It’s been discussed at length how skateboarding is an all-encompassing artistic venture. Photography, painting, writing, music, and filmmaking all share an equal role in showcasing what makes skateboarding, skateboarding. But an aspect rarely discussed is the use of animation.

So without further ado, here’s a superstar list of animated moments in skateboarding, one that spans horny cats in the 90s, “Super Bob” in the 00s, and demonic businessmen just a few years ago.

Arguably, this is the one that set it off. And to this day it’s one of the most recognizable images in skateboarding. 38 fucking years later and you’ll still probably find it in every local skate shop. Honestly, not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing.

Designed by V.C. Johnson, Powell’s menacing skeleton mascot screams more horror than skating, which is ironic for a crew that, at the time, looked like they might be background dancers for a Jane Fonda workout tape.

Alien Workshop’s Memory Screen is an art film disguised as a skate video…or maybe it’s the other way around? An edited exhibit of found footage collage work, Chrome Ball Incident #31 fits in at the end of the video.

Coming in on the more amateur side of the animation spectrum in a rough 2D style, this spiral notebook drawing encapsulates the DIY energy of skate videos of the time. Its symbol and name would also come to be used by Eric Swisher’s longstanding blog, The Chrome Ball Incident.

Tasked by Ed Templeton, illustrator and artist Sean Cliver used the rudimentary knowledge he had of animation and managed to create an animated opening that would go on to rival the popularity of the previously mentioned Powell skeleton.

With a diabolical, deep laugh, Cliver’s monster helped define the aesthetic of Toy Machine, and it is the first in a long line of animations where beasts and alien-like figures prance, play, and rip each other apart in brightly colored bloodbaths. See 1998’s Jump Off A Building to understand the full picture.

Let the Horns Blow and 5ive Flavors make up Mad Circle’s cult-favorite 90s footprint, and they both feature simplistic yet effective animation to introduce their skater’s diverse personalities. In 5ive Flavors, we see rusty stick figure interpretations of Pontus Alv, Bobby Puleo, Rob Welsh, Karl Watson, and Scott Johnston during the opening credits.

The figures bop around the screen, swinging hammers and performing magic. Ironically, in a later interview, Justin Girardi and Karl Watson alluded to one reason Mad Circle folded early was to avoid focusing on cartoon-based products that could come with relinquishing creative control.

Seen picking up women, partying, and fighting with dogs, this silly animation offers a perfect look back on the freewheeling, NSFW era of 90s skateboarding that has all but disappeared.

Humorous and raunchy, Black Cat’s feline tour guide picks up the torch where 1972’s Fritz the Cat left it. Nothing is sacred. Nothing is safe. Don’t forget to spay and neuter your cats.

Flip has a long history of animations starting back in 2002’s Sorry with a recounting of Arto’s uncensored slam aftermath. But the magnum opus would come in 2009, courtesy of a shit ton of clay and even more patience.

Although the video received mixed reviews upon release, there’s no arguing that the animations, featuring Tom Penny’s smoke-fueled tipi, Ali Boulala’s jester sketch,Bob Burnquist’s self-deprecating “Super Bob” and more are second to none in terms of quality.

Heroin and bath salts. Talk about a search history you wouldn’t want anyone else finding. If the name of this video hints at anything, it’s that this animation is going to be one of the strangest in the list.

Viewers are subjected to the story of a green creature, booted from a strip club and resorts to doing bath salts. What follows is an insane kaleidoscope of violence, sex, and naked skydiving. Yup, you read that right. Forget falling down the rabbit hole, this is a full head-first dive down its asshole.

With an animation style that looks like it was made using a Windows 98 computer held together with Krazy Glue and cracker crumbs, Bronze56K’s brand of blocky, awkward nostalgia led the charge for a new generation of NYC skating and beyond.

Opening with a headless man answering the phone and then jumping into a TV, you get a sense that you’re entering Bronze’s chopped and screwed world. And say what you want, but repurposing Neil Blender’s contest footage is an easter egg we’ll enjoy every time.

We’ve all come to know and love WKND videos for their commitment to the bit. But, during the god-tier Alexis Sablone era of the brand, we were treated to moments of wondrous animation as well. A standout being that of Sir Palmer.

Under the tale of the Echo Park building, we are gifted a rapid-fire array of 2D animation, where morphing snakes and enlarged mice reside and play. Legend has it you can still hear Leonard Cohen playing through the building’s cracked foundation.

Cutting between first and third person, the NYC version of Sora from Kingdom Hearts abandons his Disney cohorts to do battle for the Melodi crew in this 90s anime style animation.

Like a film student’s fever dream, our protagonist swats and shoots at crazed demonic businessmen and their Satanic leader, all framed by images of dice and Jesus. Could it represent the battle between a young brand and the hellish, greed-soaked corporate landscape? Maybe, but who the hell knows.

For a bonus pick we have this short Devin Flynn animated segment which was originally intended to be Ryan Smith’s introduction to his part in The DC Video. Finished only days before the video was set to premiere, it had to be scrapped due to “continuity issues.”

The 2D artwork is bright and bombastic, with everything from skater-snatching sea serpents to dragon-winged vert demos. A major point is a cartooned Rob Dyrdek (before his Wild Grinders show) draped in chains and communicator watch, calling down the late Christopher “Big Black” Boykin to devour interfering security.

Today, the animation lives as an extra on the deluxe DVD. If you can find it, I suggest watching it. Hard work this fun shouldn’t go without recognition.

Words by: Chuck Harp and Ben Komins
Header illustration by: Wilson Lucas
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