Yeah, well. here it is. Honestly I didn’t listen to very much of it. I was so sick of this by the time I got to editing it. Basically, Ponch spends the episode trying to convince the kids they should get off the street and skate someplace safe. Eventually they end up taking the kids to a skatepark, in this case, SkaterCross. Happens all the time, right? The classic case of skate harassment. It looks like Estrada and the other dude (who shall perpetually be known as “the other dude”) had actually spent some time on skateboards.

Holy shit. The things I do for you people. I’ve been trying to get this damn episode of CHiPs ready for prime time on S&A for some time now. I rented the damn thing from the library. It got stuck in my computer’s DVD drive and absolutely would not come out. I got a new computer out of it, thanks to the Best Buy extended warranty. Seriously. The tech dudes said it would be too much work to take the iMac apart and get the drive out. Of course, the old one was only a week old. This was back in January, and I never got the disc back so I had to buy the whole season used off Amazon to avoid paying full retail for the replacement. I had a hard time digitizing this too. in the end, the only thing I could get for some reason was the Spanish voiceover. I’m not making this up. So enjoy the first installment of the “Neighborhood Watch” episode. Or rather, the skateboard related parts. I edited out the other unrelated bits like the drunk driving and insurance scam parts. Ponch and John cross paths with a troubled skateboarding youth caught in…

Bugs bunny used always call everyone a “maroon” in those old Looney Tunes cartoons. It might be an intentional mispronunciation of moron, and less likely to be the other definition, a loud signaling firework, or the descendants of escaped slaves living in a certain part of the West Indies. So, speaking of Bugs, what about Daffy? Along with handstands, the daffy is one of the last remaining truly “old school” tricks to make a comeback. High jumps, excuse me hippie jumps came back, so why not the daffy? I guess there are v-sits and catamarans still out there too. I found this this photo on Skate Curiosidade, a site in a language that I can’t decipher, but I’m going to guess Portuguese? In the enlargement you can see the skatepark above appears to bee in a very tropical location, more so than southern California. Who knows? Plenty of daffy, handstand, and even barrel jumping action at Skate Curiosidade.

More Farrah Fawcett skateboarding action. Toys from the past. I’d seen the officially licensed “Jill” doll from Farrah’s Charlie’s Angels days, as seen above left. Reader Hung Chang also found this knockoff “Sport Girl” doll that features a cartoon drawing of Farrah.

Skateboarding’s second (chronological) pinup died today after battling cancer. What celebrity death could possibly top this?

Traveling across the country in their van, the Pepsi-Cola skateboard team prepares to visit another city and show them what skateboarding is all about. Careening down the concrete; dodging in and out of man-made obstacles; letting it all hang out; pushing it tot the edge and back again… that’s skateboarding! It’s a fad that’s grown into a lifestyle for millions of young people nationwide. Pepsi-Cola has been instrumental in skateboarding’s growth, as their team of professionals have introduced skateboarding at cities everywhere across the United States. Well, how could I refuse this, even if it did come from an eBay auction put up by a member with the dubious name of “boneite?” Best part was, he turned out to be an S&A reader by the name of Tom, who also lives in Portland. Concretin Nik, this one is for you. 10 pictures of the Revell Models Pepsi Skateboard Van from 1979.

I have a vague recollection of this style of Levis commercial. This one dates back to 1977 and briefly features some kids and possibly even a gorilla on a skateboard. It’s hard to tell compressed and small, plus the psychedelic nature of the animation doesn’t help any. – Thanks to Eric Shea for the tip.

Remember the novelty Sneakers and Lace and the Skateboardin’ USA album? Jefferson Starship has a track called Skateboard on their 1976 album titled Earth. T.Rex had a demo track called Skateboard, but I don’t know the date of that one since it wasn’t released. I think I’d actually rather listen to Sneakers and Lace’ hokey skateboard songs than this serious track from Jefferson Starship. Lyrics and music after the jump. Conahan sent this to me a while ago. By rights this should be his post. Where did you find it MC? [Images – Vinyl Records Collectors Guide]

Skateboardin’ USA was released in 1978 by a “band” called Sneakers & Lace. My guess is that it was just some producer’s project designed to cash in on a fad. Instead of just doing a single, they really ran with it. Where are the skateboard novelty songs of today? Oh yeah, that’s right. You can find three Sneakers & Lace skateboard tracks on the excellent compilation This Is Skateboard Music, or you can listen to Sidewalk Convoy and Skate Talk, (both non compilation tracks) after the jump. look at the cover and think 1978… It’s going to be excellent!

I’ve scoured the web for more examples of Skateball (or Skate-Ball – they can’t make up their mind). The only thing that turns up besides our previous post is another actual pinball game. (More on that later.) Jeff Hottle had this old low-res image of a Skate-Ball flyer he got off the web ages ago, but the original source remains shrouded in mystery. A full retail business including skateboarding accessories, roller skating and other youth oriented products. Skateball is made up of 4 different ramps, bowls, runs and moguls each with their own scoreboard and timing device. Can be located in strip stores, shopping centers and free standing buildings. Minimum cash investment $25,000. You can see the whole flyer after the jump. UPDATE 2021: 14 years later… Secured a high-res scan in the Vintage Adverts gallery.