Junkfood trifecta
Cookies, chips, and soda! Actually, that used to be a diet that sustained me well around the time these boards were made. Check out these skateboards featuring the Keebler Elf, Chester the (Cheetos) Cheetah, and the Coke logo.
This Keebler Elf skateboard dates back to 1991. Check out the crazy exaggerated fishtail on this one and the graphic with the elf riding the very same skateboard on the bottom. I feel like those rails and trucks could be the identifying DNA on the potential manufacturer of this board, so if there are any skateboarding CSI types out there who want to research it, let me know what you find. Are those Nash “Get a Grip” rails? (No, I don’t think so.)
Chester the Cheetah representing Cheetos. This board looks like a Variflex product judging by the lapper and tail skid. The date is unknown, but it’s likely 90’s as well.
This Chester Cheetah plexi sign has a copyright of 2003 on it, and a more modern looking board.
Here’s a really sharp looking Coke deck from 1986, made by Variflex. It’s almost a passible quality pro deck for the day, assuming the wheels roll, but those are NMB bearings so they probably do.
(Note: Max Headroom deck covered here.)
Concave Radcut!
A weird, generic no concave Variflex complete was my first ever set up. OK to learn on, and at 11 years old, I didn’t know any better.
I still have most of the nmb singapore bearings from my first real-ish deck, a variflex vectra 2 from 1987 or so. They outlated everything else by more than 25 years.
Never been cleaned, still spin like champs.
I found the chester cheetah board brand new, still in the plastic at an antique mall in Columbia, Mo. Got it for $5.00 🙂 still has the original tag tied to the wheel. It says 1988
Get over yourself. I found silver for $5. An old couple with chip memorabilia had no idea what they had. I know what I have though. 1 in NJ going for $150 right now, and has been sold at $165
I’ve got the Chester Cheetah deck. I am from Austin TX and can confirm that it was made by Nash, whose warehouse was located just north of here in Fort Worth.
There is a gold “Made in China” sticker on the edge of the tail, which indicates to me this board was produced close to the end of the company, most likely sometime at the tail end of the 80s. They were looking to make money any way they could then.
Mine’s been autographed by Cheetah Chrome, guitarist of the classic NYC punk band the Dead Boys, so that’s kind of cool. I don’t know anyone else with a Chester Cheetah/ Cheetah Chrome deck.
Chester Cheetah Chrome! That’s pretty funny.