Flip Skateboards has brought back one of the more interesting pieces of early 90s skate history with the return of Tom Penny’s original 1993 “Marijuana Leaf” pro deck.
Back in the early 90s, skateboarding was going through a quieter phase compared to the years before, but a few riders were still shaping things in their own way.
One of those was skate legend Tom Penny, who was coming out of the UK scene with a style and approach that stood out without needing much attention drawn to it.
Around that time, Deathbox Skateboards went through a shift and became Flip Skateboards, and with that change came Penny’s first pro model.
The board featured a bright yellow marijuana leaf graphic that became closely associated with him.
It was released in 1993 and only sold in the UK.
Even though the graphic is what people remember most, Penny’s name was not placed on the main design in a typical way.
Instead, it was kept more subtle and shown only on the top graphic, which fit the low profile approach he was known for.
Not long after, Flip Skateboards relocated to the United States in 1994.
This led to their first full set of pro board graphics, known as the “Butt-Kiss Series”. During that transition, there were plans to also produce Penny’s marijuana leaf deck in the US in a 7.75 inch version.
However, the move created a lot of changes inside the company and that specific release never made it out.
That original US version stayed on hold for decades.
Now, Flip Skateboards has brought the design back. The deck is being made again in Southern California and is being hand screen printed by Flip co founder Jeremy Fox.
It comes in the original color style and keeps a low concave shape, staying close to how it was originally made.
The release also lines up with April 20, which has become a well known date in skate and pop culture circles.
Two sizes are being offered for this release. The UK version comes in 8.0 inches, while the US version is 7.75 inches, finally giving riders access to a design that was originally planned but never officially released in the United States at the time.