The Enchanted Tiki Room

Enchanted Tiki Room Fun Facts

This was Walt Disney's first use of Audio-Animatronics in an attraction.
The Tiki Room was originally sponsored by United Air Lines from 1964 to 1973, and later by Dole Pineapple from 1976 to the present. Hawaii became one of the United States in 1959, so Hawaiiana was very popular throughout the 1960s. United Air Lines benefited from its Tiki Room sponsorship because its airlines offered flights to Hawaii during this period of peak popularity of travel to Hawaii.
REPORTED: Mark Atkins 18 JUN 02
There is actually a film that still runs in the pre-show/garden area, the Lanai Garden, right behind the juice bar. It starts with volcanos spewing and all that. Now days, it is difficult to see, and unless you are standing next to it, I doubt you would even know it was there. Look for it on your next visit, as of late, it has become a hot topic as the Dole people recently toured and were dissapointed that they couldn't see the film. I believe the name of the film is "The Flavor Of Hawaii".
REPORTED: Ken Hay 07 JAN 01
The Hawaiian travel film shown above the tiki juice stand, although shaded, was almost completely invisible to me during the day on my May 2002 visit. I couldn't see it at night, either, because the Tiki Room was closed at night! The film mentions that pineapples used to be so expensive that only kings could afford them.
UPDATE: Mark Atkins 31 MAY 02
The Hawaiian lyrics to "Hawaiian War Chant," which is sung in the Tiki Room, are very difficult to find, but I finally found them on some very old sheet music. Here is the (only) verse and chorus:
Tahuwai la a tahuwai wai la, Ehu hene la a pili koo lua la, Pututui lua ite toe la, Hanu lipo ita paalai. Au we ta hua la. Au we ta hua la.
Unfortunately, the sheet music omitted all appearances of the kahako (macron) and ˜kina (glottal stop) so it is very difficult to know exactly which Hawaiian words were intended. There are also English lyrics by Ralph Freed, but those aren't a translation of the Hawaiian lyrics, and whereas the Hawaiian version repeats the same verse throughout the song, the English version has different lyrics for each verse.
REPORTED: Mark Atkins 31 MAY 02
At the end of each of the three syllables in "hua la" in the chorus of "Hawaiian War Chant," one can hear an acoustic slapping sound that originates from the Bird of Paradise flowers in the corners of the Tiki Room, which are singing along with the song.
REPORTED: Mark Atkins 31 MAY 02
At least one of the tiki totem poles inside the Tiki Room has hidden speakers in or near it, so that if you sit next to it during the show, you can hear certain isolated parts of the music that have been separated into stereo. In particular, you can hear the isolated wooden percussion instruments coming from it during the song "The Tiki Tiki Tiki Tiki Room."
REPORTED: Mark Atkins 31 MAY 02
If you look on each of the four walls inside the Tiki room, right below the drumming Tiki Gods that are high on the wall, there are some Tiki masks. On all four of those walls the masks look exactly alike and they are all upside down!
REPORTED: David Enertson 26 MAR 98
The upside down masks in the Tiki Room are supposed to be that way. It is Negendei, the Earth Balancer, who stands on his head.
UPDATE: LJ 24 APR 02
Dr. Horatio Q. Birdbath (AKA A. Purves Pullen) of Spike Jones fame can be heard frequently at Disneyland. He said in an interview for "The Spike Jones Musical Depreciation Newsletter" (Issue #6, Jan/Feb/Mar 1989) "...my favorite accomplishment, the one that's gonna last, is that I recorded all the bird sounds you hear in the Tiki Room at Disneyland." Birdbath, during his years with Jones, provided many of the group's animal and bird sounds for recordings, live performances and films. Jones utilized Birdbath extensively to highlight the crazy arrangements and non-stop on-stage antics that made the group a sell-out for decades. He was also the voice of the chimp Bonzo in 'Bedtime for Bonzo' and 'Bonzo Goes to College.' And the sounds for Cheetah the monkey in the early Tarzan movies with Johnny Weissmuller. He was Lassie, too. Doc's big Spike Jones number, "Old MacDonald Had a Farm," features dozens of barnyard sounds. Birdbath says, "I grew up on a farm so when I was five I found I could mimic the barnyard animals and chickens. My granddad took me on bird-watching hikes and when I was twelve I was the first youngster in the world to be an examiner for the Boy Scouts' bird tests."
REPORTED: Ron Hare 04 SEP 96
A talking parrot used to sit up top the Adventureland entrance sign and crack jokes at passing guests.
REPORTED: Patrick Keown 28 APR 96
The bird was an exact replica of José and now has a home in "Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln.";
CONFIRMED: Eric B 04 APR 96
The bird was José the Macaw and sat at the entrance. People would stand and watch him talk and block the entrance. It got so bad that they had to move José to keep the entrance clear.
CONFIRMED: Susan Smrecek 10 MAY 96
CONFIRMED: David Petlin 14 JAN 97
This was not just any parrot:it was the Tiki Room's own José, and he was soon taken out because guests would stop and listen to him talk, and no one could get through into the land.
CONFIRMED: Brittany S. 30 MAR 97
Correcting the identification of the bird that once encouraged guests to enter the Tiki Room at Disneyland: The bird was José's cousin. In Tomorrowland, guests can create a custom Disneyland Forever CD with their choice of ten tracks. One of the options is a recording of four greetings offered by the bird. At $20 per 10 tracks, this is well worth the investment for Disneyland fans.
UPDATE: Lloyd Lawrence 10 NOV 98
The parrot, who was José, was indeed moved into the Tiki Room, but not because he kept breaking down. The real reason is because he would cause the guest passing by to stop and make the traffic in that area worse than it already was.
CONFIRMED: Mario 17 SEP 99
A note on the Tiki Room Barker Bird...He isn't José...he mentions in one of his spiels (Disneyland Forever track) that José is his cousin.
UPDATE: AprilDecember 06 OCT 00
In the old waiting room in The Walt Disney Story, featuring "Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln.", there are two offices of Walt's. In the formal office, there is a coffee table very close to the glass. On the table is the mechanical bird cage that inspired him to make The Enchanted Tiki Room.
REPORTED: Eric B 17 FEB 96
The bird inspired Walt to create audio-animatronic birds, which he used to create the Tiki Room. audio-animatronic people came later. Originally the Tiki Room was to be a restaurant, which is why it's the only "attraction" that has a rest room. But it evolved before opening, and is now just a sit-down show.
UPDATE: Ed Johnston 19 MAR 99
Rongo's spiel in the preshow area of the Tiki Room begins with a briefly chanted Hawaiian phrase. The phrase is: "Ua mau ke ea o ka aina i ka pono." This is the state motto of Hawaii, which means "The life of the land is preserved in righteousness." The saying is attributed to King Kamehameha III on July 31, 1843, when the Hawaiian flag was once more raised after a brief period of unauthorized ursurpation of authority by a British admiral. That fits, because Rongo is the god of agriculture.
REPORTED: Mark Atkins 28 JUN 02
Originally, Tiki Room was going to be a restaurant, hence having its own restroom.
REPORTED: ost1 25 OCT 95
CONFIRMED: Eric B 22 AUG 96
The Tiki Room was originally the Bird Cafe. The idea developed after a Chinese restaurant for Main Street, with a talking Confucius (or just an old Chinese man), was dropped. The Tahitian Terrace was remodeled in 1962 with outdoor terraces and a private dining room (the Bird Cafe). I have heard that the idea was to hide microphones on the tables so that the birds could interact with the guests. You'll see a hand-grip controller used with prototype birds in old videos. The Tiki Room opened in 1963 in its present form, with both the audio and animation recorded on audio tape, however. The "interactive" version moved to the Trophy Room at Club 33.
CONFIRMED: Alastair Dallas 12 JAN 97
The 4 birds that host the Tiki Room are named:
1. Michael,
2. Fritz,
3. Pierre, and
4. the master of ceremonies, José.
José is hispanic, Pierre is French, Michael is Irish, and Fritz is German.
REPORTED: Eric B 04 APR 96
CONFIRMED: Andy Hicks 18 JUL 96
CONFIRMED: Mike 31 JUL 96
CONFIRMED: TR Shaw 26 OCT 96
The female birds who sing in the Enchanted Tiki Room are named:
1. Collette,
2. Fifi,
3. Gigi,
4. Josephine,
5. Mimi, and
6. Susette
REPORTED: Pretty Pixie 23 MAY 06
An interesting fact is in the Enchanted Tiki Room. I am a Cast Member and I work this area (along with Jungle), and back by the control panel on the side there is a red button that is the emergency stop button.
REPORTED: anon 26 MAY 97
That button is no longer in use. At one time that button was the Tiki Room's emergency stop button. That button has been out of service for many years now and has been replaced by switch. If you hit the button today nothing will happen because the computer does not recognize it.
REPORTED: Chance? California 16 JAN 98
The voice of Fritz is Paul Frees. Paul also provides the voice of the narrator on the Haunted Mansion, the auctioneer on the Pirates of the Carribbean (as well as the ship's captain, the mayor, others). He was the narrator on Adventure through Inner Space, and he also did the voice for Scrooge MacDuck, so you can see how versatile he is.
REPORTED: Tom Bernard 10 JUL 97
Just a small correction - The voice of Fritz in the Enchanted Tiki Room was recorded by Thurl Ravenscroft, the infamous 'broken bust' in the Haunted Mansion, not Paul Frees. Mr. Ravenscroft also provided the voice for Tony the Tiger, sang in "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" and can be heard on dozens of Disney attractions and films including "Grim Grinning Ghosts" in the Haunted Mansion. By the way, your site is wonderful! I'll be taking copies of some of your pages on our next yearly pilgrimage to Disneyland-- I tried to remember what to look for on our last trip, but you've got so much information it's almost overwhelming. Thank you!
UPDATE: Steve Jaspar 05 NOV 97
For more information see Thurl Ravenscroft's life's work
CONFIRMED: Brian Jacob 26 JUL 98
Paul Frees has been mentioned many times as the host of the Haunted Mansion, pirate voices, etc. Strangely, no one has mentioned his most famous character, the infamous Boris Badenov from the Rocky and Bullwinkle show! He also had a bit part as a radio reporter in the movie "War of the Worlds." An amazingly talented guy.
UPDATE: Steve Dawson 08 JUN 99
In response to Paul Frees, one correction. He was the voice of Ludwig Von Drake, not Scrooge. Scrooge was voiced by Alan Young (Wilbur of Mr. Ed fame). All this according to the great Dave Smith's encyclopedia, Disney A to Z.
UPDATE: Disneymaniac 11 JUL 00
Paul Frees, in addition to his many Disney voices, was the voice of John Lennon on the Beatles' ABC Saturday morning cartoon show, from 1965-1968.
UPDATE: Jeff Davis 14 SEP 01
Tongaroa, father of all gods and goddesses, is voiced by Thurl Ravenscroft.
REPORTED: Ken Hay 07 JAN 01
José is voiced by Wally Boag, also known by many fans as the traveling salesman and Pecos Bill during his years at Disneyland as a star of the Golden Horseshoe revue.
REPORTED: Ken Hay 07 JAN 01
When you are in the Enchanted Tiki Room, anyone, not just a cast member can wake up José. My 4 year old son has done it everytime we have gone and it makes for a special memory. All you have to do is ask a cast member before the show starts, just as everyone else is being seated.
REPORTED: Stacey Grzeskowiak 05 SEP 01
Wally Boag and Thurl Ravenscroft both reprise their roles for Disney World's Tiki Room Under New Management.
REPORTED: Ken Hay 07 JAN 01
The Mellomen (who sing Yo Ho at Pirates) also sing the chorus parts in the Enchanted Tiki Room.
REPORTED: Rachel and Elizabeth 12 JUL 97
The water fountain effect in the Enchanted Tiki Room is done via a clear hollow pipe that is raised and lowered, depending on how high the fountain is. Water is pumped through it, and the cascading water hides the pipe. It only took me twenty years to figure out this one.
REPORTED: Cedric Chin 23 NOV 98
Enchanted Tiki Room Tiki Room Gods and Goddesses:
1. Maui - Roped the playful son and brought his people time
  - Maui was the trickster hero of Polynesian mythology. It is said that Maui was born prematurely and was abandoned by his mother in the surf. But having survived, he was eventually returned to his mother. His mother used to work all day making tapa (bark) cloth. For Maui and his mother, the days were too short. For them, there was never enough time to accomplish anything in only one day. Maui wanted to allow his mother to have more daylight to make bark cloth. He thought that if the sun were moving slower across the sky, there would be more hours of light in one day. So, Maui cut off the sacred tresses of his wife, Hina, to make a rope that would not burn once in contact with the sun. With his rope he caught the sun as it was rising and beat it with the magic jawbone of his grandmother. The sun was so weak after the beating that it could no run but only creep along its course. In this way, the sunlight lasted longer, and it was possible to work more during the day.
2. Koro - The Midnight Dancer
3. Tongaroa-Ru - Goddess of the East Wind
4. Hina Kuluna - Goddess of Rain
5. Pele - Goddess of Fire and Volcano
  - Pele is the fire goddess who resides in the Kilauea crater according to the people of Hawaii. She is a savage and wrathful divinity. She unleashes all the eruptions that take place in Hawaii. It is said that one day she fell in love with two young chiefs from eastern Hawaii. these two men were champions of holua, a sled used on grassy slopes. she transformed herself in a beautiful princess and joined them in sledding. Unfortunately, the two men recognized her and fled terrorized. Her wrath was so furious that everywhere in the island of Hawaii rivers of incandescent lava were created. The two chiefs tried to escape running to the sea, but the lava submerged them to form two cones along the Hawaii coast. These cones are said today to represent their petrified corpses.
Negendei - The Earth Balancer
Rongo - God of Agriculture
Tongaroa - Father of all Gods and Goddesses

REPORTED: Jason Schultz 28 SEP 97

Enchanted Tiki Room

Fact	Figure
Attraction Type	Show
Designer	WED
Sponsor	Dole Pineapple
Year	June 23, 1963
Last Refurb	1998
Show Time	15 minutes (formerly 18 minutes)
Cast	225 Audio-Animatronic performers, including tropical birds, flowers, Tiki drummers and Tiki Gods
Starring	The "Four McAudios": José, Fritz, Pierre and Michael, with Spanish, German, French and Irish accents, respectively
Technology	Electronically combines and synchronizes voices, music, and sound effects with movements of animated performers in the Enchanted Tiki Room. One inch magnetic tape with 14 channels controls 438 separate actions
Capacity	232 guests per show

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