Wiki wiki dollar
Encyclopedia
A wiki wiki dollar was a giveaway promotion in the United States
from the Chevron
gasoline
company during the 1960s. The advertising campaign featured a wiki wiki girl, played by dancer Irene Tsu
, dressed in a grass skirt and performing a brisk hula while standing on a gasoline
pump.
The Hawaii
an use of the word "wiki
" was the local pronunciation of the word "quickly" spoken to them by missionaries trying to get their flocks to work more to Western timeframes than the more laid back Hawaiian work ethic of getting it done in plenty of time. Quickly became Wikly became "wiki."
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
from the Chevron
Chevron Corporation
Chevron Corporation is an American multinational energy corporation headquartered in San Ramon, California, United States and active in more than 180 countries. It is engaged in every aspect of the oil, gas, and geothermal energy industries, including exploration and production; refining,...
gasoline
Gasoline
Gasoline , or petrol , is a toxic, translucent, petroleum-derived liquid that is primarily used as a fuel in internal combustion engines. It consists mostly of organic compounds obtained by the fractional distillation of petroleum, enhanced with a variety of additives. Some gasolines also contain...
company during the 1960s. The advertising campaign featured a wiki wiki girl, played by dancer Irene Tsu
Irene Tsu
Irene Tsu is a Chinese American actress who started in the film adaptation Flower Drum Song in 1961 and has had many subsequent roles in TV and films...
, dressed in a grass skirt and performing a brisk hula while standing on a gasoline
Gasoline
Gasoline , or petrol , is a toxic, translucent, petroleum-derived liquid that is primarily used as a fuel in internal combustion engines. It consists mostly of organic compounds obtained by the fractional distillation of petroleum, enhanced with a variety of additives. Some gasolines also contain...
pump.
The Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
an use of the word "wiki
Wiki
A wiki is a website that allows the creation and editing of any number of interlinked web pages via a web browser using a simplified markup language or a WYSIWYG text editor. Wikis are typically powered by wiki software and are often used collaboratively by multiple users. Examples include...
" was the local pronunciation of the word "quickly" spoken to them by missionaries trying to get their flocks to work more to Western timeframes than the more laid back Hawaiian work ethic of getting it done in plenty of time. Quickly became Wikly became "wiki."
Further reading
- An E-bay sale of a photo of Irene Tsu says "Irene Tsu (born April 5, 1943 in Shanghai, China) is an actress who started in the film Flower Drum Song in 1961. She was featured in an advertising campaign (Wiki wiki dollar) in the 1960s. She was raised in San Francisco and won a "Miss Chinatown" beauty pageant in 1961."
- Star Trek: The Episode Guide says (quoting IMDB) Irene Tsu "was the TV spokeswoman for "Chevron Island" Standard Oil"
- A blog entry says "I found the debate when I Googled Wiki Wiki Girl (no quotes, shoulda had 'em) to see if anyone remembers that phrase. In the late '60's or early '70's, Chevron had an advertising campaign with the "Wiki Wiki Girl" -- a gorgeous pseudo-Polynesian woman in a grass skirt hula-ing her butt off on top of a gas pump. There may have been a contest involved. I remember it only because 10 years later, I had my first full-time job working for the Wiki Wiki Girl herself, Irene Tsu, former dancer and now fashion designer. I got the job because I knew her husband, photographer/director Ivan Nagy."