The Tiki Totem Poles are characters who appear in Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room. They are four totem poles that are part of the Tiki Room attraction at the Disney Parks where they are brought to life by the attraction's magic.
History[]
Background[]
They are a group of totem poles designed with various faces on each vertical side. As the Enchanted Tiki Room itself is filled with magic, the magic was able to bring the Tiki Totem Poles to life where the totems become animate where they are able to chant.
The late Ernest Tavares, who voiced Maui, Koro, Rongo, and Ngendei respectively, provided the chanting lines in Hawaiian language for the Tiki Totem Poles as well as providing the welcoming voice that is heard before the doors open for guests to enter the Tiki Room attraction.[1]
Development History[]
When the Tiki Room first opened, the animatronics in the show not only included birds, but also included tiki totem poles which are also part of the show as well as the tiki drummers, in which according to the book Disneyland Detective by Kendra Trahan, there are four totem poles in the show. The Tiki Room attraction also consists of animatronic plants consisting of the orchids and the birds of paradise (plant variety) as well.
Due to the success of the attraction at Disneyland, the Tiki Room attraction was later constructed at Magic Kingdom and Tokyo Disneyland, still featuring the animatronic totem poles in it.
Appearances[]
Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room[]
At the end of the musical number "Hawaiian War Chant" the Tiki Totems come to life and begin to do their chanting part. As the Tiki Totem Poles chant along, the Drummers continue to play their instruments while the Birds of Paradise and Orchids sing along, bringing the song in a frenzy. As the frenzy continues, a loud thunderclap is heard throughout the attraction, frightening the Enchanted Tiki Room Birds. Michael then explains to José, Pierre, and Fritz that they must have angered the Tiki Gods which must have caused the storm. During the "Closing Bow" finale, the Tiki Totem Poles once again chant just before the song ends where the guests leave the attraction.
The Enchanted Tiki Room (Under New Management)[]
The Tiki Totem Poles have a smaller role in this extinct incarnation of the attraction at Magic Kingdom. When Iago is furious with the Tiki Birds repeating the same show over and over again much to Zazu warning him about the Tiki Gods who would hear Iago's behavior in which Iago berates Zazu, the Tiki Totem Poles chant Uh-Oa's name while the Tiki Drummers continue drumming, just as Uh-Oa appears and punishes Iago for disturbing the Tiki Gods. After Iago is punished, Zazu then presents the audience a special performance from the Tiki Totem Poles where they sing "In the Still of the Night", followed by a rap medley performed by the Birds of Paradise and the Orchids.
The Enchanted Tiki Room: Get the Fever![]
In this extinct incarnation of the attraction, the Tiki Totem Poles participate albeit in a small role, in which the four main show bird hosts, Danno, Scats, Buddy, and Lava find many ways to wake up the Tiki Room Drummers to which the Tiki Totem Poles sing a rendition of "Fever" with Lava, just as the Tiki Drummers finally begin drumming throughout the show, finally waking them up. As the Tiki Drummers play their part, the Tiki Totem Poles continue with a rendition of the "Hawaiian War Chant" frenzy verse. After this, the sequence loops into the finale scene where a special rendition of "I Wan'na Be Like You" plays.
The Enchanted Tiki Room: Stitch Presents Aloha e Komo Mai![]
The Tiki Totem Poles also participate in this incarnation of the attraction at Tokyo Disneyland. In the attraction, they first participate during the musical number "Aloha, E Komo Mai" just before Mahina, one of the four main bird hosts, sings along just as everyone else sings along during the musical number. Later after Stitch is accepted into the show after promising not to do anymore pranks during the show, the Tiki Totem Poles also participate during a reprise of "Aloha, E Komo Mai" after Stitch feels happy that he is accepted to perform in the show just as everyone in the Tiki Room (except for the Winged Wahines who left during the musical number "On the Beach at Waikiki") sings about being part of Stitch's ohana.
Professor Porter's Trading Post[]
Although the Enchanted Tiki Room attraction was not constructed at Hong Kong Disneyland, Tiki Totem Poles are also featured as one of the items collected by Professor Archimedes Porter.
Mystic Manor[]
Two Tiki Totem Poles were featured amongst the artifacts in the Mystic Manor attraction where they are featured in the Tribal Arts room. Like many elements featured in it, the Tiki Totem Poles pay reminescence to the Enchanted Tiki Room attraction, alongside a tiki drummer idol placed in the attraction.
Other appearances[]
In the House of Mouse episode "Suddenly Hades", a pair of tiki totem poles were part of Daisy Duck's version of the Enchanted Tiki Room.
In the Mickey Mouse episode, "Ku'u Lei Melody", tiki totems identical to the ones from the Tiki Room attraction briefly appear where Mickey, Donald, and Goofy walk quietly past the tiki totem area to which one of the tiki totems' heads (voiced by Paul Rudish) says, "Gesundheit", giving Donald a fright.
In a commercial for the 2015 "Frozen Summer Fun!" event at Disney California Adventure, one of the Tiki Totem Poles are featured as one of the characters singing the lines from the song "For the First Time in Forever". In one of the TV spots, José sings "There'll be music" followed by one of the Totem Poles' faces singing the line "There'll be light".
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- The tiki totem poles' tones of voice which they make are as follows as stated in concept art, which are: tenor (top) baritone (middle), and bass (bottom).
References[]
