Established in 1974 by Richard Novak, Doug Haut, and Jay Shuirman, Santa Cruz Skateboards is the longest running skateboard company in the world and is distributed by NHS. It began as a surfboard company, which faced early difficulties maintaining profitability due to the industry's low profit margins. Very quickly, a Hawaiian business associate of NHS's friend challenged NHS to produce 500 skateboards. They realised they had a surplus of fibreglass, so they made skateboards out of the extra stuff. In 1973, Santa Cruz released its first skateboard. There was a rapid uptake of the initial 500 skateboards, signalling a need for and subsequent supply of many more. There's no denying that it's become a household name in the skateboarding community thanks to this brand.

Logo for the company is a red circle with "Santa Cruz" written across it in capital, angular letters. The logo is easily identifiable due to the unique shape of the letter "A," which is a triangle. Jim Phillips created the emblem in 1978. The red "dot" in the logo used to be elliptical, but it was changed to a circle in later iterations. One of the most recognisable skateboard sticker designs of ALL TIME is the iconic red dot.

One of the most recognisable symbols of the Santa Cruz brand is the "Screaming Hand," which was created by Jim Phillips Sr. in 1985. In 2015–16, a travelling exhibition celebrated the 30th anniversary of the hand image, which has since become an iconic symbol in the skateboarding community. Phillips's son Jimbo has been contributing his artistic talents to the Santa Cruz brand since February of 2013. It's safe to say that the Santa Cruz Screaming Hand is one of the most iconic skateboard sticker graphics of all time.

There are numerous legendary Santa Cruz Skateboard Videos, including Wheels of Fire, Streets of Fire, Speed Freaks, A Reason for Living, BPSW / Big Pants Small Wheels, Good News, Dope Planet, Guarte, Home Video, Out There, Pack Media, Right to Exist, and Risk It: Gambling with Gravity.

There have been a plethora great Santa Cruz Team Riders over the years, including Steve Olso, Shawn Andrews, Brian Boyd, Hugh Boyle, Mike Conroy, Aaron Devine, Eric Dressen, John Gaviola, Blake Hannan, Jeff Hedges, Tony Henry, Peter Hewitt, Jason Jessee, Natas Kaupas, Jeff Kendall, Tom Knox (USA), Dave Leroux, Beaze Lovelace, Jason Monroe, Jim Namba, Alan Petersen, Mike Pros

Popular Partnerships
Over the years, Santa Cruz has become renowned for its daring and unique collaborations with a wide range of brands and franchises, including Marvel, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Spongebob, Vans, Emerica, Mars Attacks, Puma, Nixon, and Garbage Pail Kids.

A replica of Bart's iconic skateboard from the long-running TV series was created.

The laser-etched boards used in Star Wars were fashioned from several kinds of wood.

Boards like these once came in stunning pre-packaged boxes, like you'd find with an action figure, but can now be purchased only on the internet for several thousand dollars.

In February of 2013, a scandal arose after Jeremy Scott showed clothing and accessories at New York Fashion Week that bore striking resemblance to the Phillipses' designs. Artists in Santa Cruz and the skateboarding community had been outraged, and Denike responded:

That Mr. Scott has infringed upon the rights of the Phillips family, fans of Jim Phillips Sr. and Jimbo Phillips, and Santa Cruz Skateboards, as well as many others in the global skateboard and skate art community, is patently obvious.

In September, Scott acknowledged his mistake and the items were destroyed as a part of the settlement.

As the birthplace of skateboarding and surfing, Santa Cruz has always been situated at the centre of their respective subcultures' artistic and experiential canons.

Santa Cruz Skateboard Videos

Wheels of Fire Skateboard Video

Streets On Fire Skateboard Video

Speed Freaks Skateboard Video

A Reason For Living Skateboard Video