What’s the difference between needlepoint and cross stitch? Yes, I actually want to buy this California Rasin on a skateboard.

Northeast Bend, Oregon skaters are stoked to get a new skatepark in Rockridge park, but not too stoked on the proposed Evergreen design, described as a “lunar landscape.” Here’s the thing, they just want a regular skatepark, and not a throwback to some terrain not really seen since the 70’s. I remember similar pushback to the modern snake run that was supposed to happen in Gabriel Park. In the end the design changed on the fly during construction and we got the best of neither worlds. However, Gabriel Park is still a fun park with a lot to offer. The Rockridge park design is unique, and would probably be a lot of fun to ride, but it won’t offer the typical skatepark experience. Northwest skatepark building companies have traditionally been on the forefront of unique designs and features, but there will always be those that just prefer predictable reliability. How do we balance the risk? Will locals adapt and enjoy? We won’t know for sure until it gets built. Would I want this if it was the only skatepark in my area? It probably wouldn’t be my first choice. In addition to an existing skatepark this lunar landscape, Bend is…

The detritus of spring on windy day in the Bingen, Washington skatepark. A small tree blew down while we were there.

Clarence is one of my favorite shows on TV. That’s favorite shows, not just cartoons. I’ve been anticipating a skateboarding episode since the show premiered. In the second season it’s finally happened with episode 9 titled “Skater Sumo.” Ryan “Sumo” Sumozski is Clarence’s friend, not a Japanese wrestler. When some girls from school show up with new skateboards he flips out with envy. Sumo’s large family is cash strapped, so he has to make his own. Clarence has his own issues, and sticks to rollerblading. Will Sumo leave his best friend behind? This is the best portrayal of skateboarding in a cartoon that I’ve ever seen. It captures the pure joy of being young on a skateboard for the first time, and at the same time it’s aware of skateboarding culture in today’s world. You can catch a couple previews over at Cartoon Network. If you don’t get Cartoon Network you should resist to the urge to watch the bootleg clips on Youtube because none of them are complete and they will ruin the experience of watching the entire episode unfold organically. Try to find a way to watch this intact if you can. There’s bunch of stills after the…

Tanner Palm sent in a couple pics of a “Smia” Bootleg of the Kevin Staab Pirate deck. It’s the same board seen in this post, but the pictures are high resolution and the top is visible as well.

Michael J. Fox made some commercials in Japan for the Honda Integra in the late 80’s and early 90’s that were essentially designed to remind you that Fox was in Back to the Future without having to pay Robert Zemeckis and and Bob Gale. This is a print piece that looks like it was probably a magazine feature and not an advertisement. The Chris Miller deck dates to 1988 according to Art of Skateboarding, but the print piece appears to be from 1989. Because I first saw it on FB, it’s nearly impossible to trace to it’s original Internet source, but it might be this Michael J. Fox fan Tumblr. Unfortunately, there’s no real information about what it says or what it’s from. It’s likely related to the commercials because although none of the 5 versions I saw contain any skateboarding, a few contain scenes with the red guitar shown in this print piece. UPDATE: Added a vague translation.

Catterbox is a an attempt at viral marketing by Temptations, that is set up to appear like a crowd funding project for a cat collar that translates cat meows into the English language, a la the Baby Translator on the Simpsons. This leash demeans us both. I wouldn’t say that it’s super successful because when I first saw a video out of context I was more confused than anything. It was obviously a gag, but was it related to a product, a humor site or a marketing company? Having zero brand awareness of Temptations, I had to dig around to find out about the associated cat treats, something I wouldn’t have bothered with were I not writing it up for Skate and Annoy. – Thanks to Steve Spurlock for the tip.

The best friends are Fur Real Friends: Here comes Trixie, my skateboarding pup. The crowds are gonna show up. Rockin’ poses, to do tricks so sweet! We’re a team, that can’t be beat!

I find the title of Fox 4 of Kansas City, Missouri’s story amusing: “Young residents continue to build skating facility at Columbus Park despite knowing it will eventually be torn down.” Yes, you silly young residents, keep beating your heads against the wall. It’s another sanctioned DIY spot with planned obsolescence in it’s future. Sound familiar? The spot looks good, but what is it called? It seems to be in the middle of nowhere, yet somehow developers have their eye on the location. Get some while you can, you never know how these things will end up. Yes you do, but keep your dreams alive, young residents.

The April 27th episode of the Steve Harvey Show featured those two child prodigies you’ve likely already seen on Facebook, Sky and Ocean. This time the video is online, unlike the last time Steve Harvey talked about skateboarding on TV. Old man Steve (not Grover) actually got on a skateboard too. [Source: Girlisnota4letterword.com]