About Humuhumu

My name is Michelle Whiting, but my friends call me Humuhumu.
No connection to the fish.

I lived in Hawaii for a short but affecting time as a child, and that plus a love for themed environments and midcentury Americana led me to the wonderful world of Tiki and Polynesian Pop. My life, thankfully, hasn't been the same since.

I take my efforts to archive the current state and the history of these places quite seriously — it's a tall task, challenging and never-ending — but it is also a consuming passion, something that brings me no small amount of pleasure. Critiki is a not-for-profit project, a way to contribute back to the tikiphile community, and I hope that it is a useful resource for people.

In addition to Critiki, I run two other tiki themed websites:

I call both San Francisco and Los Angeles home, and I'm originally from Seattle.

Questions, information, comments? Contact me at humuhumu@critiki.com
House of Tiki, Costa Mesa
updated 5/10/09
Coconut Joe's, Bakersfield
updated 5/10/09
Tonga Room, San Francisco
updated 5/10/09
Bali Hai-Outrigger Apartments, Stockton
updated 5/9/09
Tiki Inn Motel, Palo Alto
updated 5/9/09
more...
The Field Museum, Chicago
Oceanic Arts, Whittier
The Enchanted Tiki Room, Anaheim
Mai Kai, Fort Lauderdale
Hala Kahiki, River Grove
more...
carlosrossi on
Bahooka Ribs & Grog, Rosemead
3/7/10 7:17PM
Gran Tiki on
Don the Beachcomber, Huntington Beach
3/3/10 12:23PM
mpw on
Samoan Sea Apartments, San Pedro
3/2/10 10:55AM
shaff01 on
Hala Kahiki, River Grove
3/1/10 12:59PM
TikiMojo on
Mauna Loa Bar Hawaiano, Madrid
2/27/10 11:40PM
more...