Turning his Tiki coaster cars into actual mugs was the next logical step. A longtime fan of Tiki culture, he often includes the imagery in his work, channeled through his own unique lowbrow-inspired lens. No matter the medium, Pooch has carved out his own distinctive style over the past quarter century, simultaneously building a loyal following for his colorful ink work at Altered State Tattoo in South Florida (est. Pooch said he could have done the same thing on paper, it was just more efficient to use digital tools. He created three different views of each mug in two dimensions rather than using 3-D software. Pooch’s original designs for the Grey Moai that inspired the Tropical Thunder Express set. “It’s not that different, other than it’s faster,” he said. Pooch added digital art to his repertoire about eight years ago, but he said he approaches the format much the same as his other art. * Click here to buy Tropical Thunder Express box of four mugs In keeping with the theme, the mugs are not sold separately and must be purchased as a set for $125 directly from Tiki Farm online. Working off of Pooch’s two-dimensional drawings, Tiki Farm’s sculptors have perfectly captured the whimsical world of his paintings, mashing up Tiki, tattoo, and Kustom Kulture into one cool package. The piece is available online as a giclee-quality matte paper print for $50. He said he intended to paint it, but creating it digitally was essential to meet the deadline. Like his other classic thrill ride paintings, this new piece takes the viewer into a vibrant nether world filled with skulls, Tiki imagery, A-frame huts, a giant moai, and Tiki mugs on wheels happily riding an impossibly angled roller-coaster track. The Rum Ride, a digital print by Pooch that shows the Tropical Thunder Express mugs in their native habitat. Westland needed promotional artwork to promote Tiki Farm at Tiki Oasis in August 2021, so Pooch quickly brought “The Rum Ride” to life. In short order, they joined forces to create a distinctive coaster train featuring four colorful mugs: Grey Moai, Blue Lono, Green Marquesan, and Orange Ku. “I said, because it’s a (roller coaster) car, maybe we should have more,” Pooch said of his conversation with the mug mogul. Tiki Farm owner Holden Westland, who was aware of Pooch’s reputation in the lowbrow art world, loved the “Tiki mug as ride vehicle” concept. Pooch reached out to Tiki Farm with his first mug design, a moai, earlier that year. You can find the mugs in their native habitat in the 2021 digital art piece “The Rum Ride”, but the idea for the real-world mugs actually came first. Packaged in a colorful box adorned with Pooch’s distinctive artwork, it’s almost like four roller-coaster cars from one of his paintings jumped out of two-dimensional world and came to life. Now, thanks to Tiki Farm, Pooch’s wild world has taken on three-dimensional form with the release of an ambitious four-mug set: Tropical Thunder Express. * Toast the Tropical Thunder Express at The Hukilau unofficial preparty on May 25Įxclusive cocktail recipes: Pooch Punch | Tropical Thunder Express The new Tropical Thunder Express mug set from Tiki Farm, designed by South Florida artist Mike “Pooch” Pucciarelli. Until recently, that imaginary place was limited to canvas, tattoos, and Pooch’s vivid imagination.

When you gaze into the signature artwork by lowbrow king Mike “Pooch” Pucciarelli, you’re immediately transported to a surrealistic land of insane roller coasters traversing impossibly twisted tracks in a dark but fantastically fun theme park.

Space age restaurant coffee mug