5BoroNYC’s VHS Skate Decks

By Ann Binlot Published October 17, 2014

For those of you former (and current) skaters, watching skate videos was a way to master tricks, aspire to do things you can’t and watch those pro skaters in awe. To most of us, VHS (that’s an acronym for Video Home System) tapes are a thing of the past, thanks to the development of the Internet. Who needs all those videotapes when we can just go on YouTube?

The guys at 5BoroNYC, a skate brand that got its start in 1996, back when we were still playing VHS tapes on VCRs, apparently got nostalgic for the familiar images, so they decided to emblazon a series of skateboards with the graphics that covered the video tapes. The eight styles resemble the labels from videotape brands like Fuji, TDK, Scotch, Sony, Maxell, BASF, and Philips with their own cheeky riff designed by Mark Nardelli, Matthew Tapia and Max Vogel Razauno. Pretty cool, if you ask us.

Recommended Videos

We’re sure all you youngins may not recognize these throwback designs, but for the rest of us, they make us recall a time before we were always on our phones. Pagers were cool, the Internet was in its early years and there was no YouTube. It was all about these videotapes, which enabled us to see the pros at their best. And now, thanks to 5BoroNYC, we can skate on them too. For those of you who can’t remember VHS tapes, trust us, you’ll look pretty cool skating around on one of these. So when will they come out with cassette tape decks? Soon, we hope.

For more information, visit 5boronyc.myshopify.com.

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Ann Binlot is a New York-based freelance writer who contributes to publications like The Economist, Wallpaper*, Monocle…

Culture

10 cigar myths the internet won’t let die

The cigar 'facts' shared in every lounge that are actually complete BS

two men enjoying cigars

The internet has been such an asset to the cigar world. It allows us to look up obscure brands, communicate with fellow fans across the globe, and access a greater amount of information than ever before. There's a downside, though: rumors catch on like wildfire, and once they're out there, they're nearly impossible to get rid of.Visit any cigar lounge or read online forums, and you'll find the same tired myths that have been making the rounds for decades. While a few are harmless pieces of folklore, others are robbing you of your hard-earned cash, ruining your smoking experience, or just flat-out lying to you about health hazards.Let's burn down those stubborn misconceptions once and for all.

Myth #1: Darker (Maduro) cigars are always more powerful

Culture

Cigar etiquette 101: Dos, don’ts, and modern manners

Please don't be that guy. Here are the cigar etiquette mistakes that scream 'amateur'

well-dressed guy smoking on a couch in the dark

Walking into a cigar lounge for the first time feels like crashing somebody's secret club. They've got this unspoken language, weird rituals, and enough unwritten rules to make your head spin! But here’s the thing—cigar etiquette is not some gatekeeping nonsense to try to make you look dumb. It's about respecting the process, the experience, and not being the person who ruins everyone else's vibe.Whether you're new to this or have been faking for years, this guide will sort you out because there's nothing more likely to ruin a good smoke than someone who clearly has no idea what they're doing.

The basics: Respecting the ritual

Culture

The first movie from Materialists director Celine Song just found a new streaming home

The movie is a brilliant look at the roads not taken.

The cast of Past Lives

Few directors have a debut feature that's as splashy as Celine Song's. The director, who now has Materialists in theaters, had a breakout hit at Sundance called Past Lives that took her all the way to the Oscars. Now that Materialists is in theaters and doing quite well, you might want to catch up with Past Lives, which was one of the best movies of 2023.

The film stars Greta Lee and is told in episodes that span more than 20 years. It starts in South Korea, and follows two Korean children who are clearly close friends and may even have a romantic spark as one of them prepares to move to Canada. Then, we follow their story over decades as they come into and out of each other's lives until they're both in their mid-30s and they reunite for a day in New York City.