Smoke Two Joints

Alright, Zoo Freaks, the Zoo Crew’s firing up the good vibes with Smoke Two Joints by The Toyes, that laid-back reggae anthem from their 1993 self-titled album The Toyes, perfect for chilling under a palm tree with a grin. This tune’s a West Coast legend, born on a sunny day in Oahu when bandmates Mawg and Sky were tokin’ under a banyan tree on Kuhio Beach, jamming out the rootsy riff that became this stoner classic, as they shared in their own band lore. First cut in 1982 at Honolulu’s Audio-Media Studios, it blew up when KPOI-FM’s Andy Preston spun it on his “Top 5 at 5,” making it Hawaii’s #1 requested song for ten months, even outranking Michael Jackson. A Reddit fan from Oregon’s r/oregon thread recalled seeing them play it live in Applegate Valley around 2001, saying the whole crowd was swaying and singing like it was a backyard luau. On Facebook, the band’s posted throwback pics of those early vinyl 45s, which Mawg hustled at gift shops and gigs, spreading the song’s irie charm.

Here’s the wild kicker: Smoke Two Joints became a cult hit, with California’s progressive FM stations cueing it at 4:20 p.m. to wink at the kids, as Rolling Stone Australia noted. Sublime’s punky 1992 cover on 40oz. to Freedom shot it to new fame, but it’s often miscredited to them or Bob Marley—ironic, since Marley passed two years before it was written. The Toyes leaned into the fun, recording French and Spanish versions, “Fume Deux Joints” and “Dos Lenos,” for their album, as seen on their Bandcamp. An X post from a fan gushed about finding the original vinyl, calling it “the ultimate chill vibe,” while another shared a tale of playing it at a ‘90s beach bonfire, where it sparked a sing-along that lasted ‘til dawn. Oh, and it popped up in the 1998 flick Homegrown and the 2005 game NARC, cementing its place in stoner pop culture.

Now, let’s groove back to how The Toyes got rolling, ‘cause their story’s as colorful as a tie-dye sunset. Hailing from Hawaii and later settling in Grants Pass, Oregon, the band kicked off in the early ‘80s when brothers Mawg (Jean-Christophe Kay) and Sky (Michael Kay) teamed up with drummer Ricci Accardi and singer Mike Dawson. Originally called Tightrope, they switched to The Toys but got a cease-and-desist from Motown’s The Toys, so they added an “e” to become The Toyes, as their Wikipedia page recounts. With their mom Paulette Kay bankrolling those first 500 vinyl singles, they hit the ground running, touring Hawaii and Guam with their Marley-meets-Barenaked-Ladies vibe. Mawg’s stint with The Lifters gave him the stage chops, and by ‘83, their 45 of Smoke Two Joints was a local smash, setting the stage for their quirky, reggae-rock legacy.

Zoo Freaks, if you’re feeling The Toyes’ mellow magic, connect with their world: swing by their official website for tunes and merch, vibe with them on Facebook, check out retro snaps on Instagram, and catch their laid-back posts on X. Fans are keeping the love alive in spots like the The Toyes Fan Club on Facebook, where folks swap stories of epic gigs and rare vinyl finds. No big fan sites have popped up yet, but the community’s tight, sharing memories like catching the band’s Monster Hash parody live. Keep spinning those records, and let Smoke Two Joints take you to that beachside state of mind!