Coconut FAQ

These are the questions that come up the most when people have a chance to ask.

1. Why are your coconuts so cheap? With the hand carving and all, they must really take time? 

       Well frankly, we think so too,  considering the time and effort we put into it, they should costs more. It takes approximately a full day of 4 hours to make any one of these  coconuts. The process is not easy. If you look at the cost of one man to clean out  and  re-glue, plus bark strip, then spend time on the progressive sanding. It's expensive. Then there's the  pattern production, cut and glue-up, and up to 2 hours of  carving time, depending on how extensive the pattern is. One more hour of decoration, and seal. All this would come to approximately  more  than  $40.00 of pay, just for the skilled labor. If you add the decorating  materials, shipping and packing materials, design work time, image generation, etc. You can see where the cost is around 40 to 50 dollars just to produce one. When we offer these custom carved coconuts at $45, we'll being kind!  We're making very little off of them! Soon the cost will have to go up!

2. Are these the ones they throw off the floats?

     No! These are the coconuts given to very special people in the krewe, or VIP's, for very special reasons, during the year. These coconuts aren't for everyone. Not everyone can afford one, and people actually save up to purchase these coconuts, for themselves here. There will not be a lot of them around each season, mainly  because of the method of production. 

    Now,  maybe some are thrown off the float, but I can count the times on my left hand when that last happened and still have fingers left. Let's just say it's very rare. Some body must really like you, to throw this coconut to you! You're have better odds at the casino of winning than getting  a carved nut,  off a float. But on very rare occasions,  it has been known to happen. 

3. Why haven't we seen these before?

   Well, I wish the internet were here before now. Like I said before, these are rare coconuts, it's really just as simple as that! The maximum produced every year so far, comes to exactly 1500. Compare that to approximately 125,000 for the float nut, the golden nugget,  that people see each year. Each nut is "commissioned", or it's production is sponsored, by someone, for a particular reason, be it personal or business, which started in 1997.  The non-commissioned production started just this year. We're coming up with new designs all the times, and we hope you can start to collect them all. 

4. What!  People collect these?

    Every year we hear from another hundred or so converts. Ebay from time to time carry nuts offered by people whose efforts were lucky for 1997 to 2000. It's rare to get to see one before then. Either it was eaten that year, which is what the locals do, or some tourists threw it away after it leached oil. These carved coconuts  were designed to be souvenirs from the start, so, yes, people are just now beginning to collect these. Their value will go up as the years pass and more collections are inaugurated. 

5. If these are collected, then do you, as the carving artist sign and date the nuts?

  Yes,  we issue you  a "Certificate of Authenticity", which means that it was carved by a current member of the Zulu Club here in New Orleans. Only a member of the club, can give you the real article. Anything else is considered a fraud. We assign each coconut a number and record the name and address of the original owners. The certificate has an authentication seal as well. Your certificate is signed by the artists and Zulu master carver.   

6. I understand that there is some significance to this art and icon?

   Early in Zulu club history, these coconuts , were handed off the Carnival floats, hair and all. It was a cheap throw and gave the reveler's who came to the parade a "treat".  It was also used as a substitute for the more expensive cut glass beads which the "white" Krewes imported from Czechoslovakia and Poland .  Lloyd Lucas a sign painter of the time decided that he would shave,  paint, and decorate some. The idea caught on with the Krewe and that's the way it's been for more than 80 years. Through the years, however, the coconut being a seed pod, began to take on the meaning the African Zulu's have of them. New Life. A New Begining, and a chance to start fresh. The coconut is considered to be extremely lucky to have around

7. How do you get them to shine like that?

   We use a technique called "Progressive sanding ", and boy, does it take time! But the results are just great! The shell looks like a piece of furniture with the finish it exhibits. Of course, we can't get into every nook and crevasse, so there are tell-tale signs of hand carving. We want them like that to verify that they are hand made.

8. Why do you clean out your coconuts, as oppose to the float nuts that aren't ?

   We clean out our nuts because, if we didn't, you couldn't keep it. The coconut is a seed pod that is designed by nature to germinate, any way it can. One of our jobs in creating this type of art work is too stop the nut  from doing anything, that would ruin that art work. Cleaning out the coconut is the BEST WAY to protect the art work. This also has the effect of allowing you to keep your piece of folkart permanently.

9. Why should I pay $45 and up for something I can get from a float for free?

  That's exactly the point, you can't  get a float nut like this for free!  If you can get one at  all. Look at it like this,  for any given season, there are only a maximum of  approximately 185,000 coconuts available, approximately 85,000 never make it pass the locals, another 3000 never make it pass the dignitaries or VIP's, another 2000 might be sold in some shape, form, or fashion. That leaves approximately 95,000 coconuts left for a crowd of more than two million revelers. There's a less than 1 percent chance you ever touch one and less than a 36 percent chance you'll see one. That means there's a 64% chance you'll never even lay eyes on the most sought after throw of the Carnival season.

Now, with that said, think about this. The float nuts that come out each year, are just plain old gold painted coconuts with a few glitter designs. They are not meant as keepsakes, but people try to keep them , and fail miserably ever year. The coconuts off the float have a bad habit of leaching oil on your furniture or turning green. 

Mardi Gras Coconuts are carved coconuts, not just plain nuts,  and are meant to be permanent keepsakes of the festival, they don't leach oil or turn green on you, plus they are collectable. They  are of a different design all together, and were meant to be that  way.

10. What kind of pictures do you carve into the shells?

We carve mostly African animals, or some type of Zulu related graphics. We can however and sometimes do carve original designs into the shells.  Other times we carve business logo's, portraits, and other specialty coconuts with special graphics and text. We try and come up with wining designs to please. Also, we come up with a series of sport nuts, and the Zulu characters.

11. Can I get a design carved into my coconuts?

Yes. You can get any design carved into the coconut you purchase. Company Logo's, original designs, special graphic art to suit your needs or want.

12. So! I can design my own coconut?

Yes! The sky's the limit. Just send us your design, and when we are through with it we will return your artwork along with the coconut. You can not however use company logo's in your designs. Only companies can order LOGO designs, however, unless you provide proof that you have permission to use the LOGO, or that you designed it. You may have the nut worded any way you like! 

13. Can you put pictures or photographs on these coconuts?

Yes, we can! But the photo you send you will lose! BE ADVISED! WE CAN NOT RETURN PHOTOS THAT WE USE TO RELOCATE PHOTOS TO THESE COCONUTS!  The process destroys the picture. So if you do this, first step is to only send us reprints of the photo only on KODAK paper.

14. Do you do portraits and or caricatures?

Yes! we can! Once you have the portrait turned into line art or a caricature, simply send it to us. We will return it, with the completed  coconut.

15. I'm coming to Mardi Gras 2001, this upcoming season. If I order one, can you deliver to the hotels in the area when I arrive?

Yes, we can! We will deliver to any hotel in the New Orleans metro area on the south shore of Lake Ponchartrain within a 50 mile radius around the city. Krewes or Mardi Gras organizations in New Orleans, Mobile or Baton Rouge,  can have their coconuts delivered free of charge!  

16. What? Other krewes order these?

Yes! We have had some in other krewes call us for custom orders. They don't order to throw them however, it's usually for friends and relatives coming into town and they want a very special and nice gift to give to them.

17. If I order one today, when will I receive the coconut? 

 Please remember, that we don't carve these coconuts before we receive an order for one. It will take time to set up and carve each one. We do serve in the order in which the orders are received, so if you wait the longer it will take depending on the workload ahead of you. Normal turn-a-round time from order to your door, 10 days. 

More to come as they ask the questions.........