In hockey, when the puck hits a referee on the ice it’s treated as if they themselves are part of the environment. There is no stoppage. No do-overs. The game continues on and players must deal with what comes.

However, these unavoidable street interactions are a part of what makes a skate video unexpected and engaging. So, today we bring you a list of some iconic pedestrians who have unknowingly left their mark in the skate videosphere forever.

Many are looking for their five minutes of fame. Some find it in only a few seconds. This man about town is, and has, been the perfect representative of Baker since Baker 3 dropped. Dressed in a sweatshirt and a crumbled New York Jets hat, he proved that not everyone in the streets are so glum and disapproving.

Welcome to Hell conjures up many images when brought up. And this angry, God-fearing fella is certainly one. After blessing the crew with some hate, a la “I hope God makes you break your leg right now,” he tells them to wait and he’d return. Sound like a certain Biblical character we all know?

There’s plenty to celebrate when it comes to Blessed. Whether it’s Tyshawn versus those metal gates or Ben Kadow keeping his cool with a cane wielding greybeard. And then there’s Fucking Bridget.

Aidan Mackey’s number one fan, spewing the most New York accent you’ve ever heard with a hand resting comfortably on Aidan’s waist. “Fucking Bridget, yoooooo!” Half-drunk auntie, half old friends reuniting, we’d be hard pressed to find anyone else on this list as funny and likeable as Fucking Bridget.

There’s something about a bob haircut and a couple of scarves on a 50 something year old white woman that makes them mentally and physically stronger than anything else on planet earth.

Swinging boards like swords, this warrior princess of San Francisco hilariously proves that she is not the lady to fuck with. And after fearlessly defending her nest, we have no doubt she made it to her 6pm book club meeting five minutes early, with deviled eggs to boot.

The legend goes, the thief referred to as “Tommy Lee” had broken into three cars in Vancouver while the Girl team was warming up at a park across the street. One of which had Koston’s wallet, which contained $150. Big mistake.

Upon people finding him, Koston went full Hulk. Funnily enough, Tommy Lee did not have his wallet, but had a duffle bag of their cash and stolen goods. Koston, who had no idea it would feature in Yeah Right!, cringed at the premiere and is still uncomfortable with it today.

Chopping it up with Sage Elsesser, the Librarian brings an aura of confidence not often seen, saying, “You know, I’m moving to Italy and I wanna get laid, but all the guys think I’m a teacher or a librarian because of my hair.”

And then we get a quote for the ages, a sign-off so rare it’s hard to believe it only went into this songless, raw tape. “Sean Pablo has to bring it down the pipe to mommy.” We like to believe she made it to Italy, with a gaggle of guys at her disposal.

If there’s one thing we know about New York, it’s that everyone’s a character, and everyone’s an artist.

First appearing in the intro of 2015’s Horny by Johnny Wilson, he makes his return in the era-defining John’s Vid where we see this local artist ordered Max Palmer around, grabbing his board and asking Max to hold his skateboard artwork. Crazy hair and finger gun ablaze, it’s one of the best off-cuff moments out.

Returning once more in Johnny’s Vid eight years after his video debut, the now iconic line,“Nice to meet you, I’m an artist,” solidified itself as a quote that will echo around skate circles and group chats for years to come.

Feedback can be almost seen as a visual discussion on the public’s perception on skateboarding. One profound interview was with a man sitting down for a smoke and drink, dropping knowledge about the youth at large, using skateboarding as his jumping off point.

“What kids are doing all over the place is trying to find their way of freedom to express themselves,” he goes on to explain. “And governments will always try to control you, keep everybody down, keep everybody beat down.” In the current landscape of things, this has aged like fine wine. Kudos, sir, kudos.

Can you imagine making a name for yourself by being a horny, goofy prankster and then getting mad at a group of skateboarders? That’s like making a name as a food critic and then ordering tendies and fries in secret.

Come on Jason Biggs, you’re supposed to be one of us. But we can admit, getting a washed-up celebrity cameo, one that felt like a TMZ breakdown, in a skate video is objectively awesome. And calling Jason “American Pie Dude,” implying the HUF team doesn’t even remember his name, makes it all the better.

There’s nothing like making a statement so unbelievable that all there’s left to do is chuckle and say, “I’m sorry.” Lynn the Astro Projector might have been speaking to the camera, but it seems he projected his brain far into the black abyss long ago.

However, we’d like to give this cosmic traveler the benefit of the doubt, and if you’re having trouble sleeping soon, try to picture what galaxy our wary vagabond friend is sitting on a curb within. It’ll drift you right off into sweet, sweet slumber.

Words by: Chuck Harp and Ben Komins
Header illustration by: David Lizom
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