The most commonly found “mini skateboard,” also known as a fingerboard, became a widespread household name in the 90s when Tech Deck made its appearance in retail stores en masse. But its history goes back a little further than that.
1970s: In the early days, the first fingerboards were just a fun craft activity that skaters came up with at home, making tiny skateboards out of cardboard layers or popsicle sticks and disassembling Hot Wheel toy cars and utilizing the wheels and axle parts to make the finger-sized decks.
1980s: Popularized by pro skater Lance Mountain, who was seen fingerboarding in an empty dual stainless steel sink as his comrades observed the tiny sequence of skate tricks in a Powell Peralta, Future Primitive skate video. Later, a few skate magazines would share a “how-to” piece that gave directions to make your own fingerboard.
1990s: Tech Deck era emerged onto the miniature skate scene, featuring trendy graphics and artwork, making them highly collectable items. Fingerboarding allowed people who couldn’t skate due to physical limitations or fear of injury to get involved in this exciting activity nearly anywhere.
2000s to Present: More fingerboard brands emerged into the community with higher-end products no longer made of just plastic parts but with real wood decks and urethane wheels like the lifesize skateboard. The online fingerboard community also takes off, creating enthusiasts worldwide.
Today, fingerboarding is a full-on hobby people partake in, like other popular hobbies. With community meet-ups, judged competitions,and coveted titles to reach for, such as having the largest miniature skate park in the country out there for the obsessed. Think of this activity as similar to having the urge to tinker with a fidget spinner, but with more possibilities and a more diverse community to be a part of.
