For the past 30 years, the popsicle has been the standard and agreed upon best shape for skateboarding. The shape is a skateboard stripped down to the bare essentials, making it a good tool for flip tricks, high pop, switch skating and anything else the modern skater may encounter. Only one board needed. But these days, according to Damon Thorley of Deluxe Distribution, "it seems common for skaters to have two at least: one regular board and one cruiser/mess around set up and some times even three or four."
Many, like boards from Welcome, Surprise, and Black Label are designed to be practical and fully functional for nollie flips and frontside airs. Along with these functional shaped boards has come a crop of less-than-functional board designed that put aesthetics fully ahead of functionality. CNC machines have been brought into the board-making process, allowing for intricate cuts that traditional hand cutting with a template would not allow. Boards shaped like guns, knives, and popular recording artists are popping up from a wide variety of board companies. Read on for a collection of the most insane shaped boards out there.