 James Michener won the 1948 Pulitzer Prize for his collection of short stories, "Tales of the South Pacific", which in turn was the basis for "South Pacific", the 1949 musical by Rodgers and Hammerstein that included the song Bali Ha'i about a mystical tropical island.The "Bali Hai" restaurant opened a few years later on San Diego's Shelter Island, introducing its faux-tiki mascot and signature cocktail, the Mr. Bali Hai.In addition to the returning WWII veterans, several other factors contributed to the mid-century American explosion in tiki culture.