Note: new additions 4/17!
So, you’re new to skateboarding and you’re confused by all those companies and their crazy images. How are you supposed to know who’s cool and who’s not?
Well, fear not! You’re Unca Sassy has done the research, compiled the info, and now, here it is, in easily digestible HTML!
| Company Name | Defining Characteristic | Coolness Factor | Key Rider(s) | Notes |
| Girl | Quirky LA Flave | Very High | 90% of the best riders in skateboarding | Partially owned by Spike Jonze |
| Zero | Hesh Punk | Very High | Jamie Thomas | Despite losing almost all of the original crew, the chief still sells. |
| Baker | Glam Punk, Rock star | Very High | Andrew Reynolds,Jim Greco,Erik Ellington | Wastoids gone millionaire. |
| Flip | Euro-Punk | Very High | Arto Saari, Geoff Rowley | Heavy Hitters galore. |
| Alien Workshop | Modern Techno-Urban | Very High | Heath Kirchart, Steve Berra,Jason Dill | Pretty much responsible for the whole ‘alien craze’ of the mid-nineties. Best graphic design in skateboarding. |
| Habitat | Modern Techno-Urban | High | Kerry Getz | Alien spinoff. Fred Gall? |
| Element | Naturo-Urban | High | Bam Margera,Kenny Hughes | Good Wood, I’ve ridded plenty Element decks. |
| Krooked | Misspelled Scrawl-style | High | The Gonz | Pioneering the concept of “guest boards”. Long live Gonz! |
| Shorty’s | Urban Vulgarity | High | Chad Muska,Ol’ Dirty Smolik | Used to make bolts, used to have a sexy mexican chick in the ads. |
| Birdhouse | Cartoons, Tony Hawk | High | Tony Hawk | Tony Hawk, Tony Hawk, Tony Hawk |
| Chocolate | Ethnic Urban Flave | Medium-High | Kenny Anderson,Scott Johnston | Close affiliation to Girl, otherwise, no one would care |
| Toy Machine | Artsy Literate-Punk | medium-high | Ed Templeton | I love Toy Machine! |
| Real | San Francisco | medium-high | Keith Hufnagel,Nate Jones | Good Wood. Love Nate Jones. |
| Anti-Hero | Hesh / Fucktard | medium-high | John Cardiel | Frank Gerwer is from Long Island. Good ads. |
| Enjoi | Quirky Cynicism, poo humor | Was High, steadily lowering, currently medium | Was Marc Johnson, now Jerry Hsu | Could have been great, but Marc Johnson AND Brad Staba Walked! |
| Foundation | Currently Punk, changes yearly | Medium | Ethan Fowler | Known for getting, then losing great riders again and again |
| Hollywood | Glam / Punk | Medium | Kris Markovich | Latest in a long line of Tod Swank spin-offs. Should be gone in a year. |
| Dogtown | Old School | medium-low | Eric Dressen | Back from the dead! Again! |
| Black Label | Old School Hesh / Punk | medium | Kristian Svitak, Chalba, Jason Adams | Lots of old-school flavor. John Lucero’s company |
| The Firm | Old School / New School | medium | Bob Burnquist | I can’t figure it out. |
| 151 | Straight Hesh | medium | Darren Navarrette | I had their first video, it was repulsive. |
| City Stars | Straight Ghetto | medium-low | Kareem Campbell | Holla! Why is it that ‘Reem’s companies keep falling apart? |
| Adrenalin | SF Art-Punker | medium-low | Chris Senn | They come, they go. Who buys em’, nobody knows! |
| Vision | ummmm…. | low | Tas Pappas | Tas is a crackhead! |
| World Industries | Whatever Sells | Low (unless you’re 12) | Chad Fernandez | Used to be the shit, then sold out and went corporate. |
| Darkstar | Evil Monsters | Low | Chet Thomas | Another slick, overproduced SoCal skate company courtesy of Dwindle/World |
| Blind | Vulgar Cartoons | Low | Gershon Mosely (now GMOS?), Ronnie Creager | This is the company that made Video Days? |
| Santa Cruz | Milking long-time history | low | Stacy Lowery | Good wood, bad concave. Concentrate on Snowboards and Mountain Bikes |
| Powell | Sqeaky Clean,Milking long-time history | low | Steve Caballero | Boorrring |
| Think | San Fran Hesh/Punk | low | Pat Duffy | Usually manages to find a hot am, then lose him to a bigger company. |
| Zoo York | New York Stee | low (although there are certain devoted fans) | Danny Supa | Not even really a skate company anymore, half the riders dont even skate! Big in japan |
| Consolidated | Political Punk | low | Karma Tsocheff? Scott “Black Arms” Bourne | Does anyone even care? What is up with the black arms? |
| Arcade | Gangsta Skate | low | Daniel Haney? | Whatever. |
| Lib Tech | Fiberglass Decks | low | Dan Pageau | Shoulda stuck with Snowboards |
| DNA | Techno-Cartoon? | low | Jason Maxwell | Used to be Zorlac, ’nuff said |
| Natural Koncept | Hawaiian Stoned Grafitti Cartoons | low | Choppy Omega | Somehow, some way, they’re still kickin’ |