micheljfox-honda

The J is for Japanese

Michael J. Fox made some commercials in Japan for the Honda Integra in the late 80’s and early 90’s that were essentially designed to remind you that Fox was in Back to the Future without having to pay Robert Zemeckis and and Bob Gale. This is a print piece that looks like it was probably a magazine feature and not an advertisement. The Chris Miller deck dates to 1988 according to Art of Skateboarding, but the print piece appears to be from 1989. Because I first saw it on FB, it’s nearly impossible to trace to it’s original Internet source, but it might be this Michael J. Fox fan Tumblr. Unfortunately, there’s no real information about what it says or what it’s from. It’s likely related to the commercials because although none of the 5 versions I saw contain any skateboarding, a few contain scenes with the red guitar shown in this print piece. UPDATE: Added a vague translation.

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temptations

Temptations Lab Catterbox

Catterbox is a an attempt at viral marketing by Temptations, that is set up to appear like a crowd funding project for a cat collar that translates cat meows into the English language, a la the Baby Translator on the Simpsons. This leash demeans us both. I wouldn’t say that it’s super successful because when I first saw a video out of context I was more confused than anything. It was obviously a gag, but was it related to a product, a humor site or a marketing company? Having zero brand awareness of Temptations, I had to dig around to find out about the associated cat treats, something I wouldn’t have bothered with were I not writing it up for Skate and Annoy.

– Thanks to Steve Spurlock for the tip.

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young-residents

The Young residents of Kansas City, MO

I find the title of Fox 4 of Kansas City, Missouri’s story amusing: “Young residents continue to build skating facility at Columbus Park despite knowing it will eventually be torn down.” Yes, you silly young residents, keep beating your heads against the wall. It’s another sanctioned DIY spot with planned obsolescence in it’s future. Sound familiar? The spot looks good, but what is it called? It seems to be in the middle of nowhere, yet somehow developers have their eye on the location. Get some while you can, you never know how these things will end up. Yes you do, but keep your dreams alive, young residents.

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freestuff2

Free Stuff Pile

Free stuff is free stuff, right? There’s so many levels of DIY modification and outside of the box thinking going on here that I had to snap some pictures. For instance: Outgrown your old deck? Just bolt it on to a new one! Nice work with the rounded handlebar too.

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grits

Vintage Grits

Brand new, vintage-style artwork hand painted on a NOS vintage skateboard, an idea close to my heart. I’ve still got that box of NOS steel wheel skateboard truck combos in my basement. Although my intent was to screen print graphics on brand new hardwood decks with the same shape. Grits Co takes it a step further.

– Thanks to MC for the tip. 

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