Skateboarding legend Ed Templeton has never been one to shy away from saying exactly what is on his mind and his newest Toy Machine graphic is a clear shot at the Ku Klux Klan and the kind of racism that still lingers in 2025.
The idea started in his own neighborhood.
Over Christmas one of his neighbors decided to put up a massive wooden cross in their front yard. The gnarly size of it made Ed instantly think of old photographs of the KKK’s cross burnings.
That connection hit a question in his head. Why would someone put a life sized crucifixion style cross in their yard in the first place.
From there his imagination took over. He started picturing a klansman actually being crucified on a burning cross, flipping the hateful symbol into something that turns the tables.
That image stuck with him so he sketched it out.
The design tips its hat to Jim Thiebaud’s classic deck and Todd Francis’s long running “Klansmen in trouble” series. For Templeton it is way more than just another graphic.
It is a statement in a time where racism is still showing up in ugly and obvious ways.
He even joked that it is probably the least controversial artwork he could make. “Who is going to defend the KKK” he said, knowing full well that if anyone tried they would end up outing themselves in the comments section.
The result is a deck that takes one of the most hateful images in American history and flips it into a piece of skate art designed to mock and destroy the symbol’s power.
It is confrontational and exactly the kind of thing Toy Machine has built its reputation on.
Templeton Posted:
"One of my neighbors erected this giant wooden cross in their front yard over Christmas and because of the huge size of it I couldn’t help but think of the many historical Ku Kux Kkan cross burning photos I have seen. “Why build a literal full size crucifixion style cross on your lawn?” I wondered. Then I wondered if a klansman had even been crucified on a burning cross and thought that would look amazing. So I drew it. Then I figured, as an homage to the famous @jimthiebaud deck and the great drawings of “Klansmen in trouble” that @toddfrancisart does, I’d make it a graphic. Especially in this day and age of increasing racism. I figured this image is pretty UN-controversial. Who’s gonna defend the KKK? We’ll find out soon enough. They can’t help but out themselves in comment sections. Enjoy."