Pineapple-rum concoctions in Tiki-head mugs, ukuleles in full strum, Don Ho and "Tiny Bubbles," "Lovely Hula Hands."

When the weather's wintry, thoughts turn to warmer climes, like Hawaii! And, when thoughts turn to Hawaii, the next stop is invariably "Hawaiiana." Whether authentic island wares, or made-in-Japan kitsch, Hawaiian collectibles are guaranteed to send spirits soaring (especially when temperatures outside are plummeting).
Travelers from Tonga and Samoa were the first to settle the Hawaiian Islands, arriving between 500-750 A.D. The first "tourist" (broadly speaking) was English explorer Captain James Cook, who reached Hawaiian shores in 1778. With an onslaught of determined missionaries reaching Hawaii in the 1820s, "westernization" of the islands was underway. The hula (a dance combining elements of legend, history, and religious practice) was dismissed as "too sensual." And as for those bare-breasted hula dancers, once the missionaries got a horrified look, their attributes were quickly covered.
Fortunately, eradication of traditional Hawaiian culture proved impossible. By the late 1800s, with ocean liners making a visit to the Islands within reach, the "otherness" of Hawaii became something to celebrate, rather than - like those hula dancers - something to cover up.
In 1888, King David Kalakaua, a champion of Hawaiian heritage, published the first tourism magazine of the Islands, “Paradise of the Pacific.” Following the overthrow of the Hawaiian monarchy, and the country's 1898 annexation as a United States territory, tourism was in full swing. In 1903, local business owners formed the Hawaii Promotion Committee. Its goal: luring in tourists by touting all that the islands had to offer. This was accomplished through often florid prose:
"Once fashion's flames are cast aside, and the penitent is decked in simple island garb, with a necklace of fragrant flowers, he shall enter where life's nectar drops."
Over the years, almost any item imaginable has been refashioned and released as a "souvenir of Hawaii." Included on the roster: barware, neckties, men's shirts, swimsuits, perfumes, lamps, fabrics, compacts, pins, pens, cigarette lighters, ashtrays, salt-and-peppers, wall thermometers, sheet music, spoons, hand fans, head vases, playing cards, planters, dresser scarves, and dish sets.
One iconic image that's remained a universal touchstone for all things Hawaiian: the hula dancer. When a returning traveler trotted out his souvenirs of the islands, there was sure to be at least one hula dancer memento among them. The most ubiquitous was the "windshield wahine," dancing her way across dashboards in the 1950s and '60s. This "nodder" had a spring-based nodding action at the waist. When the car surged into motion, so did the magnet-affixed dancer, bobbing her way through a hip-swinging hula. According to one manufacturer, nodders were "the newest, hottest car decoration since fox tails and hanging dice."
Hula dancers came in a variety of incarnations, from table lamps (also equipped with hypnotic hips), to ceramic figurines, cloth dolls, and even fishing lures.
The popularity of Hawaiiana has remained constant through changing times. Visitors in the 1920s and '30s enjoyed leisurely journeys to the islands on luxury ocean liners. With the advent of Hawaiian air travel in 1935, the trip itself became secondary to the destination, popularized stateside by radio programs such as Hawaii Calls, movies such as Waikiki Wedding, and even island-themed carnival "girlie shows."
While the bombing of Pearl Harbor brought a temporary halt to Hawaiian tourism, World War II also served to recruit a brand-new batch of devoteés: servicemen stationed in the islands, who found the culture exotically appealing. Stateside sweethearts were soon inundated with grass skirts, carved coconuts, and scarves adorned with images of beguiling "hula honeys."
After the war, veterans were drawn to such niteries as Trader Vic's and Don the Beachcomber, where a hodgepodge of island imagery was lumped together to create an alluring tropical atmosphere, a triumph of marketing over reality. Surrounded by artificial palm trees, sipping "Zombies" and "Mai Tais" under fishing nets studded with conch shells, it was easy to imagine that Honolulu was just a hop-skip-and-a-jump away.
The passion for all things Polynesian continued throughout the 1950s, enjoying a significant surge when Hawaii became the 50th state in 1959. The swinging '60s ushered in the home "Tiki bar," which played mix-and-match with island décor. Hawaiian hula girl figurines performed their graceful shimmies alongside scowling busts of South Seas Tiki gods. Authentic? Well no, but plenty of fun to experience, particularly when accompanied by a lip-smackingly potent fruit-and-rum drink, served up in a souvenir mug. Today, Hawaiiana remains a top collectible, enjoying renewed popularity with the recent resurgence of interest in Tiki culture.
When it's below freezing where you live, just remember: back in Honolulu, the sky's a brilliant blue. So is the water. The vegetation's a lush green, the gentle winds are always balmy, and the hula girls are waiting. Aloha!
Hawaiiana courtesy of Patty & Barney Deden. Photos by Patty Deden, and the author.
Photo Associate: Hank Kuhlmann.

Donald-Brian Johnson is the co-author of numerous books on design and collectibles, including "Postwar Pop," a collection of his columns, and an upcoming second volume. Please address inquiries to donaldbrian@msn.com.