Seriously, it brings me joy that in the year 2021 I can still make the occasional Gratuitous Tony Hawk post. These rubber rings from Groove Life feature two “new” designs, which means the other two must have been around for a while. I’m pretty sure Ive seen these before today, the images must be languishing in one of many “Save for future posts” folders on my hard drive. The construction of these makes sense if you want to wear a ring and your day to day circumstances make that a potentially dangerous proposition. The thing that doesn’t make a lot of sense is making them so explicitly Tony Hawk themed. I feel like if I wore one it would signify some sort of personal commitment to Tony, like those teenagers who give and wear rings as a promise to abstain from sex. At the rate Tony is going through wives, maybe mass production made more sense… Sorry Tony, that was a cheap shot. I don’t have a distinguished career as a professional skateboarder to fall back on. All I got is the low hanging fruit….

Sure… why not? Someone must be buying these because the wheels are being advertised as a re-stock.

Sure, $148 might seem like a lot for Spam brand skateboard, but it’s more than it seems. It may look like a generic retro plastic skateboard, but the deck is in fact made out of recycled aircraft aluminum by Alluminati Skateboards. Where does recycled aircraft aluminum come from? Maybe they scour the countryside for airplane wrecks. In any case they have figured out a way to digitally print graphics on aluminum decks, most of which have a different appearance than this cruiser style. The Spam site does a horrible job of selling these decks, there are no alternate views or enlargeable photos.

– Thanks to Adam Jih for the tip.

I must have sent away for a catalog from Action Sports in 1984. I just found the postmarked envelope with full color one sheet and photocopied price list. I think that tagline is supposed to read “The 1 Ultimate High.” Aside from the vaguely Celtic typeface, it’s an interesting choice for a time when any given correspondence with a smaller skate brand seemed to have about a 50% chance of including a short handwritten a religious message. I’m not sure why I sent any for this catalog in 1984, since I never really rated the Action Sports brand. I think it might have been because the Invader had a sly look to it.

We are stoked to take your money. Check out these reproductions of an old 70’s skateboarding sticker graphic available in a combo life size sticker and larger than life size embroidered patch. Believe it or not, this project has been in the works for over a decade. This is just the tip of the iceberg. Get yours from Skate and Annoy.

Skate and Annoy has a patch, sure, big deal. No it is, actually, you should buy one. I just got these patches from long time friend of S&A known as Orezona. He’s got a side gig designing and producing limited edition patches and apparel. Most of them are taco-related, but a few choice ones fall under the Skate and Annoy purview.

Christian Hosoi is involved in a product called a Sk8 Candles, and definitely not Skate Candles. I can’t help but feel like this is an idea we’ve seen before, perhaps not executed with he bearing in the middle, and only in the new school style symmetrical profile, definitely not a Snoopy candle. I like that they have different profiles, especially the 70’s tribute wheel. I probably would have decorated my swingin’ 80’s bachelor pad with these. I don’t think these are going to make a good Mother’s Day gift, unless your mom is rad.

I don’t know if Portland Thorns midfielder Tobin Heath is actually a skateboarder or not. These illustrations come from a collaboration with Dark Horse comics and the Thorns front office designed to sell some t-shirts, scarves, and patches. I suspect it was just an easy way for Dark Horse to conjure a loose (or lazy) association with the Silver Surfer in The illusions and energy manipulation of Tobin. I do know that Tobin has mad soccer skills, and plays for the best women’s team in the world. Both of them, actually. Women’s World Cup is coming this summer.

There was a time, oh, say anything before the year 2000 when this would have seemed inconceivable.  Cross marketing between a mainstream commercial brand and a core skateboarding brand? Not a big deal anymore. No, I don’t know how a “Zine Rolltop Lunch Bag” differs from a regular rollmop lunch bag. It must be more hardcore. Check out the Igloo x Independent Collection. I think the “X” is for eXtreme!

You can’t make this stuff up folks, or maybe you can.

IKEA has teamed up with LA-based fashion designer Chris Stamp, and freelance designer Maja Ganszyniec for a limited edition collection: SPÄNST. Inspired by street fashion and an active lifestyle, SPÄNST features furniture, accessories and items for storing, displaying and organizing some of your favorites at home. So whether it’s for a skateboard, the jacket that could be considered a work of art, or for the shoes that look better after each wear, SPÄNST is a way for you to uncover your lifestyle; to exhibit it at home with the same amount of artistry and pride within the four walls, as you do outside of them.

This is a handful of months old to be sure, but our site was down when this was fresh. If a tree falls down in a forest when S&A isn’t online….