Another skateboard with LED lights, but this one has a little more to it. The Lighbohrd has the battery built into the board and induction charging via licensed Power Mat technology. The lights mimic an automobile, white in from, red in the back, but they also light up specific areas of the board graphics and the lighting intensity and even flashing patters can be controlled by rubbing a magnet over the board. So this is nifty and all… but they don’t expect the skateboard market to make them rich. Lightboard technology has been integrated into snowboards and clothing as well. So they’ve got a business plan, but they haven’t thought out the awkwardly spelled product name and web domain, and once you get to the Lighbohrd web site there aren’t a lot actual pictures of the board. Even so, the Lightbohrd does have the dubious honor of being the “coolest lighted skateboard” to date.

– Thanks to Orezona for the tip.

I was a big fan of Born Ugly zine out of Richmond Va, and their seemingly herculean efforts to produce a well made, entertaining and most importantly, highly original skate zine based on what I assumed was an amazing, vibrant scene based only on copies of Born Ugly. Well, all herculean things must come to an end, and so it was with Born Ugly. I noticed it had been a while since I’d seen a new issue, so I went to the web site to check it out, and the domain name had lapsed. Actually, what probably happened is that someone was looking for the C.R.E.T.E. graphic and S&A came up in a web search. I got a couple emails from different people asking if I still had the graphic because the web site was down. I figured it was just a temporary thing, but I guess not. In case you’re interested, I still have that graphic if you want to print your own shirt for a DIY fundraiser. A couple weeks ago I got an email from Mickael Broth, half the team that brought you Born Ugly. He was looking for an outlet to continue a column he used to do called “Fucked Up Friday Night (A Beer Review).” What can I say? I’m a huge fan of Born Ugly, I couldn’t possibly resist. CHECK IT OUT.

UPDATE: It would help if I actually published the review! Way to go Otto, way to get fired from your job in a big way…. This time for real… CHECK IT OUT (Sorry Mickael)

I don’t know about you, but I can’t get enough wiener dogs on skateboards. This one is on a Sonic Drive In bag for their kids meals, called the Sonic Wacky Pack. There’s a girl (or funny looking boy with pigtails) also holding a skateboard, not to mention what looks like a marshmallow on roller blades. Nice grilled cheese launch ramps. The bag is dated 2012. I got this bag when I took my niece to a Sonic a couple years ago, she had never been to one and for some reason was super excited to go to it. After we left she was sort of quiet, and I asked what was wrong. She said dejectedly “It wasn’t as fun as it looks in the commercials.”

Have I used Sidewalk Smurfin before? I would have thought so, but the closest I came was “Keep on Smurfin‘” way back in 2009? Can that be right? This backpack/satchel/briefcase has the most radical Smurf on it I’ve ever seen. The seller couldn’t pinpoint the date closer than the 70’s or 80’s, and nobody bid on it starting at $10. The board looks possibly late 70’s-ish but we all know cartoons aren’t exactly timely when it comes to depicting skateboards. If I had to guess I’d say it was mid 80’s vintage. Super.

– Thanks to David Maes for the tip.

Ah, the Long Rider! I first became aware of the Long Rider back in 2005, but only saw a couple small pictures. In 2009 I uncovered an ad for a Long Rider in the Montgomery Ward catalog from 1984. Since that time, I bought one from a reader named Dan Kite who saw it on the site and offered his up for a very reasonable price. I marveled over it, and then I tried riding it a few times but the bearings were sort of shot. Long Riders are sized for (ahem) much smaller riders, so it sat in my basement for a couple years. Recently I picked up one on eBay that Matthijs tipped me off to. It came in the original packaging and it was essentially brand new. Bonus! It was in a different color from the one I already had. So I jumped on it. We had a philosophical discussion about the purchase the other night before we went to the Briefs show. Both my wife and Grover were puzzled by why I spend any money on these things. The answer? I buy them because they are magical and weird!

I mean THE BRIEFS ARE BACK!!!!! Get it, their backs, and they’re back. I just want to make sure you get the full comedic brilliance here, let it soak in. The Briefs have recently reformed and are touring. They’ll be in Portland at East End on Saturday. It’s a small venue, so if it isn’t sold out I’ll be surprised. It’s the Briefs man! These photos are from a 2006 show in Portland. I love the Briefs. I’ve been waiting for this show since… 2006 I guess. I think the last time I saw them was in Chicago at the not-so-secret show with Naked Raygun the night before Riot Fest 2006. I’m going to bring a new pair of shoes to throw onstage again.

Sure, the last post was about something manly and useful – making your own concrete coping. Now I’ve decided that it’s “Doll a Day” week. This is Dashing Daisy, a Barbie clone made in the 70’s and sold in the UK. It’s actually “sort of” interesting in that she was allegedly designed by a mod fashion designer Mary Quant who was a bit of a celebrity in the UK fashion world at the time. Even so, they look like junk. I guess the Dashing Daisy variant had more movement than the standard Dull Daisy. The skateboard version came in at least 2 colors that I’ve found, and seems to go for about $75 U.S. despite the lack of perceived quality. Daisy Doll Skidoo 65705 is dated at 1977. WTF is a skidoo?

Barbie’s sister Stacie riding a skateboard in a McDonalds Happy Meal toy that dates back to 2000. Apparently “Awesome Skateboard Stacie” was a toy on it’s own before it became a downsized Happy Meal toy. I found a 1999 commercial for Awesome Skateboard Stacie, who had two friends that skated too.

MC is visiting NYC, where someone has been sticking the crosswalk signals with little skateboards. If you see something, sticker something.

A licensed Burberry skateboard featured in the January/February 2002 issue of FHM magazine. So yeah… $450, which makes a lot of sense. Heat transfers were expensive at the turn of the millennium.