Since its conception in 1993, Toy Machine has established itself as an integral part of the skateboarding community and has a loyal following. This is, to a large extent, thanks to the founder and driving force behind Toy Machine, skateboard legend Ed Templeton. Through his interest in art and his own artistic
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Toy Machine
Since its conception in 1993, Toy Machine has established itself as an integral part of the skateboarding community and has a loyal following. This is, to a large extent, thanks to the founder and driving force behind Toy Machine, skateboard legend Ed Templeton. Through his interest in art and his own artistic talents, it’s obvious why Templeton’s responsible for all of the deck graphics at Toy Machine. Both the devilish logo and the figures of the so-called “Transistor Sect” have high recognition value and give Toy Machine (also known as “The Blood Sucking Company”) their own artistic direction. The product line from Toy Machine is entirely dedicated to skateboarding. In addition to skateboard decks and complete boards, you will also find wheels, bearings and small parts in the Toy Machine Brand Shop at skatedeluxe.
93 ‘til Infinity – The History of Toy Machine
Toy Machine was not Ed Templeton’s first rodeo. He had previously co-produced the brand "TV", with Mike Vallely, which was later renamed “Television”. After irreconcilable differences between the two – namely, Vallely striking Ed’s paycheck –Templeton decided to take on his own project in 1993.
In choosing a name for his company, however, he was still undecided. Torn between the names “Toy Skateboards” and “Machine Skateboards”, his friend, pro skater Ethan Fowler then suggested that he simply combine both ideas.
Jamie Thomas, Chad Muska & Welcome To Hell
At the beginning, Ed Templeton equipped his friends and locals at the Huntington Beach skatepark with boards. With Jamie Thomas on the team, however, the label really took off for the first time. As a result of Thomas' commitment, one of the most important skate videos of the 90s emerged: Welcome To Hell. Brian Anderson, Jamie Thomas, Ed Templeton, and others, showcased fast and hard skating in this classic, paving the way for today's handrail and gap skating.
The infamous video entails a story of then-team rider Chad Muska. When the premier was cancelled due to computer breakdown, the performance had to be cancelled. Muska was so enraged, that Ed Tempelton directly kicked him off the team. In the end, his part of the video was deleted when it was released to the public years later.
The Toy Machine Skate Team
The wild times of Chad Muska and the 90’s skate world may be over, but currently, the skating from Toy Machine team is anything but tame. The focus on hard skateboarding has been preserved and as such, some of the hardest pros like Leo Romero, Collin Provost, Josh Harmony, Daniel Lutheran, Ed Templeton, Matt Bennett, Billy Marks, Jeremy Leabres and Blake Carpenter skate Toy Machine decks.
Videos like "Brainwash" (2010), "The Subhumans" (2011) and "The Re-education Of Jeremy Leabres" show exactly what kind of skating Toy Machine is all about.
Ed Templeton and the art world
In addition to his skateboard career, Toy Machine founder Ed Templeton has also successfully established himself in the art world. His paintings, and especially his photography, have been the subject of numerous exhibitions all over the world. He designed the logo along with numerous illustrations for Toy Machine. So the decks from this brand are really works of art and often find themselves hung up on display.