Bart Simpson rides a skateboard. Yes that’s the oldest of skateboarding in pop culture news, but this shot of Krusty the Clown jumping Springfield Gorge is a major scoop. I don’t think you understand the magnitude of this discovery people! I’m starting my Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech tonight! Bonus Simpsons detritus after the jump, including DVDs and fingerboards.

The July 15th, 1977 issue of Rolling Stone featured a 7 page spread on skateboarding by Tim Cahill and photographs by Warren Bolster. The cover story is on remembering the Beatles. Flipping through the pages is a trip, Roling Stone, supposedly with it’s finger on the pulse of alternative youth culture and rock and roll, but woefully square. One highlight, a full page ad for the Ramones first album, also shown here. A lot of the other ads seemed to be aimed at actual musicians instead of the general public. Check it out after the jump.

I bought this copy of Superkernel, Volume 4 #12 on Ebay, hoping there would be more skateboarding inside this obscure title. Sadly, the original seller had since passed away. His wife was unable to locate this and many other items he had listed for sale. As I was about to post this, I found another one for sale. Superkernel was a comic book made by Guy and Brad Gilchrist. published by Weekly Reader Books. I first became aware of this comic over at Time Passages Nostalgia. I was bout to let them know that they had incorrectly given the date of the skateboard cover as 1978, because my copy says 1982, but when I looked closer I found out they used the same cover twice. Up top is Superkernel Volume 4, Number 12 from 1982. There are no additional skateboard illustrations in that issue, but maybe there are in the first issue, Volume 2 #11 from 1978.

The 60’s were the true, toy store fad era of skateboarding. At no other time would you expect to be able to purchase a serviceable piece of sporting equipment from a snack food manufacturer. Yes, manufacturers have been sticking scooter handles on skateboards since shortly after the handles were torn off scooters to make the original skateboards. This one was a special order produced for the Burry Biscuit company, now known as Burry Foods, one time manufacturer of the Burry’s Scooter Pie. What better way to market a scooter pie than to sell an actual scooter? The box came with a skateboard and the handle, so you didn’t have to turn it into a scooter if you didn’t want to.

This is an excellent 60’s era window display for the Continental Surf Skater. Tommy Ryan, San Diego’s Skate Board Champion says “Get the Winning Continetal Surf Skater Here!” – As advertised on TV. How cute: Little Tommy looks adorable and the industry is still using the two word qualifier “Skate Board.” There was a Tommy Ryan in the downhill circuit in the 70’s, given the young age of the kid in this poster, likely the same one. This has nothing to do with the Replacements reunion tour.

I learned that Rodney Mullen was in Wired by following J Grant Brittain on Instagram, as the Wired feature uses quite a few of his pictures. The lengthy article covers the events that led to Mullen’s first TED talk, his love of Linux, and his subsequent speaking and consulting business. Mullen obviously likes to use skateboarding as an instrument for illustration and inspiration in his new work, as it that’s where his credibility and recognition comes from. He draws parallels between skate culture and tech culture. It’s all very interesting, in a warm fuzzy way, but none if is paradigm changing or particularly new for that matter. It’s important to remember that the job of a professional speaker is more or less to inspire, often times through getting an audience to adjust their thinking a little. It’s the equivalent of removing a few pieces in a log jam or loosening up a few strands in a knot, hopefully allowing the listeners to attack their problems successfully with a new prospective, or at the very least, make them believe they can. On the front page of Wired there’s currently an opinion piece by former competitive skater and NHS team member Kathy…

Check out this trailer for a short film called Kung Fury. There’s a little skateboard action in the beginning that sets the tone for this flick really quick. It was a kickstarter project and now it’s in production. The only bad thing I can say about Kung Fury is that it’s only going to be around 30 minutes long when completed. It should be a full length feature! – Thanks to MC for the tip.

Last nights episode Dark Purple was the second appearance of skateboarding in Adventure Time. It’s kind of interesting that both times it’s been Jake the Dog skating and not Finn the Human. This time Jake has safety equipment of a sort, it’s still made out of his own flesh. Cartoon Network must have caught some flak the last time he skated without pads and a helmet. Jake busts some new school and old school moves. The graffiti on the bottom of Jake’s deck is spot on satire of rebellious youth culture. No Way! Indeed.

Scion brings you the worst ever Northwest skatepark tour, featuring Riley Hawk and something called a “Shep Dawg” crew. There’s something to be said for traveling off the beaten path, but given the wealth available terrain in the Northwest, the park selection is pretty weak. They actually go to a good spot (Windells) but it’s raining, so they stick to the indoor section. Let’s face it, nobody wants/needs to see a session at an indoor wooden skatepark unless it’s phenomenal. Then there’s a prolonged, implied commercial for Exit Real World that sticks out like a sore thumb. The contrast and tension between the spots, action and bad soundtrack (which you can download) makes the whole damned thing really awkward. But then here I am reposting it, so it works on some level. The screen capture above is the best part of the video, watch the rest at your peril. – Thanks to MC for the tip.

At some point after I bought this Ben 10 action figure, opened it and left is sitting around the house, my kids decided the board needed to be colored in with a green marker. Fair enough I guess. I don’t think this show is on anymore, not even in reruns currently. Ben’s skateboard is actually a hoverboard. In the series, he rides it around occasionally, but in the tradition of making surfboard and hoverboard action toys, wheels have been added.