I had recollections of this board. I had seen pictures, but never in detail. It’s the kind of skateboard that lives in back of your subconscious. You know it exits, but what the hell it s called? It bubbled up to my attention again while searching for pictures of the boards featured in the Department Store Catalog gallery. It was titled simply “Adjustable 24″ Skateboard suitable for bare feet or shoes.” Trying to pull the name of this thing out of thin air proved near impossible, but eventually the right combination of search words led to an auction of the Tuk n Roller. The images had been removed, but the seller hamitup, graciously responded to my enquiry and sent pictures.

This isn’t a clickbait article, it’s a Roller Derby sales brochure from 1964. I found a pdf on my hard drive dating back to 2010, and the meta data revealed it might hav come from someone named Benjamin Marcus, so I’ve sent an email asking for more info. The scans show hole punches for placing the pages in a binder. Unfortunately, it looks like some of the pages were cut at some point to fit in the binder. The middle section contents sometimes gets cropped.

Check out this merch tied into the 1964 TV series Stingray from the UK. It was a Gerry Anderson production similar in style to Thunderbirds. Even though it was off the air in 1965 after 39 episodes, someone thought a skateboard with a Stingray graphic would make some money. There are other Stingray graphics/models from the 60’s and 70’s but they are not related to the TV show. There was however, another licensed Gerry Anderson Stingray board made in the 90’s. In the show, the Stingray was a nuclear-powered combat submarine used by the World Aquanaut Security Patrol to keep the oceans safe.

So far this is only the second appearance of Woody Woodpecker on Skate and Annoy, but it’s a big one. It started how these things usually start, an innocent glance at an auction item or an old forgotten file saved on a hard drive. Instead of just a puzzle, this time we’ve got PVC figures, plastic fast food toys, alarm clocks, animation cells, skateboards, and a comic book.

Check out this newspaper advert for Vita-Pakt and Hobie skateboards. At first glance you would be forgiven for thinking this was from the 70’s, but might think this is from the 70’s, but the publication date is actually July 14th of 1968! This ad ran in the comics section of a newspaper. Which newspaper? I don’t know. Ebay sellers don’t like to reveal that because then you could just try to find the whole paper or magazine for less than the selected page they are selling. Check out Surfer Today if you’re interested in how Vita-Pakt and Hobie teamed up to manufacture skateboards in the 60’s. Keep reading if you want to see the advert. UPDATE: Found another use of this illustration in an ad.

Along with social media posts, Surfer Today has confirmed that Patti McGee passed away on Oct 15th at the age of 79 due to complications from a recent stroke. Patti was the world’s first female professional skateboarder, and the first female to appear on the cover of a skateboarding magazine. Many people remember her iconic cover of Life Magazine as well, likely the first appearance of a skateboarder on the cover of a non-skateboarding magazine. Patti appeared on the TV game show What’s My Line? in 1965 as well as other TV programs with Mike Douglas and  The Johnny Carson Show, as well as a Bell Telephone commercial. She was the first female inducted into the Skateboarding Hall of Fame. Juice Magazine has an interview with Patti conducted in 2017 by Steve Olson. By all accounts she was a lovely and inspiring person to all who knew her. A true legend.

Photo: Patti McGee

You should go check out Miguel Melo’s 60’s & 70’s Vintage Skateboard Collection. It’s a beautiful site filled with photos of his personal collection. There are some of the usual suspects in there, but there are also quite a few lessor known decks, including some from well known brands.For instance, I can’t ever recall seeing the Cat by Nash, or even a GT Coyote III. I’m a longtime lurker.

Union Surfer skateboards “The Monster” collection photo courtesy of Stanton Hartsfield.

Little Audrey must have been popular to warrant 2 consecutive titles published in 1967. Playful Little Audrey #70 only features skateboarding on the cover, but Little Audrey and Melvin #33 has a skateboard storyline as well. Melvin looks like a twerp.

You know we’re suckers for vintage skateboard wheels, especially when they include packaging, not to mention Sears skateboards. This set of Sears Sidewalk Surfer replacement wheels currently has a buy-it-now option of $169.99 from an Ebay seller named “Lots O Camera Stuff.” The box says these wheels are compatible with skateboards “equipped with rink roller skate wheels.” So they basically stuck half set of rollerskating wheels in a special box. Check out that open bearing wholesomeness.