San Leandro, CA – Skate Industry News: 50 Years For Santa Cruz Skateboards

The Santa Cruz Skateboards brand, distributed by NHS, is the oldest continuous skateboard company in the world, founded by Richard Novak, Doug Haut, and Jay Shuirman. At the start, it started as a surfboard business but was struggling to stay afloat because the low profit margins. Soon, a friend from a Hawaiian company challenged NHS to make 500 skateboards. With the surplus of fiberglass lying around they decided to use the stocked materials to fulfill and make skateboards. Their first-ever Santa Cruz skateboard was produced in 1973. The batch of 500 skateboards sold quickly, and from there a demand of many more boards would be created and sold. Now it’s one of the most iconic brand names in skateboarding and would become a staple in the sport.

The “Screaming Hand”, designed by Jim Phillips Sr. in 1985, is the main graphic associated with the Santa Cruz brand. The hand image has become a skateboarding icon and is recognized widely throughout the skateboarding community; in 2015–16, its 30th anniversary was celebrated with a touring exhibition. As of February 2013, Phillips’s son Jimbo also designs artwork for the Santa Cruz brand.

This year marks 50 years for Santa Cruz Skateboards as a purveyor of skate culture in its namesake city and beyond. The brand celebrated its 50th anniversary with a trio of skate sessions with big-name skaters at different parks and a free concert by legendary indie rockers Dinosaur Jr. at the Boardwalk. Here’s to 50 years and 50 years more! Thank you Santa Cruz Skateboards!

Check out your next Santa Cruz deck at Orbit Skate and Boutique!