Cal Streets has an impressive collection of vintage skateboarding ads from the 70’s. This particular 1977 advert for Lan Skateboards is from volume five of eight. (Update: They’ve since changed the organization of the gallery, so that link has been removed.) Those were they days when if you needed an ad concept all you had to do was have a possibly underage and definitely under-enthusiastic girlfriend in a risqué product shot. – “Come on Larry, let’s get this over with. I have to get back to my class at cosmetology school.” There is some funky stuff in there for sure.
The entire archive is full of gems from the past. On the plus side, Cal Streets transcribed some of the ad copy and included the publication and date. I found the site because someone contacted us looking for an obscure piece of skateshop history called the accu-drill. They included a picture link that led me there. now that we are on the subject, we have a column called eBay Watch, but we don’t have a warehouse full of old skateboards. you’d be surprised at how many requests we get.
One bone to pick, Cal Streets has “refurbished” their adverts, some at the sake of the integrity of the printed piece. As a result you occasionally get some super saturated colors and some unnatural looking areas that look retouched. Aside from that, it’s pretty excellent man. Check out Cal Streets vintage ad archives.
UPDATE: Check out the vintage ad gallery on Skate and Annoy.
16 comments
Ian clare
I used to be in the Lan skateboard team ( 1977/8 ) was a good time and the kit was top we all had lots of boards F1 was my fave thanks for the memories !!
Mac Daddy
I now own ardmorecreations.ca
Mac Daddy
I was part owner of LAN Skateboards back in the late 1970’s. This advertisement certainly generated a lot of buzz when it was released in Skateboarder Magazine. Lan became one of the largest private brand manufacturers world wide, making skateboards for K2 and Olin Ski companies. Lan was more popular outside of the USA and was sold around the world, South America, Europe and even in the Middle East. The owners also owned Skate City USA in Ft Lauderdale, Florida and was a key player in having the first skateboard parks built in London England and Paris France. LAN skateboards had a skateboard team that toured all over England. LAN Skateboards hired one of the best racers in the 1970’s, when skateboard races in major downtown cores actually took place. NY, LA, Chicago etc. The fellow was Leif Garrett who went on to become a teen idol in the 1980’s and was one of the stars in a movie called Skateboard, a 1978 movie. Being one of the top racers, when he would place he would hold up his board to show the make of the board, just like skiers do today. I still have some news articles and a few boards, including a K2 fibreglass board, which would be extremely rare.
Ian Clare
I was in the uk LAN team it was the best !!
Malcolm Shaw
Do you have any pictures? I have a picture of the team.
brad
looks like Christy McNichol…
enemy combatant
Nice hair.
bailgun
you were right the first time. whores.
davoud
The difference is that in the Hubba ads, most of those girls are actual whores. Whoops, I mean strippers. I mean aspiring actresses. I mean…
Dylan
Have you SEEN the hubba ads?
Way more babes, that still have nothing to do with skateboarding, and are definatly, you know, kinda degrading.
At least their homepage has some solid mini ramp skating going down.
solboy
definitley bulit for performance this one…chortle chortle. this is what we want from skate advertising. i’m tired of the “sweaty pros in rad move” format. anyone agree?
duders
all i care about is her 70s bush
Mac
“Built for Performance”. Indeed. Oh yes, I remember that Lan ad fondly (I will not go into detail…). I do not recall ever seeing a Lan skateboard other than in that ad, though. I think some of those companies in the 70’s just put ads in Skateboarder Mag to see if there would be a response. If enough kids wrote for stickers (or posters, in this case), then they’d make some boards. If not, they’d be looking for the next fad to jump on.
Malcolm Shaw
Lan was a real company. Mostly sold boards in Europe and South America. Lan did a lot of private branding K2 Skis and Olin Skis and many other brands. The boards ended up in the middle east as well, sold by distributors from France.
TNJeff
Those were the days, skateboard softcore porn. Great mix raging teenage hormones and chicks with skateboards.
duders
yes