Gringo Skateboards: The Big Boys

Gringo Skateboards: What happened to Zorlac is a travesty. Actually, what happened to Zorlac? Last I heard it had improbably turned into a Christian company. All I know is that the logo and name started showing up on questionable toys and the boards all but disappeared. A back check of Transworld Skateboarding Business reveals that Syndrome once owned the name and had squandered the brand name on a blank board project! Talk about clueless! Just in time for the resurgence of 80’s old school too. If, as Rob Mertz has declared “Zorlac is history,” well, then the past has not been forgotten. Jeff Newton has resurfaced with Gringo, and it looks like what Zorlac might have grown into had it not met an untimely demise. With age comes wisdom, so Skate Tough or Go Home, has evolved into Skate, Drink, and Go Home. Dropping a quarter in the phantom tollbooth are Craig Johnson, John Gibson, and skate rock faves, the Big Boys. The shapes are popsicle sticks, some with a modified square tail, and the major exception of the Gibson hybrid.

The Big Boys model: It’s the Big Boys! The band that is synonymous with skate rock, and perhaps the first band to ever be featured on a skateboard. (If anyone can confirm or deny this, please let me know -ed.) This is the latest in minor variations of the classsic Big Boys skateboard graphic. The shape is a popsicle with a square-ish tail. 9 1/4″ x 33 1/2, which ought to be big enough for most big boys. My only complaint is the particular deck that I received had black graphics screened on a black board. Other than that, the wood is good.

Don’t mess with Texas, but check out Gringo.