Here’s a quick time lapse video of a modular vert ramp being assembled and ridden for an EA Skate 3 commercial shoot. [Source: Spohn Ranch]

Well, someone half did their homework. Mongo Grinders is the name of the toys. They are basically little bendable animal figures with suction cups on their hands and feet, and a little skateboard. The skateboard is 100% cheap plastic and the suction cups are crappy too. They did do a google search for skateboard lingo and use it all the packaging and marketing. They didn’t quite get it right though. There’s a fancy web site too, with everything but pictures of the actual products. I’d post some myself but my camera is broken. There’s an indy sticker on that board and a half-assed “save the earth” message tacked on to the whole thing. Skateboarding — like exotic animals and taking care of our environment — can be an interesting and rewarding activity in which to participate, but being smart and safe is the key to avoiding harm and continuing that enjoyment. And remember — planet Earth is our only skatepark, treat it with respect! So yeah, get some Mondo Grinders.

I’m busy, busy, busy. Trying to make it in America. Enjoy this shot of assorted Skate and Annoy fodder from reader Uncle Tom. Enlarge-o-rama.

I couldn’t bid on this, too poor. It’s an old auction. The guy was supposed to email me some more high-res photos, but I guess he had better things to do than take pictures of old skateboard toys for people who didn’t even bid on his auctions. But man, if I had the money… I think these were a series of figures in the 80’s that were kids on skateboards running into stop signs and garbage cans. I have a couple of them in my dungeon, but I never saw this set. Enlarge-o-rama. A couple more from another extinct auction after the jump.

From the Reasonably Clever blog’s Toybox of Fail, it’s the Jing Zhiwei brand’s lego bootleg titled “Death’s Head vs Astronaut.” They don’t make the distinction between alien and astronaut, which is very forward thinking of them. It’s his profession we are interested in, not what shade of green red his skin is. He looks like more of a devil or an ant man than an astronaut anyway. If there was going to be an epic battle between the grim reaper and a life form from another planet, it’s only natural that it should take place on skateboards, no?

Mike V: Do or Die has been out for about a week now. Reviews are mixed, some people love it, while others are perplexed by what appears to be a driving game grafted onto a skateboard title. Which begs the question, if you can drive around the city, can you stop off at a hockey game and fight some fans? (Cue Rimshot) But seriously folks… One of the things that lookspretty cool is the fact that you can play as Mike during different points in his career, including the Powell days, complete with licensed Bones t-shirt in the graphics. Actually, the developers made a big deal about the fact that there are licensed products in the game. What does that remind you of? As a pacifist, I’m waiting for the less macho lite version tentatively titled “Mike V: Live and Let Live.”

It went bang. I said shut up. You must enlarge-o-rama to see all the drama.

Street skating. Get Some.

A long time ago, Barbie had a sister named Skipper, and Skipper had a friend named Fluff. With a name like Fluff, I thought she was an aftermarket, third party friend, but I looked it up. Fluff came packaged as “Living Fluff,” complete with a skateboard. For some reason, every time she shows up for sale on eBay, she’s always accompanied by pictures of herself naked. It’s odd and disturbing. Almost as disturbing as that weird ollie band sled the other Fluff is strapped into. Please, oh please click through, or you will miss “Action skateboard and real posin’ stand included.”

Illusion Labs showed a demo of their Touchgrind iPhone game running on a MacBook. The game design is pretty unique, well not so much when you consider today’s “pro fingerboard” agenda. The biggest beef with the iPhone game is that the small screen severely limits game play. MacBooks and MacBook pros have a track pad that is multi-touch sensitive, so the game can still be played with your fingers and you’ll get the added benefit of extra screen real estate. I may actually buy a game for my Mac for the first time since Myth II, back in the OS 9 days. Loved that game. Finished Myth I, but couldn’t make it past one of the levels in Myth II. Apple even makes a mouse that has a trackpad built into the top surface. I wonder if you can play Touchgrind on that. Hold on. Buy Touchgrind? Wait a minute, what am I thinking? Review copy! Now if I can just get Apple to send me a review copy of that rumored new tablet computer. – Thanks to Seth Levy for the tip. [Source: Engadget]