Birdhouse Skateboards: The Legend Created by Tony Hawk

Birdhouse Skateboards is one of the most important and iconic brands in the history of global skateboarding. Founded in the early 1990s by Tony Hawk and Per Welinder, the brand has, over the course of more than thirty years, become a true global institution in modern skateboarding.

To speak of Birdhouse is to speak directly of the evolution of professional skateboarding from the 1990s to the present day. The brand has spanned different generations of riders, technical revolutions, historic videos, and cultural transformations, always maintaining a strong identity rooted in real skateboarding.

Birdhouse was one of the first brands capable of uniting vert skating, street skating, and mainstream culture without losing credibility in the hardcore skateboarding scene. Even today, Tony Hawk’s brand continues to be one of the world’s absolute benchmarks thanks to a powerhouse team, high-quality boards, and a legendary history built over more than three decades of skateboarding.

Tony Hawk, Per Welinder, and the Birth of Birdhouse

The history of Birdhouse Skateboards officially began in 1992. Tony Hawk had already conquered the world during the 1980s as the iconic rider of the Powell Peralta Bones Brigade and arguably the best vert skater on the planet.

At that time, Per Welinder—a legendary Powell Peralta pro rider and fellow member of the Bones Brigade generation—proposed to Tony Hawk that they create a new independent skateboarding company.

Welinder wanted to remain within the skateboarding industry by developing a personal project built around top-tier riders and a new generation of skateboarding that was rapidly evolving.

Tony Hawk accepted the project, and “Birdhouse Project” was initially launched—a name that would soon be shortened to simply Birdhouse Skateboards.

The brand was born at a pivotal moment in history. Skateboarding was undergoing a massive transformation: 1980s vert skating was slowly giving way to the technical street skating of the 1990s, characterized by ledges, rails, baggy pants, and small wheels. Birdhouse immediately managed to fit perfectly into this shift.

The Early Years and the Original Birdhouse Team

From its earliest days, Birdhouse Skateboards built a powerhouse team capable of combining technical street skating with top-tier vert skating.

Alongside Tony Hawk were incredible riders like Jeremy Klein, Steve Berra, and Willy Santos—skaters who immediately began traveling the world through tours, demos, and contests, contributing enormously to the brand’s growth.

Birdhouse’s goal was clear: to create a company capable of representing modern skateboarding in all its forms.

At a time when many brands were focused exclusively on street or ramp skating, Birdhouse managed to perfectly blend different disciplines while maintaining an extremely high technical standard.

The brand’s look was also instantly recognizable. Birdhouse graphics quickly spread everywhere, transforming Tony Hawk’s falcon symbol into one of the most iconic logos in 1990s skateboarding.

Feasters: the first Birdhouse video

One of the brand’s first defining moments came with the release of the video “Feasters.” This first skate movie showcases a Birdhouse crew that was still very raw but already incredibly technical for the time. The video features lightning-fast and highly creative street skating, with Tony Hawk impressing even on rails, curbs, and street spots.

Many skaters are still impressed today when they see Tony Hawk street skating with technical tricks and lines that were absolutely out of this world for that period. Steve Berra displays an incredibly fluid style, while Willy Santos proves himself a true trick machine.

The video had a very spontaneous atmosphere and perfectly captured the skateboarding vibe of the early ’90s. At the time, it was even distributed by mail—you simply sent a few dollars directly to the company.

Although the market was dominated at the time by Plan B’s legendary “Questionable,” Feasters contributed enormously to Birdhouse’s growth on the global scene.

The End: one of the heaviest videos in skateboarding history

If Feasters introduced the brand, “The End” definitively cemented its place in legend. Even today, The End is considered by countless skaters to be one of the most important and mind-blowing videos ever released in the ’90s. The technical level showcased in the video was completely off the charts for the era.

The opening sequence featuring Rick McCrank is enough to grasp the insane caliber of the project, but it’s a very young Andrew Reynolds who truly leaves his mark with a simply mind-blowing part.

Gigantic spots, nighttime runs, massive gaps, and extremely aggressive skateboarding transform The End into a true masterpiece of modern street skating.

The finale featuring Tony Hawk on the mega ramp remains one of the most iconic moments in Birdhouse history. Massive air, incredible tricks, and insane speed clearly demonstrate why Tony Hawk was considered the most influential rider on the planet.

The End is not just a skateboarding video. It is one of the films that completely changed the technical level of skateboarding worldwide.

Tony Hawk Pro Skater and the brand’s global explosion

With the arrival of the 2000s, Birdhouse Skateboards definitively entered global mainstream culture thanks to the incredible success of the video game Tony Hawk Pro Skater.

The video game’s impact was massive. Millions of kids around the world discovered skateboarding through Tony Hawk and the Birdhouse team. Riders like Andrew Reynolds, Bucky Lasek, Heath Kirchart, Steve Nesser, and many others became hugely famous even outside the hardcore skateboarding scene.

Birdhouse grew enormously during this period, becoming one of the best-selling and most recognized brands in the world.

The team also continued to evolve constantly. After Andrew Reynolds left for Baker Skateboards, Birdhouse introduced new generations of riders while maintaining an extremely high standard.

In 2007, “The Beginning” was released, another highly significant video that confirmed the brand’s ability to remain relevant even in the new era of skateboarding.

Birdhouse Skateboards in the New Millennium

Even today, Birdhouse Skateboards continues to be one of the strongest and most respected brands on the global scene. The brand has adapted perfectly to the evolution of modern skateboarding while maintaining a strong connection to the original skate culture.

The current team features incredible riders such as Clint Walker, Clive Dixon, Aaron “Jaws” Homoki, Ben Raybourn, Elliot Sloan, and Lizzie Armanto, one of the world’s top vert riders.

Birdhouse also continues to develop professional skateboards, complete beginner sets, apparel, and high-quality accessories. Birdhouse complete sets are still among the most recommended for those looking to start skating seriously, thanks to their reliable, sturdy, and well-built setups.

The brand also continues to support the growth of the next generation of skateboarders by producing complete skateboards specifically for younger riders.

Birdhouse Skateboards and Pleasures Milano 

At Pleasures Milano, we select only brands that have truly shaped the history of global skateboarding, and Birdhouse Skateboards is undoubtedly one of the most important brands ever to exist.

We’re talking about the company founded by Tony Hawk, the rider who, more than anyone else, helped transform skateboarding into a global culture.

From historic videos like Feasters and The End to the new generations of Birdhouse, the brand continues to represent technical, powerful, and deeply authentic skateboarding to this day.

At Pleasures Milano, you’ll find a selection curated by those who have lived and breathed skateboard culture every day for over twenty-five years, choosing only boards, complete sets, and products that are truly top-notch for those who want to experience skateboarding at the highest level.