Woody Woodpecker was one of my favorite cartoons as a kid. I especially liked the ones from the 40’s where Woody seemed a little insane, very similar to some portrayals of Daffy Duck from the same era. This 100 piece puzzle from Whitman, has a copyright date of 1980, a time closer to a more homogenized Woody Woodpecker. That’s Splinter and Knothead on the skateboards. I believe this is Woody’s first appearance on Skate and Annoy. You just don’t see a lot of him on a skateboard.

Someone on the East Coast asked me for advice in purchasing a video theme for a business promo video. One of the links they were considering (Colorful Holiday Memories) had stock footage from a local skatepark here in Tigard, Oregon. Plate of Shrimp.

It’s the September 13th, 2009 edition of Kids Scoop, which focuses on skateboarding. This is another buried treasure that was in the box that Danimal gave me with the kids braille skateboarding book. Lots of safety advice and fun activity after the jump, including the Great Skateboard Debate! No agendas at all, so wake up the kids and call Grandma.

Matt Christopher is the “#1 Sports Writer for Kids” according to his bio. Danimal sent me the braille addition of Skateboard Renegade that he rescued from the trash.

Buzz cut or ponytail? Grunge look? Tattoo, body paint, or earring? How about none of the above? When Zach takes up skateboarding, he doesn’t realize that he’s expected to look a certain way — and cop a certain attitude, too. At least that what it seems like. But Zach just isn’t comfortable with any of these things; he wants to skateboard for the fun of it, and maybe take part in a few competitions. Will he be ostracized because he looks and acts so “normal”? Or will his decision to stay true to himself mark him as a renegade, the very attitude his skateboarding buddies will appreciate?

Oh, the irony of being an outcast amongst outcasts for not embracing being a stereotype. I’m not sure why anyone would throw away a braille book, I would imagine the demand would exceed the supply, so this story must have been especially bad. See the Skateboard Renegade braille edition plus two other sighted edition covers after the jump.

Let’s see here… David Chappelle and the Red Hot Chili Peppers, back when they were both cool.

Targeted advertising is nothing new. Google keeps track of what you search for and shows you ads based on what it thinks you might be inclined to buy. It’s old hat, but this weekend I saw an interesting application. As I waited to click through the pre-roll ad on a Portland Timbers video, the content caught my attention. Lately I’ve been getting a few skateboard related pre-rolls. I can’t remember for what exactly, it might have been Vans, Converse SG, or possibly Levis with skateboarding, but this one was different. It was a amateur video montage of a kid skateboarding. Low and behold it’s Schaeffer McLean, the same kid form the janky indoor ramp video. I watched the whole thing (Well 99%) waiting for the product placement or a call to action but it never came. The web link associated with the video took me to Schaeffer’s Youtube user page, which is written in the third person, so one has to assume it’s run by his parents. Those video ads aren’t free, someone has to pay for them. So what is he selling? There are two possibilities, either he’s trying to drive traffic to the user channel and generate revenue through inline ad views, or he’s looking for sponsorship opportunities. It might just be the first paid “Sponsor Me” advertisement, but how many team managers are scouring YouTube for unsolicited new team members? I suppose there is a third less cynical option. Maybe the parents just want to (pay to) share their child’s love of skateboarding with the world.

The Daily Mail has photos of a backyard skatepark allegedly built on the property of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. Boy do I hate the Daily Mail, they’re always blowing out spots. I’m definitely not telling them about the next pool I find. I know these guys are absurdly rich but this seems like overkill, considering their kids are’t likely to progress to a point where they’re able make use of things like a cradle. What I mean is that it’s hard to progress in the isolation those kids are likely to be skating in. Am I off base here? It looks pretty nice though. Maybe they’ll be hiring pro skaters as tutors. If not, I here GVK is available. Someone out there knows who built this. Is it you?

This is a Bugle Boy hang tag from 1989 that doubles as a postcard on the back. You know, in case you’re shopping and want to share the experience with a friend or loved one in a different part of the country. “Dear Mom, I’ve got my socks pulled up over my Bugle Boy Jeans and I’m skating in a letterman’s jacket in the middle of the summer. Wish you were here!”

This is CARtoons comic book #22 from April of 1965. Hot Rod Magazine has a brief history of the series, which started in 1959 and unbelievably ran till 1991. Had a hard time finding any info on the series because I was initially searching for “Cartoons comic book” instead of “Car Toons comic book.” More skateboarding inside? I don’t know. This issue is reportedly valued at about $40.

– Thanks to Pig City for the scan.

Steak ‘n Shake is a Midwest based diner franchise. This graphic is only a hastily Photoshopped stock image from their Facebook page, but it’s surprising that they picked up on Go Skate Day on any level. Anyway, “Steak ‘n Skate” flows better than “Skate ‘n Shake.”

– Thanks to Tim Jamison for the tip.