Tech Deck Skate Crew (2001-2009) & Other Skate Brand Toys

X-Concepts (who owned and created Tech Decks until Spin Master bought their company) didn't just make dudes. 

This site serves as an archive primarily for the Tech Deck Dudes, but I recognize a lot of kids associate the dudes with X-Concepts's other magnetic Tech Deck figure lines. 

Likewise, X-Concepts also made Grimm's Fairy Tale skaters, Creatures, a couple Dinsey collabs, and Skate Crew. This toy line featured mascots from 4 big skating brands (World Industries, Blind, PIG, and Toy Machine). X-Concepts also made binders and folders for these big four brands as well. 

They also frequently partnered with X-Concepts who would replicate their brand boards as
"Tech Decks". It just makes sense, if you're gonna sell replica skateboards to pre-teens, teens, and adults (similar to diecast car collectors or train replicas), why not take your mascots and sell them as figures to those older audiences AND to kids too?

Skate Crew Series 1 (2001):

These are ALL Blind & World Industries mascots. 

Skate Crew Series 2 (2002): 

This series is the first & only to NOT include World Industries and introduces PIG mascot figures. 

Here's the figures in-package, since this is the only set to use concept art in place of figure photos.

    

Skate Crew Series 3 (2002): 

This crew introduces Toy Machine figures to the line! This is also the last one to include PIG figures. 

Skate Crew Series 4 (2002): 

This is the first and only time in the magnetic feet/original run of Skate Crew that no Blind mascots were included in a crew

Skate Crew Series 5 (2003): 

The PIG and Toy Machine figures were seemingly wiped from the line after 2002, the line once again only features Blind/World Industries like Crew 1 did in 2001.

 

Series 5 (2003) took things back to Series 1 (2001): This was the first crew since the original to feature  12 skate mascot figures. Like Series 1, it was back to Blind and World Industries only, no longer can you find Toy Machine/PIG mascots in Skate Crew. 

This series has 11 new figures, thank you Steve Rotters for the screengrabs of toyshow samples! 

The 12th figure was just a reprint of the Blind Reaper from Series 1 (2001). 

Skate Crew Series 6 (2004): 

Series 6 is easily the hardest series to track down, it is also the first to feature the majority Blind instead of World Industries. This is also the only one with no yellow flameboy or blue Wet Willy. 

This was the final Series of NEW magnetic Skate Crew figures that dropped in the X-Concepts years.

The Grimm Dudes and Creatures had also ended the prior year in 2003. 

This is likely because Tech Deck Dudes became a major success in 2003-2004 with the Evolution Crews. Dudes now had bendy arms, blast boards, accessories, and trading cards.

Skate Crew figures cost $6 a figure (compared to the $5 dudes who also had bendy arms and a pack of cards). Plus, X-Concepts had to pay skate brands for licensing their mascots to them, which led to lower ROI. 

My theory is X-Concepts figured why put ample effort put into a line that you have to sell at a higher price and still make less ROI on? 

There was a five-year gap between Skate Crew 6 (by X-Concepts) and Crew 7 (released by Spin Master with plug feet and no magnets). In the interim of 2004-2006, Skate Crew 3-packs just reused molds from Crews 1-6.

Skate Crew Series 7 (2009): Target Exclusives 

There were no new Skate Crew single packs/molds for 5 years; the line floated putting reprints in 3-packs. But, Spin Master brought back the hit toy line in Target Exclusive single packs. Much like the G4 Tech Deck Dudes of 2008, Spin Master (who now owned X-Concepts since late 2006) got rid of the magnets and used plug feet instead for the World Industries toys. 

Now, Blind is gone from the line, and these World Industries Wet Willy, Flameboy, and Devil figures did not come with the pre-established World Industries branded boards. They came with the same red Tech Deck logo boards as the G4 dudes. 

Plug-Feet Reprints of Magna World Industries Figures (2009): 

Spin Master also re-issued some of the original Magna/Magnetic World Industries figures from 2001-2003 as plug-feet figures to coincide with the new figures hitting shelves at the same time.

Skate Crew Reprint 3-Packs (2002-2006)

First Reprint 3-Pack Set (2002)

The first set had horizontal bubbles (like the G1-G2 Dude 3-packs) and featured only World Industries figures from Skate Crew 1.

Vertically Displayed 3-Packs (2003)

These packs are the first figure packs to display each figure in vertical bubbles. The G2 Dude 3-Packs still had 3 figures standing beside each other horizontally and were released earlier in 2003.

Blue Boxes From 2003: 

 

Black and Orange Box Reprint Set (2003)

These are again reprints. We can assume like the above, this set included 3 packs of 3 figures.

   

We used to think when archiving these that the sets below came out in 2004-2005. As of 2022, we realized that either: 

1. There were no new 3-Packs from 2004-2005.

2. The 2003 packs above stayed in circulation throughout 2004 and 2005. 

Either theory makes sense since Skate Crew single packs ceased in 2004. By 2003, they had already lost Toy Machine and PIG figures, perhaps there was an issue with World Industries and Blind that took a couple years to sort out? Interestingly, all four brands still had fingerboards during the two-year drought of Skate Crew mascot figures. 

 

By contrast, several 3-Packs of the original Tech Deck Dudes came out in 2004 and 2005. The Dudes hit their peak during this time. Perhaps this also explains the gap in 3-packs and crews for skate mascots? The company's focus shifted toward the dude line and boards. 

Orange Design Set (2006)

Here's one set of three 3-Packs: The box had big logos of both brands and a horizontal title on the left

The card back in this listing was too blurry, so I couldn't read the copyright date. 

Red/Orange Packs (2006):

These have a more vibrant sunset orange pallet.

These are reprints too. 

Light Orange Packs (2006):

These are reprints, too; I am unsure which of the 2006 3-packs came first or last.

World Industries Store Exclusive Packaging: 

I think the figures below were released in World Industries stores, hence why they have unique packaging different from their regular retail releases. 

Here's something fun I found about this series, at least for the World Industries Swamp Thing! 

 

Not sure why the Crew 4 Swamp Thing Flameboy has a promo for Crew 5 on the back?

The Crew 5 figures of Wet Willy and Flameboy were also sold in World Industries shops! 

You could also get these World Industries branded package versions on World Industries kids clothes: 

Interestingly, World Industries sold these Tech Deck products with very little Tech Deck branding anywhere; perhaps they thought they could take the figures solo?

There is no mention of Tech Deck except their domains, added in was World Industries' domains. 

Interestingly, these figures sold in World Industries shops (and carriers of the brand) and on Wolrd Industries kids clothes, were copyrighted 2001-2004.

 

Coincidentally, 2004-2005 marked a drought in new 3-packs and the end of new skate crew single packs. 

Is it possible World Industries tried carrying the line on their own? 

All these figures had unique store packaging from the World Industries shop. Maybe in California? These are unique compared to the general release ones you can find on eBay. So, I suppose X-Concepts/Tech Deck was making store exclusives?

Other Tech Deck Logo Toys:

In 2009, Tech Deck did a display stand and replica of the Santa Cruz screaming hand.

Other World Industries and Toy Machine Toys: 

In 2000, Toy Machine independently dropped a line of 3 mascot toys. This was a year before the X-Concepts Tech Deck figures and 1 year before the Skate Crew Series.

I wonder if the X-Concepts/Tech Deck team was inspired to do Skate Crew thanks to these toys?

Recently, Toy Machine also released Sock Monsters of their mascots:

 

There has also been an inflatable Sect toy:

World Industries RC's by Jasman (2006)

The brand has also produced stuffed toys of Flameboy and Devil Man and a vinyl toy of Flameboy.

There were also these stringed Wet Willy and Flameboy, either plush toys or soft inflated toys? I don't think these were mass released. These were in a shot of Round Two LA in an episode of Slobby's World.

Mark McKee designed some of the most iconic World Industries boards and did a collab art toy.

It's a replica of his Devil Bear/Winnie The Pooh parody design from the late 80's-early '90s. 

  

Speed Demons: 

Speed Demons made yo-yos, keychains, and 2 inch mascot figures for their wheels.

 

KROOKED: 

Krooked was founded in 2002 and has had tons of great decks turned into Tech Deck fingerboard replicas.

Mark Gonzales's artwork and characters for KROOKED have been made into great art toys, plush toys, and even a Medicom Be@rbrick!

 

 

DGK Stevie Williams and TokiDoki Collab Figure:  

Stevie Williams' skate line DGK started in 2002 and had Tech Deck fingerboards throughout the 2000s and 2010s. DGK never had Skate Crew figures of their cartoon characters/parodies, but they did do a cool collab with TokiDoki, turning Stevie into a toy. 

Spin Master/Tech Deck also made a few figures of Pro Skaters in The Pros toy line in 2010, including Stevie Williams. 

Ecko Unltd had a figurine of their Rhino, although some would consider their brand more "streetwear" than skateboarding. 

Nike made a toy to promote their Nike 6.0 skate shoe line.