12/22/02- I'm not much for mushy sentimentality, but i'd be a fool to reflect on this past year without thanking the many people who made our premiere season a bit more tolerable. It's been quite an adjustment from drawing Disney characters for 13 of my 35 years to sinking my life savings into this little money pit called Electric Tiki Design. Wanting to be in charge of ones own destiny can be quite the challenge, especially if you are an artist with no business sense. I've learned quite a bit over the past year, but I'm still basically just an artist. The politics that may go on in a big company at Disney is evident, even though I was fortunate to steer clear of most of it. It's much different when your dealing with the politics of several different "big" company politics and having to deal with them yourself. I guess it was a bit ignorant of me to expect these companies to return my initial phone calls, but I'm glad some did give me a chance. I feel proud when I see the products we managed to get on the market this year. Some were fairly successful, some were not. But as always, you learn valuable lessons from mis-fires as well direct hits. I am also very excited about what we have planned next year as continued growth is hopeful and new friendships and alliances are formed. I'd like to thank the following people and or groups for making the bumpy ride a wee bit smoother.

The consumer products groups at Hearst entertainment, Classic Media, Sony, Warner Bros., Larry Harmon Pictures, Stephen J. Cannell productionsand Paramount. You've all given me some great opportunites as well as some great properties to play with.

Mike Kunkel and Paul Dini, for putting your creations in our hands, and for invaluable input and support.

Jim McPherson, Tim Frank, Bruce Lau, James Lopez, Steve Schumacher,Tony Cipriano, Kenny Thompkins, Rich Vanover, Beth Colla, and Lisa Reinert for doing amazing work for the small amount of money I could afford to pay (IF you indeed got paid).

Karl Meyer at Gentle Giant for returning my phone calls and making me feel like a big shot.

Randy Bowen for taking the time to talk with me on the phone. I promise to get your permission and advice before ripping of your ideas and then go on to make inferior products.

To any and all retailers carrying our products. Thanks for giving us a chance and having the patience for our company to grow and build.

To any person who has bought an Electric Tiki statue( for obvious reasons).

To anyone who has taken the time to e-mail or stop by at the comic con and show support or make suggestions. This is what keeps us going. Seriously!

The makers of Jack Daniels and Tylenol. You've eased the pain for short periods of time and I do appreciate it.

To any website or magazine that has given us free press. We hope to continue kissing your butt well into the new year.

William Katt for calling and OK'ing the Ralph Hinkley maquette.

To Christina Aguilera for her increasingly risque spreads in Maxim magazine and to David Cross for being funny.

To Asia Carrera for letting me do cartoon drawings of her and put them on baubles.

and to my friends and family, for not ridiculing me for leaving a cushy job to make statues of cartoon characters.

In closing I hope you continue checking out our site and buying the occasional item if you feel so inclined. Tell a friend, tell two or three. It'll make you feel good. I promise.

Tracy (no E) Mark Lee

12/22/02, 3:44 PM. 4th qrtr, Raiders 21, Broncos 16

 

 

 

 
11/29/02- If you tried to e-mail us during the last week you may have noticed that our site was down. The host that I've been using for the last year is called Saturn Services and they are probalby the worst company I've ever had the displeasure of dealing with. During the year Electric Tiki has been hosted by Saturn Services the site has been down about 40 times.(even though their site proudly boasts 99.9% uptime guarantee). They also promise top notch tech support. This may be the case if you could ever get a hold of someone in tech support. After doing some research (too little, too late) I discovered that they were one of the worst reviewed web hosting sites on the net, most who reviewed them usually gave them no higher rating than a 1out of 10. Well I learned my lesson and finally switched hosts, which is no easy task since I'm a bit "tech confused". Hopefully the nightmare that was the last year has been resolved and I can actually receive e-mail that is sent. Oh, BTW Electric Tiki will be offering free UPS ground shipping on all orders over $100 through December 15, 2002. We cannot guarantee delivery by Christmas as that is totally up to UPS. All orders placed by December 15 will be shipped by Dec. 17 at the latest so they should arrive in time. Thanks for a great first year and keep an eye on us in 2003.
8/28/02- We've added a checklist for our "Tooned Up" Television and "Teeny Weeny" Mini Maquette lines. This list will give you a general idea of whats coming up and when. Remember, everything is subject to change.
7/15/02- Electric Tiki has just completed final negotiations to bring series 5 and 6 to our "Tooned-Up" television line. While we would love to fill you in on the specifics, we thought it would be fun to announce them at the San Diego comic con. We can give you a few hints. 1) One is an action adventure show that is currently being developed for the big screen and the other is a comedy which starred one of the funniest comedians of all time. 2) They are two more of Tracy's favorite shows of all time. 3) You haven't seen product of these characters in a long, long time. Hmmmm, something tell us that once word gets out, you will. 2003 promises to be a great year for "Tooned-Up" television collectors.
7/15/02- Many new items have just arrived in our store including Richie Rich and Gloria maquettes and Holly Starlite statues. Get yours now!
7/15/02-Electric Tiki announces the sell through of the first shipment of our "HeroBear and the Kid" maquette. "This accounts for half of the run'' said Tiki Pres. Tracy Mark Lee. "I knew it would sell well, but am a bit overwhelmed at how fast it is selling. I actually had to hold off on some of the bigger orders so I would have a few to sell in San Diego!" Not to fear, the second half of the run of 1000 should be here in Sept. Based on Mike Kunkel's ever popular series of the same name, HeroBear and the kid has enjoyed a steady growth and readership and has recently been optioned by Universal Studios to be developed into an animated feature!
4/29/02-Jingle all the way...no not the bad Arnold movie. Super writer Paul Dini (Batman/Superman the animated series, Batman Beyond, the treasury sized comics Superman:Peace on Earth, Batman:War on Crime and creator of my favorite Bat villian Harley Quinn) has graciously allowed Electric Tiki Design to do our take on his ever-so-cute creator owned character Jingle Belle. Dini notes "Recently some Warner Bros. animators told me about a cool new website that boasted a lot of cute girl sculptures. I punched up Electrictiki.com and was knocked out by Tracy Mark Lee's renditions of such characters as Samantha, Jeannie and Tracy's own Holly Starlite. I immediately thought "How awesome would that be if I could somehow talk him into doing a Jingle Belle piece? Right! What are the odds?" Well, actually pretty good as it turned out we had a mutual friend in Mike "Herobear and the Kid" Kunkel. Mike hooked us up and to my delight, I learned Tracy had read and liked my Jingle Belle comics. I was even more delighted when I saw Tracy's concept sketch. While I've been happy with all the Jingle Belle merchandise to date, Electric Tiki's statue thrills me no end. It promises to be the sweetest version of Jingle yet. " Well we here at Electric Tiki couldn't be more excited about working with Paul and hope to do Jingle justice. We aren't quite sure about the specs quite yet, but as soon as we've figured everything out you'll be the first to know. Well, my mom first then you. In the meantime check out the concept art in the Comic Book Creations section and let us know what you think.
4/11/02-America's favorite clown is coming to Electric Tiki! Thats right, BOZO himself is the second official license in our "Teeny Weeny" mini-maquette line up. Stay tooned for more info and images as they become avbailable!
4/11/02-Yeeeeeeeehaaawwwwww!! Electric Tiki Design welcomes Warner Bros. into the fold as we bring their mega popular series "The Dukes of Hazzard" to our "Tooned-Up" Television line. First up will be Bo Duke, then Luke and Tracy's favorite Daisy. "Dukes" will be the fourth series in our growing line up of classic TV characters. Expect to see them late this year!
3/19/02-There goes the neighborhood! Electric Tiki announces the third TV series to receive the "Tooned-Up" treatment.Continuing our relationship with Sony Consumer Products, Electric Tiki has acquired rights to produce "Tooned-Up" maquettes based on the ever popular series,"Married...with Children". First up will be be Peggy Bundy, as designed by Tracy Mark Lee and sculpted by Tony Cipriano, followed by Al, Kelly, and Bud. "This is my dream license" states Tiki president Lee,"The Bundy's were my original inspiration for the 'Tooned-Up" line. It's basically a live action cartoon as it is. As a matter of fact, I had already done designs about a year ago, but now that I have the actual license, I'm redoing the designs, pushing them even further". Electric Tiki plans on at least two variations of each character including the first ever bedtime ediions of Peggy and Al. Also thematic figures such No Ma'am Al are also possiblities. Each figure will be limited edition and come with certificate of Authenticity. Retail will be app. $99. Keep your eye on the "Tooned-Up" television for the lastest info.
1/27/02- Electric Tiki introduces the "Teeny Weeny Mini-Maquette" collection. Focusing on cartoon favorites from past and present, Teeny Weeny mini maquettes will faithfully reproduce each character in a shelf friendly size. Individually hand painted porcelain,each 5" character will be limited in production to 1000 to 1500 units plus 50 artist proof editions.Each mini-maquette will come in a specially designed box and come individually numbered with a certificate of authenticity. Our first series, Richie Rich and Friends will focus on classic Harvey Comics characters with a special focus on Richie Rich and his supporting cast. First up is Richie Rich naturally. Scheduled to ship May/June 2002.
12/01/01-Electric Tiki Design signed an agreement with Astonish Comics to produce a mini-bust based on Mike Kunkel's characters "HeroBear and the Kid". Since premiering in comics a few short years ago, "HeroBear and the Kid" has gained an intensely loyal fan base. Action, Adventure and lots of heart keep readers anxiously awaiting the next issue. ETD will create the bust based on Kunkel's designs. Size will be app. 6" tall, come in a decorated box and will be individually painted and numbered. The full color regular edition will be limited to 1000, while a special B & W artist proof edition will be limited to only 100. The artist proof edition will be signed and remarqued on a special "Certificate of Authenticity" by the creator. Check the "Comic Book creations" section for updates. Shipping summer 2002. Price TBD.
12/01/01- Electric Tiki is proud present its first original creation. "Holly Starlite", an original character created by Tracy M. Lee will be immortalized in 3-D as a limited edition statue. This fully painted statue will be limited to no more than 500 pieces and come numbered, with a signed Certificate of Authenticity. Check out the "Original Creations" section for up to date info.
12/01/01-Electric Tiki Design is proud to announce the kick off of their first "Tooned-Up" series. "Tooned-Up" television will focus on classic TV characters. Sony Pictures has authorized ETD, to produce "Tooned-Up" maquettes based on "Bewitched" and "I Dream of Jeannie". First up will be "Jeannie" classic, to followed by "Samantha Stevens" (mortal wear). Future editions from these shows will include "Jeannie"(street clothes), "Sam Stevens"(witch robes), and special doppleganger editions based on Jeannie's sister, "Jeannie(2)"and Sam's cousin "Serena". These maquettes will be extremely limited, so don't miss your opportunity to jump on board early. For more info. and images, hop on over to the "Tooned-up" television section. Shipping date-Spring 2002. Suggested Retail Price $99.