Dying In Downey
United Airlines "menehune" statues ( City of Downey California )
I've seen these for years in the window. Actually more like decades. I finally walked inside and asked if I could take a picture. The woman at the travel agency ( I believe she was the owner) was more than happy to oblige. She even moved the table for me. While not the original clothes(she still had the originals but made these new ones for them) this pair is in excellent condition. I've actually got a picture taken from a Downey yearbook which shows one of these menehune's from the 70's or early 80's. They are very collectible. Here's a brief explanation
www.hydroponicsonline.com/store/RARE-Vintage-United-Airli...
Hawai'i would become United's most prestigious and most heavily promoted destination over the next 35 years. The carrier introduced Boeing Stratocruiser aircraft on its Hawai'i routes in 1950.As United entered the jet age with the introduction of the Douglas DC-8 aircraft in 1959, the larger and faster jets were deployed on the carrier's Hawai'i routes in 1960. The carrier launched non-stop flights between Chicago and Honolulu on August 1, 1969, and between New York and Honolulu on October 1, 1969. United's New York-Hawai'i route was the longest domestic route served by any carrier. By the early 1970's Boeing 747 and Douglas DC-8-71 aircraft (a stretched version of the original DC-8) were plying United's Hawai'i routes. It was during this time that United introduced the menehune mascots in the airline's advertising and promotional campaigns for Hawai'i.The term, "menhune" (pronounced meh-neh-hoo-neh) has its origins in Hawaiian mythology. According to Hawaiian folklore, the menehune were mystical little people who were dwellers of the deep forest and stood only about two feet in height. Legend has it that these little people were quite shy, but were master craftsmen and women who built temples (known as heiau), fish ponds, roads, canoes, and dwellings. Also according to legend, the menehune people only worked at night so they could not be seeing by other human forms. They were known to be very industrious in the cutting, transportation, and fitting of stones for their projects and were known to have worked in teams in a brigade-like fashion. The menehune people were especially adept at remaining unnoticed. Scholars have theorized that the term, "menehune" is rooted in the language of the Tahitians. The Tahitians settled in Hawai'i and were known to have oppressed the descendants of the Marquesans. The Marquesans were among the first wave of early settlers of the Hawaiian Islands and settled there approximately six to seven hundred years before the Tahitians had arrived. (The Marquesans originated from the Marquesas Islands, a group of islands that are situated in French Polynesia and are located approximately 850 miles northeast of Tahiti). Some scholars have concluded that the Tahitians defeated the Marquesan descendants in Hawai'i and then forced them into slave labor. Hence, the term, "manahune" in the Tahitian language is a reference to "commoners" or a lower class of people who were thought to have escaped oppression by fleeing to the mountainous regions of Hawai'i. Throughout the 1970's, when Hawai'i was United's sole destination served beyond the North American mainland, these iconic figurines could be seen in promotional displays at United Airlines ticket offices and in travel agencies throughout the airline's vast domestic network. This darling Hawaiian figurine is made of a plastic composite and stands approximately 23 inches in height (58.42 cm). She is the female counterpart to the male menehune that was also produced for United Airlines. She stands on a base that measures 6 3/4 x 9 3/4 x 3 inches (17.15 x 24.77 x 7.62 cm). The front of the base reads, "The Menehune of Hawaii" with "United Air Lines" in the wordmark that was reflective of the era of the early 1970's.
United Airlines "menehune" statues ( City of Downey California )
I've seen these for years in the window. Actually more like decades. I finally walked inside and asked if I could take a picture. The woman at the travel agency ( I believe she was the owner) was more than happy to oblige. She even moved the table for me. While not the original clothes(she still had the originals but made these new ones for them) this pair is in excellent condition. I've actually got a picture taken from a Downey yearbook which shows one of these menehune's from the 70's or early 80's. They are very collectible. Here's a brief explanation
www.hydroponicsonline.com/store/RARE-Vintage-United-Airli...
Hawai'i would become United's most prestigious and most heavily promoted destination over the next 35 years. The carrier introduced Boeing Stratocruiser aircraft on its Hawai'i routes in 1950.As United entered the jet age with the introduction of the Douglas DC-8 aircraft in 1959, the larger and faster jets were deployed on the carrier's Hawai'i routes in 1960. The carrier launched non-stop flights between Chicago and Honolulu on August 1, 1969, and between New York and Honolulu on October 1, 1969. United's New York-Hawai'i route was the longest domestic route served by any carrier. By the early 1970's Boeing 747 and Douglas DC-8-71 aircraft (a stretched version of the original DC-8) were plying United's Hawai'i routes. It was during this time that United introduced the menehune mascots in the airline's advertising and promotional campaigns for Hawai'i.The term, "menhune" (pronounced meh-neh-hoo-neh) has its origins in Hawaiian mythology. According to Hawaiian folklore, the menehune were mystical little people who were dwellers of the deep forest and stood only about two feet in height. Legend has it that these little people were quite shy, but were master craftsmen and women who built temples (known as heiau), fish ponds, roads, canoes, and dwellings. Also according to legend, the menehune people only worked at night so they could not be seeing by other human forms. They were known to be very industrious in the cutting, transportation, and fitting of stones for their projects and were known to have worked in teams in a brigade-like fashion. The menehune people were especially adept at remaining unnoticed. Scholars have theorized that the term, "menehune" is rooted in the language of the Tahitians. The Tahitians settled in Hawai'i and were known to have oppressed the descendants of the Marquesans. The Marquesans were among the first wave of early settlers of the Hawaiian Islands and settled there approximately six to seven hundred years before the Tahitians had arrived. (The Marquesans originated from the Marquesas Islands, a group of islands that are situated in French Polynesia and are located approximately 850 miles northeast of Tahiti). Some scholars have concluded that the Tahitians defeated the Marquesan descendants in Hawai'i and then forced them into slave labor. Hence, the term, "manahune" in the Tahitian language is a reference to "commoners" or a lower class of people who were thought to have escaped oppression by fleeing to the mountainous regions of Hawai'i. Throughout the 1970's, when Hawai'i was United's sole destination served beyond the North American mainland, these iconic figurines could be seen in promotional displays at United Airlines ticket offices and in travel agencies throughout the airline's vast domestic network. This darling Hawaiian figurine is made of a plastic composite and stands approximately 23 inches in height (58.42 cm). She is the female counterpart to the male menehune that was also produced for United Airlines. She stands on a base that measures 6 3/4 x 9 3/4 x 3 inches (17.15 x 24.77 x 7.62 cm). The front of the base reads, "The Menehune of Hawaii" with "United Air Lines" in the wordmark that was reflective of the era of the early 1970's.