People keep trying to innovate trucks these days, but you rarely see anything that makes the accompanying wackiness worthwhile. These Alpha Skateboard Tucks are pretty standard fare for the most part. The big marketing point is the screws on the side that you can use to set a maximum tilt point in order to prevent wheelbite. That’s all well and good, maybe it works, but honestly, wheelbite isn’t a big deal, is it? They do love to go on and on about geometry and stability. They have an interesting theory about riding a low truck with extra risers being a better option for those that prefer high truck. The one thing they have innovated that stands out is the placement of the mounting holes. It’s such a simple idea I can’t believe nobody has done it. Instead of leaving the new school mounting pattern offset towards kingpins, they center them in the standard footprint of the baseplate. Of course, this makes the wheelbase of any given board shorter than the same board with standard trucks. The upside is a potentially stronger baseplate and lighter too, if you cut off the corners. So… it’s interesting at least. They’ve also got a skate tool that’s not the same T-shaped plastic and metal piece that everyone sells.

– Thanks to OCD Kyle for the tip.

Not exactly hot off the presses, but I’ve got a day job, a couple of kids, a skateboard company, a yard that needs mowing and a house that is falling apart. When I first saw these Element branded portable skate obstacles (AKA Drop Spots) my first reaction was “I wonder how Freshpark feels about this?” Well it turns out they probably feel pretty good since they are the ones manufacturing it. I’ve never actually set foot on a Freshpark ramp, they seem like they are built for a lighter (Err. uhm, younger?) audience than me. These Element branded obstacles seem to be sturdier in appearance. Maybe it’s the fact that some of the obstacles have been raised one order of magnitude (Like the rainbow rail and the pole jam) or maybe it’s just the red paint. Lazy good for nothing kids. Back when I was a kid, a portable ramp weighed 100 pounds and took tow skateboards to roll, and.. uh, well.. I’d like to get ahold of one of those little kickers.

– Thanks to Eric Cherry for the tip.

But not the bad kind, like Joanie Loves Chachi, the good kind like… Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law. Grojack Industries is a joint venture from GVK and MC, and they’ve got a sharp looking first offering in the Roller Derby vein of 60’s era flatland competitions. Check out the official Errand Boy skateboard.

This calendar is on the wall of one of my coworker’s cubicle. Something about the board looks odd. The size seems small and a closeup of the trucks looked oddly familiar.

The ingredients in fake tattoos, in case you were wondering. This package of fake tattoos actually has the ingredients listed on the back, as if you were going to eat them. This guy looks familiar.

The novelty bandage business has really taken off. The Monsterville name is synonymous with first aid, so I’m sure these were worth the extra cost. One side of the sanitary wrapper is clear, so I didn’t have to open half of them to find one with a skateboard on it.

I don’t have anything else for you today. Yesterday the sewer pipe backed up into my basement. Fun!!!!!!! So I spent last night cleaning up fecal matter instead of writing posts. I just happened to have the Factory Made in can and ready to go. I’m pretty sure that the people who sent these items in to Skate and Annoy didn’t envision poop in their viral marketing plans. I got the special edition of the Bones Brigade Video Show, complete with a bitching magic motion lenticular print on the cover and some swag in the form of a nice Cab shirt and some stickers. My first real board was a red Cabellero of the 1984 vintage. Thanks to Skate One. Also in the mailbox, some funky looking PiiQ headphones from Sony. They’ve got another pair of Qlasp headphones for one of our readers. Leave a comment on this post and I’ll pick one at random to win them, shipped directly from the marketing agency, which means you won’t have to wait an obscene amount of time to get them.

Steve Madden designs shoes. My wife is a fan. I thought he just did women’s shoes, but apparently he does shoes for guys. I’m not sure what the back story is, but I’m going to go out on what I assume is a very, very strong limb and guess that the “Skater shoes line is designed to be fashion over function. I guess it’s possible he did some research, maybe had the guy in the photo doing some product testing. Possible, but not likely.

– Thanks to Sarib for the tip.

Kids have beds. Kids need sheets. Kids love Spiderman. Kids love skateboarding. Kids love cheap imported home goods from manufacturers that aren’t concerned with copyright infringement or having an art director with a fully formed idea. Seeing this picture with all the clashing pop culture characters makes me fear for my kid’s psyche.

If you thought using fake skateboards to make shelfs that look like real skateboards was a silly idea then you’re really going to love the fake skateboard “wall art” that costs almost as much as a real skateboard. This one is made out of hollow plastic and has a built in mounting bracket. Spotted at a Target store by Reader Gavin Graham.