There’s more Dee Dee merch now than there ever was when he was alive. I don’t know who benefits from that, but some of it is pretty cool. On the left, Dee Dee as he appeared in Tank Girl: Skidmarks, shown as he might have appeared on a custom Bulldog board. On the right, Dee Dee as the Powell ripper. Ripper clones are a dime a dozen, but Dee Dee being actually dead, well that makes this one special. Source: DeeDeeRamone.com – Tank-Girl.com

How do you dress up and old idea? With half dressed girls of course. Globe’s Bantam Cruisers are pretty much the same thing that Penny has to offer (more on that later) so I guess that monopoly is over. Fortunately, what Globe lacks in original product ideas they were able to make up for in the well executed tribute to the 80’s visual style, albeit with a 70’s style plastic skateboard. Is it sexist? Sure, but is it fun? Yes. Great choice of Tones on Tail for the soundtrack too. The only thing missing are the Swatches. Wait, is someone going to hassle me for not knowing the correct plural form of Swatch? (Lego, legos LEGOS!) Pink Motel commercial footage after the jump. UPDATE: I just saw one of these in a skateshop. They did actually improve on the construction of the plastic skateboard. It’s dense, hard and stiff. Really sturdy actually.

Niche niche niche niche. Skateboarding is dead, so I’m going after the Nietzsche markets. Ba-dum-bump! But seriously folks… I can’t remember how I found Bitter Bushings, literally like 10 minutes ago. I did manually type in the web address so I must have read it somewhere. Then only thing skateboard related within arm’s length of my current location is a copy of Skate Slate (ahem) Longboarder magazine. Something compelled me to check out these bushings that are made for cold weather. Bitter Bushings hail from Canada, which makes sense. Does it seem like snake oil or another pointless “invention?” Owner Clint McLean certainly takes a no-nonsense approach in his demo vid. I doesn’t hurt that he looks like a lumberjack either. He takes two identical setups, popsicle sticks with Indy’s, and put’s them both in a giant freezer to simulate cold weather. One has Bitter Bushings and the other doesn’t. One turns afterwards and the other doesn’t. I’d like get more information on the development process he went through because the lack of detail or background makes it seem like the skateboarding equivalent of cobbler’s elves delivered them in the wee hours of the night. In case, if they actually work,…

Last year’s promo must have been a hit, becasue they upped it from the first 2000 to the first 5000 fans in the park who got a free Portland Timbers skateboard. I have to tell you I thought our mayor was a bit looney pushing for a major league soccer team in our town. I hold soccer in about as much entertainment esteem as the Onion does, and I figured it would flop, but boy was I wrong. Games are regularly sold out and the fans are rabid. I heard last year’s board was not really the same size as an actual skateboard, more like a toy hand board. I’m still a little bit confused by this cross promotion. Makes about as much sense as a skateboarder printed on a frisbee, or Air Grip brand flying disk as it were. But damn it all if I don’t want to jump on the bandwagon and go see a game, cause I do. Update: Well this post is pretty funny in retrospect, as 5 years later I am now a huge Timbers nerd. So much so that I actually travelled to Columbus Ohio to watch them win the MLS Cup. [Photo: Portland…

Well it’s an idea we’ve seen before, so why no build a whole brand around it? Here’s a video of the Pornstar Skateboards “factory” which you have to swallow with a grain of salt. Anyone recognize the actual factory? Watch as actress Sarah Jesse causes an awkward moment for a hapless worker who just wants her to be comfortable. Do you need a date? Sarah is available (NSFW!!) to help you “relax, unwind, and experience a range of ‘sensual delights'”. Business must be slow at Pornstar. The web site is a little bit like a ghost town. – Thanks to Quartersnacks for the tip.

Check out the Welcome Summer catalog.

He’s Glenn Jones is a graphic designer and illustrator from Auckland, New Zealand who operates under the name GLENNZ, which is derived from ‘GLENN’ and ‘NZ’ concatenated. You can visit his site and vote on which of his designs you’d like to see made into a t-shirt. Currently there are four skateboard illustrations in the mix. I don’t know where they disappear to after voting ends, so I’ve archived them after the jump. – Thanks to Matthijs for the tip

I don’t usually post a lot of random product announcements unless it tickles my fancy. This one I’m featuring purely because I still love the midwest, even though I don’t really want to live there. If you’re a long time reader you’ll also know I’ve got an affinity for all things Surf Ohio/Cow Skates. Assault Skateboards just released a board for Ohioan Mark Heintzman that is more or less a re-issue of his old ketchup bottle graphic for G&S. Assorted Mark Heintzman video and photo paraphernalia after the jump. – Thanks to Jeff Haynes for the tip.

Limited time offer expires at midnight tonight. 20% off with discount code SKATEANDANNOY. Get your fashion on at Maple XO.

Kiss Online reports that some new Kiss flavored skateboards and fingerboards are coming. I know those guys are obviously business savvy enough to flog this dead horse all the way to the bank, but come on guys, where are the permalinks? – Thanks to Andrew Wahl for the tip.