TOY MACHINE SKATEBOARD BRAND STORY
Toy Machine is a must-have if you love skateboarding, as this iconic brand was born from the genius of legendary American skater Ed Templeton. The American brand was founded in 1993, right in the midst of the “big pants, small wheels” era.
From the very beginning, the brand was nicknamed the “Blood Sucking Company,” and over the years, it has built a truly strong team, gradually establishing itself as one of the world’s best-selling skate brands without a doubt.
Alongside Ed Templeton are skateboarding names like Diego Bucchieri, Nick Trapasso, and Austin Steven. Since its inception, the American company has created legendary skate videos such as “Welcome to Hell,” “Sucking the Life,” “Jump of a Building,” “Good and Evil,” and “Suffer the Joy.”
From the very beginning, Toy Machine revolutionized the skate business with spectacular skate movies and cutting-edge products, and the brand quickly became an icon of the global skateboarding scene.
ED TEMPLETON AND THE BEGINNING OF THE LEGENDARY BRAND
Before founding the Toy Machine brand, Ed Templeton had founded another brand that skaters over 40 surely remember well; the brand was founded with the legend Mike Vallely and was called “TV.”
The brand didn’t take off and failed to gain popularity due to some disagreements between the two founders; Templeton and Vallely apparently couldn’t see eye to eye over financial matters, and after a short time they parted ways, each going their separate ways.
Templeton decided to go it alone and found a new brand called Toy Machine. The names initially considered for the brand were Toy Skateboards and Machine Skateboards, but his friend and pro skater Ethan Fowler suggested one day combining the two names, and that’s how “Toy Machine Skateboards” was born.
The brand achieved tremendous success, largely thanks to its founder, Ed Templeton, who personally designed all of the brand’s graphics. The brand’s global success is entirely due to him.
The various characters Templeton drew have remained in the minds of skaters for generations, and even today, his designs remain timeless and are recognized by the global skateboarding community.
THE 90s AND “WELCOME TO HELL” BY TOY MACHINE
In the beginning, the team consisted of the top skaters in California at the time, such as Chad Muska, Jamie Thomas, Brian Anderson, and Ed Templeton, and the team filmed one of the videos that made history, titled “Welcome to Hell.”
During that period, Chad Muska had issues with the entire team and Toy Machine. For some reason, the video’s premiere was postponed. Muska, who was a hothead at the time, was kicked off the team, and it wasn’t until years later that his part was included in the video.
The video captured the essence of the brand and its riders. In those years, the video introduced a new and incredibly powerful style of skateboarding.
Tricks off handrails pushed to the limit, staircases, and gaps. The entire video is a succession of big tricks that still make you gasp today.
TOY MACHINE SKATEBOARDS AND TUM YETO DISTRIBUTION
The Toy Machine brand has been distributed by one of the American giants, Tum Yeto Distribution, for over 20 years. Tum Yeto was founded in 1989 by skater Tod Swank.
The company distributes Toy Machine, Foundation, Pig Wheels, and other major brands such as Habitat. Tum Yeto is a cornerstone of the American skateboarding industry. The quality and design of their products are undoubtedly top-notch.
Since the early 2000s, the team has featured top-tier skaters like Leo Romero, Colin Provost, Josh Harmony, and many others who carry the brand forward with world-class tricks and parts.
Since 2010, they’ve released powerhouse videos such as “Brainwash,” “The Subhumans,” and the memorable “The Re-Education of Jeremy Leabres.”
Today, the team still consists of the classic pros, but young champions like Axel Cruysbergs, CJ Collins, Daniel Luteran, Dashawn Jordan, Leo Romero, Billy Marks, Josh Harmony, and Colin Provost have joined the already formidable team, in addition to the aforementioned classics.
ED TEMPLETON: THE SKATER AND ELEGANT ARTIST
Ed Templeton has been an artist since he was young.
He has always drawn, and during his career as a skater, he found inspirations that led him to become the established artist he is today, holding exhibitions and showcasing his work all over the world.
We recently saw him in person in Milan, where he was exhibiting all his masterpieces, and of course, a flood of skaters—both young and old school—rushed to see and greet the living legend known as Ed Templeton.
Ed Templeton continues to contribute to skateboarding in a positive and genuine way, as only a true skate brand can. Times change quickly, but the brand remains as cool and authentic as ever.
If you want information on which skateboard to buy, feel free to call or email us—we’ll give you all the answers to help you make the right purchase for you.
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