I’m sure Tony was flattered to be asked to represent the state of California in a commercial promoting tourism. There’s nothing more quintessentially California than skateboarding, right? I’m sure the joy left him as soon as he read another script asking him to talk about “pop.”

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?

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.

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]

Yesterday we did Australia, so today we’re in Europe with Pierre Andre, the other, other freestyler. This is a commercial for a French yogurt drink called Yop. If it were English, it would have been appropriate to call it Fop, considering the fashion and demeanor of freestyle in the 80’s. The highlight of this commercial is the Primo slide, Primo being the other, other, other freestyler. More Pierre Andre love after the jump.

Short, sweet, and to the point. This is a commercial for the Sun Herald newspaper. Which one? Well, it’s not the one in Mississippi or Florida, so that leaves the one in Australia. Heck of a nice backside 180 ollie. Catch the commercial after the jump.