I’ll try it on the streets sometime soon… and hopefully not end up embarrassing myself in the process. Yeah, except you bought it in the first place, so you’ve kind of blown it already. This thing even turns into a rolling bag carrier! More extreme pictures, including what looks like photoshopped skatepark action shots, plus links after the jump.

We can debate the merits of culture if we want, but would this still be art if it was on a new school popsicle stick or a Chinese blank? No nosebone, no art? Would a lapper have made this a more complete piece? I don’t know. What is perfectly clear however, is that there is a designer named Hervé Matejewski who made this Toile de Jouy (Work of Joy?) skateboard and another gal named D, or Kristina or Lena who likes Hervé’s work. I can’t tell who the author is, the

Continuing the theme of commercializing existing practices, Didi over at Modern Convenience makes a lot of objects, mostly upholstered, that appeal to the whimsical side of people who have too much money. Two items of interest to us are the Inside Skate and the Indoor Longboard. Didi’s are prettier, but Egbert’s version is guaranteed to be cheaper. And speaking of people who have too much money, that’s Bam in in the picture above. More pics, including a Gratuitous Tony Hawk appearance after the jump.

Since 1963… with a few blackouts here and there. This started out as just lame quickie because I wanted to post a picture of this wacky old plastic Makaha skateboard that I’ve always loved. In the beginning, just as with Nash, Makaha was a real company. Makaha was one of the first skateboard companies, and the first one to use clay wheels. Owner Larry Stevenson has an actual patent on the kicktail! Their web site claims to have made the first production longboard as well. Also like Nash, unfortunately, at some point in the 70’s Makaha started turning out plastic toys. After the jump there are some more examples of Makaha’s past and present.

Oh boy! Oh boy! Oh boy! Oh boy! I’ve been asking for this for months now. This is the holy grail of 70’s wacky commercial skateboard exploitation. They actually advertised these in Skateboarder. I’ve never seen one in person but I remember seeing them in ads. Even though they looked completely ridiculous, I always wanted one for their sheer absurd nature, just to prove they exist. Thanks to Thor for locating and scanning the advert. See the full ad in all it’s 70’s glory after the jump.

Check out this hand painted skateboard made to look like a band aid. Another shot here. I’m surprised this hasn’t been done before as a commercial release. Looks good, but I wouldn’t want to tempt fate.

As you may recall, there was just too much to make fun of in one single post, so I bring you part two of the FU Boards saga. Aside from marketing plastic skateboards, somebody apparently did a little market research because some of the their tactics are incredibly on the mark.

Skateboarders Given Stylish Ride By Glow-in-the-Dark Compound Err.. Yeah. Whatever you say, Marketing Man. I hope RTP Inc. feels like they are getting their money’s worth from you. This line of skateboards is actually called “FU Boards”, which is exactly what I am predicting the buying public will say about this product. Thanks go to field reporter Rich from EPM for this tip.

Railz may look familiar to anyone who remembers Ice Blades from the late 70’s and 80’s. Another company called Zema made a version in the late 80’s and 90’s. This decade has even seen a few replacement trusses with two inline skating wheels instead of the ice skating blade, not to mention a host of other wacky wheel replacements. Now you can buy Railz as a conversion or a complete board. Basically little snowboards that you attach in place of wheels. There’s an additional suspension kit that does something, I’m sure. Railz look like they’re made for hard pack, and apparently there are a few resorts that allow them. As if snowboarders didn’t have enough of a stigma using chairlifts, Imagine toating your snow-railz-board with a leash. It’s embarassing to find out about these products from the mainstream media. Come people. Step up! Gizmodo doesn’t cover these things nearly as obsessively as skate geeks demand.

Remember Santa Cruz’s ill-fated foam core decks? After they sat on the shelf for months, our local shop basically sold them for the cost of Naked Decks to get rid of them. Let’s go back to the future. Somehow I ended up on the CCS email list. I don’t know how or why. I’ve never bought anything from them. I save all the catalogs becasue I like the pretty pictures of all the skateboard graphics. They even got me on email. The newest email is all about Hi-Tech Decks. Since I’m still waiting for that scan of the Wheelieboard I need to amuse myself with current wacky skateboard technology instead of retro chic. Besides, I’m gunning for a Gizmodo.com comments invite. They have a skateboard category for crying out loud.