Tag Archive: 70’s
Faster, Safer, Fiberglass
Posts about the blue fiberglass ramps that were used in Thrasherland and Skateball skateparks remain some of the most popular on Skate and Annoy. Stephen Smith was trolling the site and remembered he had saved an old flyer for the Great Bay Skatepark of Newington, New Hampshire: I went there in the summer of 78 or 79 while on vacation with the folks from Nova Scotia. We got there at like 3 in the morning and all slept in the car so I could go skating as soon as it opened up. What a blast, great memories! Also while at the World Freestyle comp a few weeks ago , I chatted with old school East coast skate legend Bert Mathieson and he had skated there back in the day too. I got the flyer at the pro shop there. As you can see, as well as “faster and safer,” the Great Bay Arena claimed to be the world’s first indoor fiberglass skatepark. I’m imagining a guy behind the counter at the pro shop mumbling to himself as he crosses off the incorrect session times and rewrites them by hand. He probably stole a coke that day because he was so…
Fun, action and excitement
Tyrie Smith found this old skateboard ad for Steve’s South Bay Sporting Goods in the 1976 Marvel Two-in-one comic book with the Thing and Ka-Zar. Fortunately for Skate and Annoy’s readers, Tyrie’s barber shop has a stack of comic books laying around. Steve’s South Bay also advertised in skateboard magazines. Hey gang! Here’s a chance to bring all the fun, action and excitement of skateboarding to your front door! – Thanks to Tyrie Smith for the tip
Vintage Skateboard Scene Ads-nausem
On this the seventh installment of vintage skateboard magazine ads, the two most interesting additions are for Skateboards Hot Gear, mainly for the illustration, and Fireball Hot Wheels, which possibly predate G&S Rollerballs, although I can’t confirm that yet. The also-rans include Skateboard Rider Skateshop, Furley and Baker Skateboard Range, Southern Skateboard Centre, and Truckstop.
Vintage Skatescene Ads continued
There are seven new additions to the Skatescene #1, 1977 gallery, including Surf Spot Mail Order, Steve Daniel Skateboards, Stateside, Maxwell Designs, Freedom Surf Supplies, and Bristol Skate Centre in color and black & white.
Still More Skateboard Scene Ads
In this round, not one, but two ads for Alley Cat, some very boring text-only ads from Cardiff Skateboard Shop, and Dolphin Skateboards, plastic skateboards from Alpine Sports, and the creepy, faceless skateboarder of the South London Skateboard Centre.
Even More Skateboard Scene Ads
I added six more vintage skateboard advertisements to the Skateboard Scene magazine gallery. This time we’ve got sterling silver necklaces, some mystery boards from Reflex Action, more mystery boards from American Oak Company, Californian skateboards from Scarbourne, plastic GT Coyotes, and Britain’s answer to the American Kryptonic, the Ulon Speedwheel.
More Skateboard Scene Ads
I added four more vintage skateboard advertisements to the Skateboard Scene magazine gallery. Included are some Ace-Flyer Chuck Taylor knock offs, Alta Sports skateboards with a “fantastic set of safety equipment,” the Great British Skateboard from Beadle, and a subscription plug for Skateboard Scene magazine, “the radical read for radical riders.” Enjoy.
Vintage Ads from Skateboard Scene #1
I just added a couple ads to the Vintage Skateboard Mag Ad Gallery. These come from a magazine you’ve likely never heard of titled Skateboard Scene. It’a UK publication, and as such comes with lots of UK-centric companies and products. I love old skateboard ads from the 70’s, and finding this mag made me feel like a kid again. Not necessarily because of the age of the publication, but more because it was filled with all kinds of product I had never seen before. There wasn’t a copyright date anywhere in the magazine, but thanks to VintageSkateboardMagazines.Com I can say it was published in Winter of 1977. This magazine is doubly wacky. It comes with all the usual wackiness of the 70’s and adds the UK skateboarding industry outside perspective. Check out the first two ads in the gallery. Large scan of the cover after the jump.
What do you call a kid who can skate like that?
What do you call a kid who can skate like that? You call that kid a Cracker Jack. I totally forgot about this jingle until I watched the commercial, and it all came back to me. I never saw this particular Cracker Jack commercial, but I remember others with the same song. This series of commercials aired around 1978. Assuming the kid skating is the same one they use in the closeup, someone ought to be able to identify him. – Thanks to Wes for the tip.
The Keane Brothers
Adam Crofts sent me a beat up copy of the Keane Brothers debut album from 1977 because it had skateboard on the cover. I listened to it, hoping that the song Keep On Rollin’ was skateboard related, but it wasn’t. The album is a truly awful mix of 70’s disco, soul, rock, country and bubblegum. It’s a freaking awesome train wreck. I noticed the producer also had the last name Keane, so I figured this was a showbiz father trying to get rich off his kids, and that this was probably the last time anyone ever heard of the Keane Brothers, if anyone ever heard of them at all. Of course I was wrong. The Keane Brothers had one of those variety shows that were all over the 70’s like flies on shitty music, and they appeared on the Tonight Show and the Mike Douglas Show. On top of that, the opening sequence of their variety show prominently features the Keane brothers on skateboards.











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