Powell Peralta

Powell Peralta, founded by George Powell, is an American skateboard company.

Background

George Powell studied engineering at Stanford University and started making homemade skateboards in 1957. In 1974, Powell's son came and asked for a skateboard. When Powell pulled an old one out of the garage, his son complained it did not ride smoothly. Powell became interested in skateboarding again, as he realized urethane wheels improved a skateboard's ride. With this prompting, Powell started making his own skateboards and wheels. He bought urethane and baked his own wheels. He also used some of new materials like aluminum and fiberglass to fabricate his own composite boards. One of the test riders of one of his flexible slalom boards was Stacy Peralta.

When Powell was laid off from his job in the aerospace industry, he packed up and moved from Los Angeles to Santa Barbara to start his own skateboard manufacturing business. In 1976, George built the Quicksilver ProSlalom deck which he marketed through Sims. This was followed by the Quicktail.^[1] George started to make wheels too. He developed wheels named "Bones" because of their white color. Skateboarding changed and George Powell moved into wood laminates.

Foundation of Powell Peralta

In 1978, George teamed up with Stacy Peralta forming Powell Peralta.^[1] Peralta was a big name in skateboarding and took over team management and advertising. In 1979 they created a skateboarding team called the Bones Brigade, which included many of the best skateboarders of the era. Powell Peralta developed a signature art style with a skeleton motif and their artwork stood out in the market. Arguably, they were the most popular skateboarding company in terms of deck and wheel sales throughout the 1980s. They produced the now famous Tony Hawk Iron Cross deck, as well, as the McGill Skull and Snake, the Caballero Dragon; the Lance Mountain Future Primitive graphics and the Ray Underhill cross graphic, along with continuing to produce Bones wheels.

Members

The Bones Brigade was a skateboarding team that rode under the Powell Peralta, and later, Powell banner. Notable Bones Brigade members throughout the years have included^[2]:

• Ray Barbee
• Steve Caballero
• Alan Gelfand
• Nicky Guerrero
• Tommy Guerrero
• Kevin Harris
• Tony Hawk
• Bucky Lasek
• Andy Macdonald
• Guy Mariano
• Mike McGill
• Ryan Barnhill
• Colin McKay
• Lance Mountain
• Rodney Mullen
• Brandon Novak
• Steve Rocco
• Marc Saito
• Chris Senn
• Steve Steadham
• Jim Thiebaud
• Mike Vallely
• Danny Way
• Per Welinder

Filmography

Powell Peralta went on to produce the Bones Brigade videos which became some of the most influential skateboarding videos of the era. Powell Peralta started to produce videos in 1982. These videos are:

• Skateboarding In The Eighties (1982)
• The Bones Brigade Video Show (1984)
• Future Primitive (1985)
• The Search for Animal Chin (1987)
• Public Domain (1988)
• Axe Rated (1988)
• Ban This (1989)
• Propaganda (1990)
• Eight (1991)
• Celebrity Tropical Fish (1991)

Downturn and formation of Powell Corporation

In the late 1980s, smaller, skater run companies like World Industries appeared and took market share from the bigger companies. Powell Peralta suffered as many of their riders defected and either set up or rode for those new independent companies. At the end of 1991 Stacy Peralta left Powell Peralta and the company was then re-branded as Powell Corporation.^[1]

Fimography as Powell

• Hot Batch (1992)
• Chaos (1992)
• Play (1993)
• Suburban Diners (1994)
• Scenic Drive (1995)
• Strip Mall Heroes (1998)
• Magic (1999)
• Bones Bearings Class of 2000 (1999)
• FUN (2009)

Bones Bearings

Bones specializes in bearings. Despite severe financial problems initially, Powell continues to make skateboard products today, including Bones Bearings and wheels.

Reunion

Powell Peralta has also revisited its enormous market success of the 1980s with their new line of re-issue decks under the new brand, Powell Classic. George Powell and Stacy Peralta have teamed up once again to re-issue some of the original pro models under the Powell-Peralta brand. New reissues include models from Alan "Ollie" Gelfand, Jay Smith, Steve Caballero, Ray "Bones" Rodriguez, Frankie Hill and Ray Underhill.^[3]

Cultural references

Powell-Peralta Skateboards appeared in several films, from them:

• The 1992 film Encino Man features Brendan Fraser's character Link riding a Lance Mountain Future Primitive skateboard deck near the end. There is a Powell-Peralta poster clearly visible in Dave's room.
• In the Teen-Angst/Skateboard movie "Gleaming The Cube" (1989) starring Christian Slater, and featuring an early cameo from Tony Hawk, the 'Crew' can be witnessed in one scene to be stickering skate transfers on public property, one or many of which are of Powell-Peralta design. Also, the main character Brian, as played by Slater, can be seen wearing some Powell-Peralta Lizard Bones Black Sweat Pants.
• Most of the Bones Brigade appeared in a skateboard sequence in Police Academy 4: Citizens on Patrol in 1987

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} A Short History of Skateboarding in Isla Vista, by Henry Sarria, from the Santa Barbara Independent, March 31, 2009
2. ^ Powell Peralta.Com history section
3. ^ Powell Peralta Classic, retrieved November 7, 2009.

External links

• Powell Classic
• Powell Peralta
• Powell Peralta ASR 2005 Museum
• Bones Bearings
• Bones Bearings Subpublic Profile
• The Travel Channel's Made in America Special on Powell