New Deluxe Flex-o-thane Super Grip Sport Fun! I’m surprised they didn’t also work the word “surf” into the packaging. I will never tire of skateboard accessories mounted on the blister packs of yesteryear. It’s a replacement skateboard (excuse me, skate board) wheel with built in bearings. I’m not sure what you were supposed to do with the oversized bolts though. They are way too long to be used as kingpins and wouldn’t work as axles.

I was honored to be asked to contribute some of my old skateboarding photos here on Skate and Annoy. I grew up in the seventies and eighties in Arizona skating the legendary Desert Pipes, tons of empty pools, the Love Bowls, and lots more …

I now live in Seattle, I have been up here in the Northwest for 20 years. I still skate as much as I can, I love all the amazing skateparks we have here, but sometimes I miss the good old daze …

So here is my first contribution, a gallery of pipe photos I put together awhile back, enjoy !!!

For more: Desert Pipes

I’m trying to decide how much retouching and color correcting to tackle in the Vintage Skateboard Magazine Advert Gallery. Here’s a comparison for this Zephyr skateboards ad from 1975. Not surprisingly, the forty year old pages are discolored with age. Do you prefer the scanned image with minimal color correction, or the adjusted version that is closer to what the page originally looked like but has a slightly artificial look to it? There’s an enlargement to compare after the jump, but really this is just an excuse to get you to check out Zephyr Skateboards: Young dudes in heavy spots.

This is a 1978 comic book advertisement for a skateboard good luck charm as seen on Etsy. Apparently we skateboarders had some sort of creed that the manufacturer of this charm was willing to send you a hard copy of, along with a list of terminology. What does it mean when a pro says “coping,” “go for it,” “eat it,” or “Kick flip?” I guess I’ll never know.

– Thanks to David ODK for the tip.

The auction said this Black Knight skateboard appeared in a 1976 Montgomery Ward catalog. I would have thought that was an error towards being too late, but the copy says there are no loose bearings, which would imply precision bearings, so 1976 sounds reasonable after all. I had always thought the Black Knight boards were from the late 60’s or early 70’s. Maybe someone suckered the buyer at Wards into taking a bunch of dead weight NOS. Then there’s the “molded fiber wheels.” Composite wheels and closed bearings? That’s a rare combination.

Here’s an 80’s era token or coin with the Kool-Aid man riding a skateboard as well as skateboarding in a 70’s era Kool-Aid commercial. Unfortunately, Kool-Aid Man doesn’t ride the skateboard, and the kids spend more time talking about skateboarding than actually riding. Video quality is craptactular, if anyone has a better source let me know.

Check out these excellent Skateboard Champion embroidered patches. I’m not sure what a “cashpatch range” is, but I know that poster boy looks more like a comic book superhero than a skateboarder. Even without the great display, these patches are well worth the $46 cost. I’ll bet you could sell them for $5 a piece easy, if you had the right shop. A close up of the patches reveals a bunch of Easter Island heads on the skaters. Click through to check out other anatomical abnormalities, possibly elephantiasis. Bonus Stupids video too.

– Thanks to David ODK for the tip.

I bought this copy of Superkernel, Volume 4 #12 on Ebay, hoping there would be more skateboarding inside this obscure title. Sadly, the original seller had since passed away. His wife was unable to locate this and many other items he had listed for sale. As I was about to post this, I found another one for sale. Superkernel was a comic book made by Guy and Brad Gilchrist. published by Weekly Reader Books. I first became aware of this comic over at Time Passages Nostalgia. I was about to let them know that they had incorrectly given the date of the skateboard cover as 1978, because my copy says 1982. Then I looked closer I realized they used the same cover twice, in Volume 2 #11 from 1978, and Volume 4, #12 from 1982.

Another shot of vintage skateboard equipment from one of my favorite sources, old department store catalogs. These offerings from JC Penney were available in 1977. There’s a generic board, a Free Former brand, and two that I can’t quite make out with the name Class in it, possibly ODO Class or DDO class. (Update: Pro Class. Thanks Daymond! Pics added.) At the top the page is the venerable Roller Derby brand roller skates, a company that also made skateboards at the same time.

The Hollywood Theater is showing to 16mm skateboarding films on Monday, February 16 at 7:00 pm in Portland, Oregon. Tickets are only $5 so that’s a no brainer if you’re on the fence. You’ve probably seen Skater Dater before, but you’ve not likely seen the Australian film Ultimate Flex Machine. These prints are owned by Stephen Slappe, and they are only shown every couple of years in order to prevent wear and tear. Both of these films had theatrical releases, Skater Dater in 1965 and Ultimate Flex machine in 1975. Slappe’s print of Ultimate Flex Machine is in especially good condition, and he’s got a newer print of Skater Dater than he had previously shown. Slappe has a couple of short mystery reels that will also be included in the show. You can check out larger versions of the posters for Ultimate Flex Machine as well as some stills after the jump. See you at the Hollywood on Monday!