Wayne Coombs’ Mai Tiki
Wayne Coombs' tikis are all over Central Florida, either as decorations or for sale in theme parks like Universal Studios Orlando, Universal CityWalk, and Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom. Located about an hour away from Orlando in Cocoa Beach (also home to surf shop icon Ron Jon's), Wayne has been a prolific sculptor, working in the field for more than 25 years. Perhaps his most remarkable feat is that he'd been able to get his wares consistently carried in stores long before the pendulum of popularity finally swung back to tiki's favor. (I can remember seeing his tikis for sale in Adventureland as far back as 1990.)
He, probably more than anyone else, is responsible for what is known as "The Florida Style" tiki carving, marked by exaggerated expressions and bright, colorful paint jobs. If you can't make the trip to his studio on Cocoa Beach (which is open for sales and tours), you can visit online.