The USPS has a set of Forever Stamps called Art of the Skateboard and set vinyl skateboard stickers that match the stamp designs. This stamp series might have been better off served with a different title as the “Art Of the Skateboard” typically brings to mind the history of production graphics rather than brand new art stuck on the bottom of the skateboard for the sake of art. So maybe “Art On Skateboards” instead of “Art Of The Skateboard.” It’s nit picky for sure, but you are reading this on a web site devoted to skateboarding and popular culture… How did I find out about it? Obviously, by reading the Winter 2023 issue of the official USPS magazine Philatelic. I’ll save you the trouble of looking it up: the collection and study of postage and imprinted stamps. I had a rant locked and loaded about my thoughts on the artistic merits of these stamps and how they looked a little clip art-ish. Then I found out that at least one of them was designed by Navajo artist Di’Orr Greenwood, who is indeed a skateboarder herself. From the Navajo-Hopi Observer: “Greenwood said the opportunity to have her art showcased nationwide is important not only for her but for her community and other Native people.” And so now I am shutting myself up, and hopefully saving some of our readers with very strong skateboarding/art opinions from the opportunity of putting their own feet in their mouths.

Thanks to longtime reader Will Heespelink who was cleaning out his closets and sent me the August 1987 issue of Transworld. So now there are 900 vintage skateboard magazine adverts in the gallery. Incredibly, with the doubles already posted this came out to exactly 900 and I didn’t have to pad it any. A few of my favorites from this batch include JFA for Kryptonics, Del Mar Skateboard Ranch t-shirts, ol’ Steve Rocco for Vision Street Wear, SLAM! wrist guards, and Radicool!

First of all, Tech Decks are still a thing. Based on my casual perusal of the toy aisles over the past 2 decades it appears they were in a slow decline from their heyday in the 2010’s, but they are still out there releasing new products beyond the endless release of popsicle stick graphics from Element and the like. We get a lot of PR mail sent from various companies, and occasionally I’ll actually reply (usually in a flippant manner) something along the lines of “That sounds amazing! Why don’t you send me a (insert Extreme!™ product) for review? Most often times that is met with no response. However, not the case with The Berrics Transforming Park. Join me, dear readers, as I fulfill my implied contractual duty. Check it out!

There’s a new addition to the Skate and Annoy Galleries, Check out these Skateboard Surfer trading cards from Wall Ice Cream, circa 1978. The gallery features the complete set of 20.

Pocketknife fingerboards, brought to you by Blade HQ. First of all, it’s an old April Fools joke, so settle down. It’s a pretty funny joke too, especially the accompanying video.

– Thanks to Steve Aycock for the tip.

Another obscure note in skateboarding history. This is the Gary Horeskowsky pro model, dating back to 1987. You may point out that you’ve never heard of this fellow, and that could be because he may never have actually existed, and if he did, he resided in Finland, home of Statum Skates. According to Mikko Antero (thanks for the pics) it’s a local brand from an era when American pro models were still hard to come by. In the end of the eighties this changed and Statum went dormant, only make a come back in 2012. Statum is indeed a thing again! You can buy decks online. They have a history page online but it’s very short and very light on the details, even if you view the translated page.

CJ Ramone hanging out with celebrities in 1990, wearing a Vision, Mark “Gator” Rogowski t-shirt while one still could…

May 5, 1990, the Ramones played the Mad Monk in Wilmington/North Carolina. In the audience that night were actors Kiefer Sutherland and Julia Roberts, who both fell in love while filming “Flatliners” a few months prior. The hype around Roberts’ latest movie “Pretty Woman” had not started yet, still the couple was recognized by Ramones friend Rick Johnson, who made sure the two would get to meet the band. Soon after, Roberts and Sutherland were welcomed to the Ramones dressing room. As the band got ready for the show, the actress was „intrigued by the alien on my chest“, as CJ recalls, while Sutherland „was laid back and seemed to get a laugh out of he whole scene“.

Head over to our reels to watch CJ remembering his short encounter with Julia Roberts, and learn more about one of his “How the heck did I get here moments”.

Source: Ramones Museum Berlin

Photo: Rick Johnson

91 adverts from Skateboard! magazine #10 ( June 1978 ) brings the total vintage skateboarding magazine adverts in the gallery up to 801! Skateboard! was a UK publication and as such, features some distinctly British ads, companies and slang in addition to the the usual fare from the USA. Half the ads seem to brag about products made in in England, while the other brags bout being made in the USA. Did you know helmets were sometimes called “Bump Hats?” Now you do. Someone in ad sales gave Uniroyal Corp. the hard sell, because they took out two, 2-page spreads in this issue. Check out the gallery.

If there is a Back To The Future hoverboard reference and it isn’t posted in Skate and Annoy, will anyone hear it? Probably. See: Hoverboard Socks.

The Vintage Skatemag Advertisement gallery has been updated with 30 ads from a rare, east coast skateboarding magazine called Skate, The International Skateboarding Magazine. With that addition the total number of adverts in the galley has reached 704! Some notable additions include very early ads from Zorlac and Santa Monica Airlines, in addition to the usual assortment of brands normally associated with the 70’s, like this classic with Tony Alva with no ad copy whatsoever. Skate magazine hailed from Melbourne, Florida. This issue is pretty slick, and the magazine probably would have been able to find a good sized audience if the bottom of the industry had not fallen out within the year.