F is for Further Follow-up - Gay Gem Hawaiian Dancers

We looked at the Britains-copy Hawaiian dancers here, and then there was a quick follow-up here, and I've now found this in the archive, it's not much use without the figures, but from the illustration it would seem to be one of the straight piracies rather than the clip-on skirt versions, and with the tree, probably the ones in the latter images of the above link.

Gay Gem, who often turn-up on evilBay with this kind of stuff, as I say; not much use, but it's in the tag-list now, under 'Hawaiian'. This would have been from the James Chase collection, and as the figures weren't with it, they probably went through the main auction at Christies, while this was in the ephemera-dump/polymer-overspill sale at SAS Auctions a few months later, all back in 2006, I think?

T is for Two - Novelty Rack Toys

This is just clearing junk from Picasa, but . . . they are both figural, fun, quality junk!

From Accoutrements, possibly via Archie McPhee (I made-up an order from them back in the 1990's when they (and BuM) were carrying the Giant re-issues) comes this set of Hula dancers on swizzle-sticks.

One day I'll get them out and cut a couple off to base them as stand-alone figures, but for now they stay-put. About 25mm and a polypropylene type polymer.

These expandable toys fall into two categories; fun stocking fillers for kids at Christmas and Stag/Hen stuff, this is really from the latter, and after an explosion of them in the early-1990's they faded a bit, but the novelty and gift section of Waterstone's is still good for a selection of Nun's, Escorts and Body-builders!

Crap photograph not helped by the expanding foam figurine being in an orange-red, the worst of all colours to shoot! 40mm dry . . . 100+ wet . . . 'ish! Now defunct Marshall's of the West Country were the importer on this one.

F is for Follow-up - Hawaiian Ukulele Player

When we looked at these the other day, we were looking at cake-decoration sub-piracies in a soft polyethylene for 'Rack Toy Month' who were from the 'Unknown Ethnic Dress Civilians' box . . . well, these - here today - were in the large scale ethnic dancers tub!

I don't actually have a hula-girl yet; Britains or full-size copy, but I got two ukulele players (in the 'big purchase' I think?) and a Hong Kong hard polystyrene clone at one of those 2009-11 shows.

From the left are Britains-Herald's original with an eight-colour paint scheme, in the middle the later reduced-paint version still has six because of the complicated sculpt with flower-garland (Lei) and instrument, while the Hong Kong copy-guy also has eight, but nicely (when you consider how closely those HK Trojan warriors followed Britains) in a new colour-way.

R is for Rockin' Rack-toy Ravers in Raffia Rah-rahs!

So, I dug into another box! Actually I was looking for something else, fount these three bags and thought "They'll make a nice rack-toy month post!", so here they are!

Straight piracy of the Britains Hawaii pair but with one of the more ornate Hong Kong palm tree's you'll encounter, all mounted on a little base as a vignette, and while it may have been available as a novelty toy all over the place, I guess sold in larger numbers as a Hawaiian tourist trinket, or in similar territories for the same reason?

The 8 components; the girl is attached to a small spring, which is wound into the larger base-hole (so she can jiggle and wiggle her little tush with a flick or a shake) and she has a separate skirt - I don't know if they come in other colours - while the tree is well-burdened with coconuts!

Other piracies of Britains native dancers are available, and here Maid Marion has popped-over to see what all the fuss is about! She has a green base so probably also belongs with the more normal Robin Hood cake-decoration copies (we've looked at a bagged Friar Tuck here in the past) but was in the bags with the Hawaiian pairs as triple-figure sets, again - like the Robin Hood figures - cake-decorators seem to be the target customers.

I have a darker-skinned girl (should that be duskier? Do the 'PC-Brigade' even allow "dusky maiden"? Probably not!) with a damaged foot (no spigot), she has a yellow-plastic skirt too.

While on the end of the line is a very poor 3rd/4th generation copy, probably from the same source as some of the equally-poor African Warrior copies you find; certainly she has the same uneven 'made in Hong Kong' letter-stamped on her base in a sort of 'typewriter' font.