Somewhere in between 1907 and 1915, the Tramps heralded the first use of floats, constructed on a spring wagon, using dry good boxes. The float was decorated with palmetto leaves and moss and carried four Dukes along with the King. They also had begun the practice of throwing walnuts, in response to the glass beads that were being used by the whites.

The walnuts were a much more practical throw, as well as a treat, for the crowds who were able to catch the early parades of the Zulu's. The crowds liked the fact, that they could crack open the nuts and eat the meat right there on the route or at the bar. According to the articles at the time, some of the bars begged people NOT to bring the walnuts into the "Jook Joints".  Somewhere along the line, someone started painting the walnut's gold, and  krewe members started to throw walnuts that were  gold. These were the "original golden nuggets", and where the name actually came from.  However, when the club started throwing coconuts, the name stuck, as the larger nuts were gold as well.

On September 20, 1916, in the notorial office of Gabriel Fernandez, the Zulu Social Aid and Pleasure Club was incorporated. Twenty-two of the organization's officers and members signed the first official document. However, according to documents of the state, it wasn't until 04/23/1917 before Zulu became an official entity.

As time marched on, of all the throws to rain down from the many floats in the parades during carnival, the Zulu coconut or "Golden Nugget" has become the most sought after.  The earliest reference to the coconut appears to be about 1910 when the coconuts were given from the floats in their natural "hairy" state.  The coconut, like the walnut, were a very cheap alternative to the somewhat expensive glass beads, that were being imported from over seas for the other Krewes of the time.

Approximately 12 years later, in the early 1920's there is a reference in the archives to Lloyd Lucus, "the sign painter,"  scraping and painting coconuts. This, in all likelihood, was the forerunner to the decorated coconuts we see today. The standard Zulu coconut is the painted gold one with some decoration added in glitter. Other deviations of this are black, sliver, and other base colors. Most have the design of the black face that the Zulu's are noted for. The three eyes of the coconut is decorated to look as though it has a face, and that face is then dressed in Black face as the members are when they ride in the parades. Some people even give them hair and hats. 

 As time marched on, over the years, a small proliferation of lawsuits from people alleging injury from thrown coconuts, began to take their toll on the club, and finally, the organization was unable to get insurance coverage in 1987. So that year, the honored tradition was suspended. After much lobbying, the Louisiana Legislature passed SB188, aptly dubbed the "Coconut Bill," which excluded the coconut from liability for alleged injuries arising from the coconuts handed from the floats. On July 8, 1988, then-governor Edwards signed the bill into law.

The coconuts remained the same style with the milk and meat  still in them, and for the time period of 1987 until 1999, when Willie Clark, an electronics engineer, and local telecom worker, decided he would help the club to move the icon into the 21 century, and to perhaps aid the organization to earn money from it's club tradition.

He set about to learn as much about the coconut as possible, checking out books, and surfing the then young internet on the subject.  He experimented with several different styles, and decided to begin 3 major improvements to bring the coconut icon into a fully recognized art form.

 A  mere year later, he presented Myron Moorehead and his wife, Patricia Moorehead, the King and Queen of Zulu for that season, the first of the new designs. He still was not satisfied and continued to change 4 more things including commencing carving the coconut for effect, and fully finishing half or the whole shell. 

He has since, continued to improved even more on the design and now markets the souvenirs on the internet. They are the next generation of the club's original throw, but are so far advanced of the original that they are now called Mardi Gras Coconuts.

The new souvenirs are cleaned out, meticulously carved, and  engraved  by hand to place a permanent image on the surface of the coconut. Then it is decorated by hand, and very slowly in layers, to allow the precise placement of the colors glitter, which can number as much as 37 colors and 68 color mixtures on one surface. Finally it is hand polished to become a permanent souvenirs as opposed to the "original which could only be held a maximum of 6 months to a year! These coconuts are limited in number each year,  handed out only to those who the club deems special, and of course the King receives a very specially carved coconut each year from the master carver, Willie Clark.

Willie continues to refine the technique and the process of producing these special souvenirs and practices his new art monthly. 

"African Wildlife Series: Zebra!"

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