teaser: So let’s take a deep dive into the origins of Trader Sam’s and how this testament to the Tiki Bars of the 1950’s and 1960’s ended up in two of Disney’s most revered resorts after being originally planned for Walt Disney’s Gleaming city of the Future – EPCOT. Part #1: History of Tiki Bars Trader Sam’s owes its heritage to a long history of tiki bars and tiki culture that ironically was birthed just thirty miles north of what became the Disneyland Resort in Hollywood, California. In 1934, Don the Beachcomber, the founding father of Polynesian inspired bars and entertainment venues, opened his original restaurant in Hollywood, California as a lush tropical paradise. His real name was Ernest Gantt and he was just back from his travels in the South Pacific and couldn't get the memory of palm trees, nubile women and exotic carvings out of his head -- so he opened a bar called Don the Beachcomber in Hollywood in 1934. Trader Vic's, his rival, opened in Oakland California a few years later World War II only exacerbated the Polynesian trend. Veterans returning home from the Pacific theater were taken with the landscapes and cultures they had encountered and sought to recreate the more lighthearted side of their ventures. A post-war economic boom allowed greater ease of travel to California and Hawaii. Hawaii’s admission to the United States in 1959 also raised interest in the culture of the new island state that was added to the Union. The newly strengthened middle class took advantage of their new affluence with recreation that centered on travel, escapism, and this new exotic local. On a smaller scale, the tiki bar contained all of this and appealed to the economics of the era. Despite the fact that more and more people were able to travel, the luxuries of a quick getaway to the tropics by way of a drink or two in the recesses of a dim and lushly decorated bar appealed to the throngs of people joining the hectic workforce in the late 50s and 60s. Trader Sam’s incorporates elements from these little bastions of escapism, including the pu-pu platter and the mai-tai. Don the Beachcomber, in particular, popularized rum-based drinks and Cantonese faire as standards of the tiki dining establishment. The mai-tai in particular was an icon of the tiki-craze that swept the United States in the post-war era and its invention was hotly contested by Don and Trader Vic, who also opened a line of tiki bars around the nation, after Don’s original bar flourished. Don and Vic also popularized cocktails such as the Scorpion and the Zombie, another of Sam’s signature beverages. Epcot: However, the idea of putting Trader Sam’s in these resorts is likely drawn from the inclusion of a Tiki Bar in Walt Disney’s gleaming city of the future, the EPCOT prototype whose plans called for an A-frame tiki bar on the outskirts of the residential green belt. Teaser: But how did a forgotten idea for a Disney tiki bar, likely from Walt Disney himself, come to fruition forty years later at the Disneyland Hotel? Part 2: The Place at the Disneyland Hotel The Disneyland Hotel, in its newest incarnation, is dedicated to the rich history of Disneyland itself, with most of that history dwelling in the resort’s formative years of the 1950s and 60s. Notably, the original Disneyland sign resides above the hotel’s pool. In determining a new bar and restaurant combination to add to the Disneyland Hotel, the idea of a tiki bar likely came about in Imagineering as a way to pay tribute to California’s own slice of Tiki history – easily the most popular style of bar during this era. Ironically though, the idea of the bar being connected to the stories of Adventureland and descendent from the Walt Disney World’s Adventurer’s Club came about later in the project. In order to fulfill its purpose as a complementary bar option to The Grand Californian’s Hearthstone Lounge, it was originally imagined as a “posh tiki bar.” A couple of months later and into construction of the complex, it was decided to name the restaurant after the infamous jungle salesmen – Trader Sam’s. Now, this was all well and good, until a Lead Set Decorated and former Jungle Cruise cast member was put on the project – okay, begged to be on the project. Brandon Kleyla helped convince the team to go in a theming direction that benefited the quirkiness and craziness of nearby Jungle Cruise. As he describes it, “it became Adventurer’s Club meets Jungle Cruise meets Tiki Room.” The stepping off point was really: Who is Trader Sam?”. And, the madness spiraled from there. Part 3: Bringing the Tiki to Life Next, the team of Imagineers asked themselves, “what if Trader Sam knew Indiana Jones, what if he knew Jack Sparrow, or Swiss Family Robinson”, you know, all those types of characters. They decided that he can know anyone live-action from pretty much anywhere in Disney’s “Adventure” history. On the walls surrounding the bars There’s the picture of Sam with Jack Sparrow on the wall, there’s the note from Ned Land to Sam, there’s a harpoon from 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, there’s even a reference from Castaway Cowboy. There’s a lot of references including of Jungle Cruise, Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room, Indiana Jones, and Walt Disney World’s Adventurer’s Club. Brandon shopped for decorations for about a year at swap meets, eBay, flea markets, and antique stores, which equals to about 1600 individual pieces. However, every piece is distinct and carries on the story of the fictional Trader Sam. Some of my favorite pieces: there’s a tribal mask on the wall that portrays a caricature of Imagineer Joe Rhode. The map from Indiana Jones’ Temple of the Forbidden Eye is on a frame on the wall. Even the Orange Bird from the Sunshine Tree Terrace (in Walt Disney World, my home!) lurks on a shelf above the bar. The Tiki Room’s deity columns also make an appearance at the bar, the only thing that was originally planned for the Tiki Bar. A fun fact is that these are the only totems in the world that are three-sided. The ones in the Tiki Room are four-sided. They are also cast from the original molds created for the Enchanted Tiki Room attraction, and the colors are as near as they could get to the original 1963 paint scheme of the show. According to Brandon, Trader Sam’s has more props than the Little Mermaid – although if he was referring to the ride or the hoarding sea creature we don’t know. The design didn’t end with props, WDI Senior Concept Writer Kevin Rafferty and Brandon sat down, took the Jungle Cruise jokes and went through them figuring out which would work for this place. The bartenders have a few pages of spiel to know for each drink, and they know of certain props on the wall and the stories that go with them. The “Special Effects” department also had a field day setting up reactive windows, a bar stool that goes up and down when the bartender desires, and other fun effects when someone orders a signature drink. My favorite park, is the spray bottles the bartenders shoot into the air – but that’s just me. You’ll have to visit to get the full effects – I don’t want to give away all of the surprises! How did a set decorator get to design basically the entire project – which was such a departure for Imagineering? Three words: Buena Vista Street. Art director Ray Spencer was very swamped on the 2012 redesign of Buena Vista Street at the time, so Brandon was left to his own devices. It was an “all available hands on deck” thing to finish the bar in 2011. They even pulled in parade designers during late night rehearsals to finish up the designs. Kevin & Jody of kevinandjody.com were the ones to paint those tiki totems and scratch-built a one-of-a-kind scale model replica of the "Wicked Wench" - the ship that fires cannon balls over your head in the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction. If you order a shipwreck cocktail, the Imagineers rigged it to actually react upon the pressing of a button. But that’s all I’m going to tell you. You’ll have to visit to have the full experience. However, their hard work paid off. Trader Sam’s has become a very popular bar with long lines on weekend nights. It also opened to rave reviews, having been called by the Disney Tourist blog as, and I quote, “the best thing Disney has built in years.” It also even was named one of the top tiki bars in California. Teaser: It was so popular that it spawned a second location at a well-themed Walt Disney World resort just two years ago. Part 4: Away to WDW In Walt Disney World, there is Trader Sam’s Grog Grotto, a new iteration of California’s bar built in 2015. Unlike Trader’s Sam’s disjoined placement in the Disneyland Hotel,the traditional mid-century island respite of Grog Grotto is placed squarely in the beautiful Polynesian Village Resort. In terms of style and influence, Grog Grotto is very similar to Enchanted Tiki Bar. Much like its West Coast counterpart, Grog Grotto has numerous references to Adventureland attractions, and the ‘adventure-y’ side of Disney in general. At a superficial level, the biggest difference is the details is that Grog Grotto skews slightly more towards 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and South Seas & nautical oriented adventures, whereas Enchanted Tiki Bar was more Tiki Room, Jungle Cruise, and American tiki culture. This difference is also clear in the names of the respective bars. However, there are just as many props in this version! It references pretty much everything in Walt Disney World’s Adventureland, including Swiss Family Treehouse, Jungle Cruise, and even the Enchanted Tiki Room: Under New Management. The large Nautilus cup, along with a massive squid arm that is draped over the rafters of the bar are less than subtle references to Florida’s long lost 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea attraction Uh-Oa, the Polynesian goddess that dominated the maligned ‘Under New Management’ version of the Walt Disney World Tropical Serenade in the Tiki Room has a place of prominence in the bar, and not just on the menu with the famous Uh Oh drink. While Uh-Oa might not have been right for a classic WED attraction, her physical placement in a tiki bar seems appropriate and fitting. It seems almost certain that, just like in Disneyland, when one orders an Uh-Oa off of the menu, SOMETHING is going to happen. Although you’ll have to visit to figure out exactly what? There are also a ton of special effects in Grog Grotto that are triggered by the ordering of certain drinks. The Nautilus usurped the Uh-Oa’s place as the drink to order to make one heck of an impression. Ordering the Nautilus is a pretty big deal. The Nautilus’ effects inside the Grog Grotto are the most elaborate and encompassing. The “mug” souvenir itself really is a vessel. After enough sips of the strong concoction contained within, you may be tempted to take your boat cup out for a spin on the lake. It pays homage to a gone, but never forgotten attraction. Also, just like the Disneyland version, there is an outside patio (in Disney World called the “Tiki Terrace”) often times with a live band. However, being on the seven seas lagoon, the Disney World terrace is a lot more scenic. According to my research, most believe the success of Enchanted Tiki Bar caught Disney management off-guard, and while it is abundantly clear that the project was a labor of love for the Imagineering team working on the Disneyland Hotel incarnation, it also seems like they did some things on a shoe-string budget. They definitely made the most of what they had, but it feels like Grog Grotto was built with the success of Enchanted Tiki Bar under everyone’s belts, so to speak. Flush off the success of Enchanted Tiki Bar, Disney was willing to devote more money to the project, and the team involved knew what changes to make to improve upon the experience. The effects are more impressive, the layout is less cramped, and the decor is (somehow!) even more detailed and has greater depth. Despite all of this, it manages to feel like a kitschy, intimate hole-in-the-wall dive bar–in the best way possible. It also adds some food to the mix – although the reviews are mixed on that aspect. Teaser: One major similarity though, is both locations have the most sought-after souvenir at Disney World and Disneyland alike (except maybe Rose Gold Ears)… the tiki mugs! Part 5: Seasonal Events & Tiki Mug Collectables True to the authentic tiki bar experience, there are a variety of souvenir tiki mugs that are quite the hot ticket items. Trader Sam’s has a unique collection of mugs and vessels for the drinks they serve. And, of course, for a fee, you can take them home. This Tiki Mug tradition dates back to Don the Beachcomber and Trader Vic’s in 1930’s California – where both of their establishments served elaborate rum punches, such as Zombies and Mai Tais, in ceramic mugs styled like tikis. Customers would then take these home as souvenirs. In Trader Sam’s, your drink mug follows this and the original Disneyland Hotel location produced some of the most fun, detailed, tiki mugs seen in decades upon opening in 2011. When it came time to commission the creation of their tiki mugs they employed one of the best. Tiki Farm is one of the largest (if not the largest) manufacturer of tiki mugs. The first year open saw the debut of The Krakatoa, Uh-Oa bowl, Hippopotamaitai, Shipwreck, and the Shrunken Zombie Head. Most of these mugs were also based on Disneyland Attractions. The mug for the Krakatoa Punch is something straight out of the Enchanted Tiki Room, Shipwreck on the Rocks is served in a Jungle Cruise-esque barrel, and oddly enough, the Shrunken Zombie head mimics the design of the Hat Box Ghost from Haunted Mansion lore. My favorite one is defiantly the Shipwreck on the Rocks tiki mug as the barrel even reads Trader Sam’s on the side. The Walt Disney version has a special drink called the The Polynesian Pearl, which is one of the rare plastic souvenir tiki mugs of the world. Its round, smooth shape makes it reminiscent of drinking from a coconut. Plus, apparently, there is the possibility you will get the elusive black pearl. It’s been said about every 1 in 100 pearls will be a black pearl. Although I couldn’t confirm that. The most famous of the Disney World mugs is the one that comes with the Nautilus. The 20,000 Leagues-inspired mug is very large and a vessel in itself. The cup often goes for over a hundred dollars on ebay. I would say the most famous drink at Disneyland’s Trader Sam’s is the Uh Oh. The Uh-Oa drink is an impressive combination of premium rums and juice, topped with flaming sugar cubes accompanied by ground cinnamon to be sprinkled into the flame for a sparking effect. This is essentially Disney’s version of a Scorpian cocktail, a traditional flaming elixir. Served in a must-have tiki bowl, this drink is perfect for celebrating a special occasion with friends. I can personally attest to some very forgetful nights after starting the night with one of these. If you’re looking for a glass, even Moana-linked mug, look no futher than the The Hippopatamaitai. The tiki face resembles the shrugging tiki statue that’s featured in the Polynesian’s lobby (and throughout the resort). This tiki is said to resemble Maui who is legended with having convinced the sun to shine longer making the days last longer. Unlike the rest of the mugs, they are made in Mexico and not China – the craftsman ship in the glass is evident. I’m also a fan of small things, so try the Rum Flight – once- to take home three matching different colored glasses. Trader Sam’s also release special edition tiki mugs every once in a while, – to mass chaos and fanfare. Even now, last year’s Halloween edition Haunted Mansion Hitchhiking ghost tiki mug is going for $225 on eBay a year later! Also notable, is by far the most rare and sought after cup. In October 2014 a “hard ticket” event was held at Trader Sam’s Enchanted Tiki Bart at Disneyland, called Mahaloween. The best piece of “swag” attendees received at this event was the special edition Mahaloween Shrunken Zombie Head that was deep blue. Final Thoughts on Trader Sam’s/ Legacy: I love Trader Sam’s – it is such a great testament to the still and talent of Disney Imagineering. It has spwaned similar bars in Disney World – including Jock Lindsey's Hangar Bar in Disney Springs. This new 2015 bar takes up the story of Jock Lindsey -Indiana Jones' sidekick and pilot. With a wraparound patio on the Disney Springs lake, similar drinks to Trader Sam’s, and an extensive airplane hangar theming. Disney also just announced that they are adding a BaseLine Tap House as part of New Grand Avenue Area at Disney’s Hollywood Studios – formerly Muppets Courtyard. When BaseLine Tap House opens soon – maybe October? – it will be a themed quaint brick building that celebrates the revitalization of Downtown Los Angeles by paying homage to the building’s former life as the Figueroa Printing Company, a mom-and-pop print house that had ties to the Disney studios in nearby Burbank. The space retains many of its cool architectural and mechanical details with exposed walls and old printing equipment and artifacts, blending the past and present in an inviting space. Now, this is so exciting to me. I’m crossing my fingers for more themed bars both outside and INSIDE the Disney Parks. The Cove Bar in California Adventure is great with its sweeping panoramic views, but you just can’t beat that Imagineer theming. Trader Sam’s might be just another place to get a stiff one after a long, hot day at Disneyland, but for all intents and purposes, Trader Sam’s could be IN Disneyland. It is just as much of an experience in a themed environment as is the Tiki Room or the Jungle Cruise. Some experiences make you get in a boat or listen to audio animatronic birds. Others give you a drink, sit you down, and let your imagination wander like wind and rain across the southern seas. Also, just a side note. If you have more time to explore more of Florida, and are willing to exit a theme park, consider a trip down to my hometown of Fort Lauderdale to visit the mecca that is The Mai Kai. This amazing Polynesian restaurant is absolutely incredible and has been in business since 1956. It also served as inspiration for both Trader Sam’s locations. In fact, I know of two tributes to The Mai Kai found inside Trader Sam’s Grog Grotto. I grew up across the street and I think you’ll be impressed with the origin of those interactive windows and the largest bar menu you’ll ever see. In fact, fun story, my mother stole one of their tiki mugs during a bachelorette party in the 1990’s. You can also, legally, get your tiki mug fix here. They do have one for sale. Part 6: That Costs How Much? That Costs How Much is a new segment on the show where I look at current limited-edition merchandise and past theme park memorabilia that is going for a lot of money on eBay and auction sites. Our first ever That Cost How Much item is a millennial must have. Since launching in late July, this item has been impossible to find in Disney Parks and that is, of course, the Rose Gold Ears. On Ebay, these little headbands have been going for around $45 – which is double what they go for in the park. However, some are listed at $75 or more. My sister is obsessed with these ears and we’ve gone to the park looking for them twice. It’s a repeat of the MU hats from a couple years ago and I just hope they are more released and the insanity goes down a bit by Christmas- though it’s doubtful. Our second item this week is the Oogie Boogie Popcorn Bucket, which is also going for an insane $45 or so on ebay. However, I’ve heard the demand is pretty artificial – popcorn carts are just limited in how many they can fit on their cart in a given day. If you are looking for one, avoid the Popcorn cart outside of Haunted Mansion and go to Disney California Adventure on Buena Vista Street there is apparently much less of a line. Anything Nightmare Before Christmas is often very sought after, so don’t feel bad if you miss this souvenir. Now, one of the most expensive pieces of theme park memoborila I was able to find on ebay this week was an authentic Mary Blair Disney It's a Small World Concept Painting – listed at 30,000. It’s described as quote “a gorgeous 1960s inspired castle-themed piece in colors of pink, green and gold against a contrasting black background. The entrance to the ride is clearly evident in the artwork, referencing Blair's mod-castle aesthetic with soft colors.” If you’re feeling spendy, I’ll link to it in the show notes.