tropical cocktails

Featured on NBC’s Small Fortune

One inch scale tropical cocktails by Erika Pitera of The Petite Provisions Co. on NBC's Small Fortune | Trae Patton/NBC | 2020 NBCUniversal Media, LLC
Small Fortune – Season 1 Episode 2 – Contestant Alyssa | Trae Patton/NBC | 2020 NBCUniversal Media, LLC

Tiny Tiki Delights on NBC’s Game Show “Small Fortune”

I’ll admit, I never thought that what we miniaturists do on a daily basis – carefully and meticulously handle and arrange the tiniest of treasures – would be the subject of a game show, but NBC’s latest competition show “Small Fortune” proved me wrong!

NBC's Game Show Small Fortune

Hosted by Lil Rel Howery, “Small Fortune” is an eight-episode team competition game show with itty bitty challenges for huge stakes – a cash prize of $250,000!

As we all know, working with miniatures requires a great deal of dexterity, focus and patience, and that’s exactly what these contestants need to win.

That’s all fun and games, of course, but imagine my surprise when I saw a clip from Episode 2, titled “Grandma Knows Best,” where the contestant, Alyssa, was carefully balancing a tray of miniature cocktails at a tiki bar… and they sure looked familiar!

In fact, Alyssa’s challenge included balancing my Mai Tai (complete with cocktail umbrella) in a pineapple cup and my Piña Colada, along with a couple other tropical drinks!

I created those as a special order for the show’s Games Production Designer all the way back in November 2019, but I didn’t know what they were going to be used for, so this is just a delightful surprise. I never imagined my little mini drinks would make it to television!

Tiny dollhouse miniature cocktails by Erika Pitera of The Petite Provisions Co. featured on NBC's Small Fortune game show competition
Small Fortune – Season 1 Episode 2 | 2020 NBCUniversal Media, LLC

If you’d like to see how Alyssa competed in the “A Little Tipsy” challenge yourself, click here for the video (it starts around the 29:00 mark). I hope it makes her feel a little better knowing that I’ve knocked them over dozens of times while photographing them myself. And that’s without $80K on the line and the pressure of competing on TV, so I think she did a great job!

A Tropical Oasis and Tiki Bar

A Tropical Oasis and Tiki Bar

With summer right around the corner, I’ve been dreaming of a tropical getaway! I envisioned a miniature tiki bar in Hawaii, surrounded by lush greenery and an oasis, and I got to work. I built the entire tiki bar from scratch, and since building furniture and structures isn’t normally my strong suit, I’m absolutely thrilled with the end result!

A Tropical Oasis and Tiki Bar

To complete the look, I wanted the tiki bar’s surroundings to be lush, green and tropical, so I landscaped a rock formation (complete with little waterfalls) with palm trees, bamboo and other green vegetation. For my first time landscaping in miniature, I’m very happy with how it turned out!

A Tropical Oasis and Tiki Bar

These adorable like tiki guys are ceramic beads I found at The Crafty Bead on Etsy!

A Tropical Oasis and Tiki Bar

I just love this type of “directional” beach sign, so I created it in bright, tropical colors with fun sayings. The pineapple on top is a button, but it worked perfectly to give the sign a finishing touch.

A Tropical Oasis and Tiki Bar

This tiny little hula girl and the toucan perched on the sign below are also ceramic beads. Aren’t they cute?

A Tropical Oasis and Tiki Bar

A Tropical Oasis and Tiki Bar

And here it is after dark! I love how the colored lights look at night!

A Tropical Oasis and Tiki Bar

I hope you’ve enjoyed this mini tropical getaway! For your very own tiki-themed products, ranging from signs to tea towels to cocktails, make sure you visit the Summer section of my shop!

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