Jeff Kinney

Feature Story
The Neon Tiki Tribe:
Educational Superheroes That Teach Children About Real-Life Issues
by Melissa Fales
The word “tiki” typically calls to mind a wooden
carving with exaggerated facial features, as
featured prominently in Polynesian culture.
However, the word has an entirely different
connotation to Greg Devlin and David Thompson, cofounders
of the Neon Tiki Tribe, a group of brightly
colored superheroes featured in books that help
teach children how to make good choices. “To us, tiki
stands for a thoughtful, intelligent, kind, individual,”
explains Devlin.
There are already 13 different action-filled adventures
of Zeke, Tia, Dar and Mowah, collectively known as
the Neon Tiki Tribe, with more on the way. The Neon
Tiki Tribe has addressed issues such as illiteracy,
cancer, autism, bullying, sportsmanship, body image
and Internet safety. Mobile apps are available to
complement each of the books.
Devlin says he believes teaching children through
storytelling is more effective than lecturing them.
“People remember stories over facts,” he says. “If you
tell a child, ‘Don’t get into a stranger’s car,’ they may
or may not even hear that. But if you tell them a story
about what could happen if they do get in a stranger’s
car, that’s something they’ll remember.”
The Neon Tiki Tribe books are designed for children
in grades one through five. “We wanted to reach them
before they hit middle school when they start to
encounter the more challenging issues kids face today,”
says Devlin. Thompson says the modern-day storylines
address real-life issues. “Green Eggs and Ham is a funny
story, but it doesn’t help them in the street. These
stories do.” The books and the accompanying apps give
parents a starting point for discussion on these topics.
“We just want to open up the conversation,” Devlin says.
“Parents can take it from there.”
It was Devlin who came up with the concept of the
Neon Tiki Tribe. At the time, he ran a tree-removal
business and had just removed a 1,200-pound stump.
“I carved a tiki face in it, just for fun.” On a whim, he
added a pair of large sunglasses and put the figure on
his lawn. “That guy drew so much attention, he almost
caused crashes because drivers were looking at him,
not the road,” says Devlin. The tiki’s popularity gave
him an idea. “If someone sold the idea of Teenage
Mutant Ninja Turtles living in the New York City
sewers, I bet I could come up with something even
better with neon tikis.”
In 1992, Devlin wrote a story about thinking
positively, called “Think Neon,” featuring four brightly
18 StoryMonstersInk.com | NOVEMBER 2015 | Story Monsters Ink