Based on the name I would have thought this 70’s skateboard patch was French, but the emphasis is LEO-motif and not Le Motif. Turns out it was made in Leeds, England. This guy looks like a hastily drawn villain in the background of a Speed Racer cartoon. Speed must join forces with the Skate Acrobatic Team to sneak onto the Mammoth Car and retrieve the GRX engine! It’s either that, or some sort of disco football player illustration grafted onto a skateboard. Grandpa, is that you?

– Thanks to David ODK for the tip.

This Frog House ad marks the last of the adverts from the Summer 1975 issue of Skateboarder Magazine, billed as Volume 2, Number 1. This was the first issue after Skateboarder took a few years off when the industry lumped in the late 60’s. There were only 38 ads in that issue, but V2 #2 would see a sizable jump in number of pages. I’m about 2/3 of the way through posting all the ads in the December 1986 issue of Transworld Skateboarding. After that I think I’m going to tackle a 90’s issue of Thrasher.

It looks’s 60’s art direction and the seller says 70’s, but you never can tell with a button. Halftones in the image makes it look like was offset printed instead of digitally, so it’s likely it’s of the pre-desktop printing era. Simpler times in some ways, but then again making this button would have been more costly in that era. The “Badge-a-Minit” stamp on the back has a LaSalle, IL location and now these they are located in Oglesby, IL. Badge-a-Minit has been around forever.

Gross… right? I couldn’t resist. That’s what she said…. OK, Stopping now. Check out these four stickers for Concord Skateboard Lubricant. Concord Lubricant will allow you to go faster, go smoother, jet down the pipe, and slalem [sic] with ease. 70’s era judging by the equipment, although could even be early 80’s. The lot sold for the very reasonable equivalent of $5.

– Thanks David ODK for the tip

Here’s more guitars made from used skateboards, this time from Prisma Guitars. These are more common now, but Prisma looks like they’ve taken the craftsmanship up a level. I was going to hassle Nick Pourfard about showing no love for bass players, but he can do them, and has done them for Steve Harris of Iron Maiden no less. Even if you don’t like Iron Maiden you should check out Iron Maiden: Flight 666. Those guys are surprisingly down to earth and funny. It almost made me want to listen to their music, but it definitely left with respect for them as human beings.

These Gymboree underpants fit like a glove that is several sizes too small, but my wife keeps buying them. What do you mean they aren’t for adults? Yes, this is a multiple picture post. Never question my commitment.

You’re not on a skateboard, you’re “Onda Board!” Airplane time killing magic from Sky Mall, circa 2011. Fully adjustable Torsion Shock System! That’s exciting.

You’re looking at a hand carved figure of a girl riding a skateboard, or at least, sitting on it while breaking in some new bowling shoes. It dates back to an undetermined point in the 70’s, and was carved for the highly collected Swiss company called Anri. Actually, it’s hard to tell where the company is located. There’s no address listed anywhere, and the history page talk of the Swiss Alps and a region of Austria-Hungary that was annexed by Italy. So maybe it’s Italian. The ANRI history goes back to 1919, so that might explain why this carving sold for $65.

When it’s time to kick up your wheels, do it with one of our deluxe skateboards. All are constructed of maple hardwood with silkscreened designs and sand grip tape surface… Each model has 9″ trucks, precision bearings and kicktails.

From the 1986 Sears Wishbook, featuring the usual suspects from Variflex as well as a couple unknown brands, a “vinyl” skateboard, prepackaged plastic accessories and some craptacular safety equipment. Aside from the Variflex Voodoo, there’s a Bad Moon Rising, Demon, Maze, Shock Treatment, and a Robota.

Hello… Witty commentary on the state of skateboarding in popular culture. Who are you to ignore it? Nay, who the fuck are you to ignore this? What have you ever done to enhance the collective consciousness of skateboarding?

[Photo sans homophobia from Wiskate.]