Royal Hawaiian Hotel Surf Bar postcard. Circa 1960s. see the back of this card

The Royal Hawaiian Hotel had a bar called the Surf Bar. On all the bar paraphrenalia was a mascot they named High Talking Chief Menehune.

The Menehunes are well-known Hawai'i mythological figures and have been used as a gimmick for advertising and made into kitsch figurines for more occasions than anyone is able to count. If you don't believe us just do a cursory search on the web.

That said, like many other fantasies, some of the ridiculous text written by the Royal Hawaiian Surf Bar card on the left is based on partial truths. The term Menehune has a long and interesting history.