Grind Session was released for the Play Station (first one) in 2000. This is kind of cheating because it’s a commercial for a skateboarding game, but it’s notable for a couple of reasons. It’s one of the first times someone managed to get something that approached real skateboard culture on TV. Also, it’s probably the first time Black Flag was ever heard on network TV, not counting the background music in the movie Repo Man. But wait, there’s more. Is that a videogame likeness of Pig Pen skating Burnside on national TV?

Dateline: Asheville, North Carolina. Asheville Citizen-Times has a reporter on the scene covering this important story. This is stuff of Pulitzer Prizes! The headline: 45-year-old skateboarder backs up traffic.

This is day 11 of a commercial a day. I’m going to quit after day 14. Not for lack of commercials, I just can’t take the pressure. It’s the weekend man. I ‘ve got better things to do! Here’s a recent HP Computers commercial featuring the rapper Pharrell. He talks a bout having his own pro skateboarding team. I won’t get into that here because I’ve got a separate post planned about how much of a jackass he is when it comes to skateboarding. However, there is a bit of unintended irony in the way the skateboarders are presented that makes them look like puppets. Catch the commercial after the jump.

The Discovery Channel has a series about GM’s car of the future (not to be confused with Chef of the Future) which is basically a radical (no pun intended) new platform for building cars. Why do we care? The basic chassis system is officially called “The Skateboard.” It’s powered by fuel cells and has no central motor, allowing different body configurations to be bolted on at will. Also, the steering is fly-by-wire, meaning the turning impulse is controlled electronically like a jet plane instead of mechanically. And yes, it looks like a skateboard. Catch the video after the jump. [Source: AutoblogGreen]

I thought I was going to run out of commercials to showcase, but lucky you, I dug up this old VHS tape I had in a box. Continuing the yogurt industry’s obsession. with skateboarding, here’s an ad from around 1999 or 2000 for Yoplait brand GoGurt, which is yogurt in a tube. Please excuse the clipping of the beginning which was due to not giving the VCR enough time to cue up properly. That was the best I could due at the time. I blame Y2K.

Airing Friday, February 23rd at 9:00 pm Eastern Time (6:00 pm Pacific Time) and telecast three additional times, Matt Hensley has been a major contributor to everything skate culture from carving pools to rocking the box. Recently making time to get back on his skateboard, Matt shares stories about his H Street days and talks about life after Flogging Molly. Matt’s sponsors include: Duffs, Innes, Black Label, and Gullwing. Plus, we take a look at the work of influential skate photographer, Grant Brittain. And, Braden Szafranski takes Michael Rappaport out for a crash course on the mini ramp.

I don’t eat Cheetos so I never payed any attention to these bags until my son grabbed one off a rack a the sub shop today, and it had Chester Cheetah getting rad. More pics for those with obsessive compulsive disorder (like me) after the jump.

I’m a little confused on this commercial for Capri Slims from 1995. We don’t allow cigarette commercials on TV in the U.S., but I don’t know what’s the norm in Canada. Lisa Whitaker was the stunt double for this commercial and she posted it. I contacted her for more info but it’s been over a week with no word yet. This commercial follows the typical “creative person amidst a sea of stuffed shirts finds an unusual way to take care of business.” Actually, it’s almost exactly like a Mentos commercial, except Capri Slims aren’t exactly a freshmaker. There’s nothing hotter than a barefoot career woman reeking of polyester, pantyhose, and cigarette smoke. Watch the commercial after the jump.

I get the whole deal with German engineering and all, but all I get from this commercial for the Audi TT is a sterile computer animation vibe. I barely noticed this when I saw it on TV. Catch the commercial and links to the other “Car as skateboard” posts after the jump.

What’s the deal with naming it Nike SB? I mean, do we ride skate boards or skateboards? Even if you have a beef with Nike getting back into skateboarding, you have to admit they have always done their commercials right, starting with the famous “what if we treated all athletes they way we treat skateboarders” series. Actually, I should have posted those first, but this newer ad is almost equally as good. I’m including Nike SB in this series because Nike is primarily a company that is not skateboarding centric. Catch the commercial and a behind the scenes vid after the jump. [Source: Brettner.com]