Spotted at Corner Antiques and Collectibles in Forest Grove, Oregon. This is a ceramic type figure of a real dog known as Zelda who had a line of books and figurines and probably other tchotchkes as well. This one is item number 4783 from Westland Giftware. Zelda must have passed by now, certainly the web site has, because it redirects to some sketchy football (soccer) site now. This figure was released in 2002 and is not quite as creepy (or sad looking) in real life as it is in these photos.

This is a pristine looking True Glide Streaker deck complete with True Glide Trucks that might be are called “Python,” but not to be confused with the U.K.’s Python Wheels. This one has been available on Ebay Italy for some time now, for about 200 Euro. It has an extremely mellow kicktail that looks more like a memory of an afterthought of a kicktail, but it is sure is pretty. Looks like it’s never touched the ground. There’s an ad for this deck from 1976 in the gallery too.

I mean sure, why not? Maybe “Baby Unicorns” was already taken, so they went with newborn instead. Another in a long line of cheap plastic crap offered in blind containers. These pictures of a display stand in a grocery store were taken in 2022, but you can still buy these destined-for-landfill gems at the time of this publication. Looks like this newborn unicorn is riding a drop-style longboard.

You should know how it works by now. Usually I’m looking for something else and my curiosity gets peaked by some unrelated skateboard ephemera that shows up in the search. This time it is the Tasmanian Devil by Nash. I was hesitant to believe this was a Nash deck because although the plastics say Nash, I’m not familiar with the “Gold Line” shown on the tail. Red Line? Sure. Gold Line? Never heard of it. Still, it does say Nash on the tail. The top only says “Tasmanian Devil.” These graphics are poor, even by Nash standards. That’s a real Tasmanian Devil in the second slot, courtesy of Australia Zoo.

The Biemme Red Star is a board of Italian manufacture. There’s a company called Biemme that started in 1978, but they seem to be focused on bicycles. Maybe they had a brief foray into skateboard like a few of the other bicycle-centric companies of the era did. A search fro “Red star skateboard” turns up a bunch of unrelated boards. Currently, including “Biemme” in that search returns exactly 2 instances of this skateboard, both auctions cling this is an 80’s era board. It’s got trucks that fit into the bottom of the board instead of having a separate baseplate. That’s not a big deal, we’ve seen that in American boards and Italian boards. The thing that makes this board interesting is the bizarre molded double kicktail, on. appointed nose no, less.

Jughead volume 2, number 37 was published in September of 1992. It features two stories with skateboarding in them, Love Connection, and the Things We Do For Love. There’s also a Sales Leadership Club advert in which you can earn a Nash Beach Bum skateboard.

Added to the gallery, a new section for vintage contest programs. Actually, its just on program right now, the 1976 California Free Former World Championship. I’ve got the Hang 10 Pro Am Champ (1975) scanned but not processed yet. In the hamper I’ve got a some 80’s goodness, Chicago Blowout (1986), Seltzer Seltzer V.P. Cup (1987, St Louis), Bluegrass Aggression Session (Louisville, 1988), and the NSA National Amateur Series (1988.)

I bought his book because I like to support independently produced skate art (and so should you…). Steve’s photos have even appeared Skateboarder, Thrasher, Juice, and the Surfer’s Journal, and most importantly (HA!) Skate and Annoy. I expected to be bombarded with photos of the Arizona pipes, and I was, but I wasn’t expecting all the additional content (pools, Love Bowls, skate parks) that qualify as the “& Beyond” in the title. I always thought these pipes were more or less in one location, but it turns out it was part of a massive project all over Arizona. One of my favorite things about this book is all the short oral histories interspersed in the various locals covered. Read the full review.

I just added two issues of Skate Life generously donated from reader Will Heesp, some 5 years ago. Better late than never. Funnily enough, I skated with Mark Conahan last night and he told me that he once sold Will a Datsun pickup in the 80’s whose ignition was in such bad shape that it had a screwdriver instead of a key. In other plate-of-shrimp news, one of the tales featured in an issue of Skate Life mentions that Dave Tobin lost a $100 bill and the keys to the van on a road trip to the Chicago Blowout. I was at that NSA contest, but wouldn’t meet Dave (or Mark) until I moved to Portland circa Y2K. Skate Life was based out of Newburryport, MA, and has the distinction of being one of the rare zines that doesn’t seem to include any issue number or title, so it’s hard to tell what order they came out. Check out Skate Life in the 80’s Zine gallery.

Two products for carrying your skateboard. One is cool in a silly way, as in “What if I made the cellphone holder on my car dashboard big enough to hold a skateboard?” That’s the JKT System carrier. Clippy, on the other hand, started off as just a clip you hung on the top loop of a backpack, but evolved into a skate tool that also doubles (triples?) as a cellphone stand for filming your, wait for it… clips. It’s a bit clunky, but it’s way more useful. – Thanks to Adlan Farazi for the tips.