Thrasher Magazine Volume 1 January 1981, First cover art sealed in memory on a 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle

Spec's

Pieces: 1000
Assembled Size: 27.5" x 19.5" - 69.85cm x 49.53cm
Packaging Size: 25.3cm x 22.4cm x 5.2cm

"By 1981 the second wave was over, only the hard core remained. Many of the Skateparks had closed and skaters were going underground. Skateboarder had morphed into Action Now and was covering a range of what would become known as Extreme Sports. Fausto Vitello (co founder of Independent Trucks) saw the need for a 'skateboard only' magazine, however the Skateboard Industry at the time saw things differently. Fausto found investors from elsewhere and formed the publishing company High Speed Productions. With Kevin Thatcher as Editor, Thrasher first hit the streets in January 1981, it's philosophy from the start was for a magazine written by Skateboarders for Skateboarders. From the outset Thrasher set out to cover all aspects of Skateboarding.

The original Newspaper format was due to Fausto having a friend with a press set up to that paper size, later the magazine changed to a more standard size. As well as covering all aspects of Skating - Thrasher was instrumental in introducing readers to a range of different musical tastes from the burgeoning 'New Music' scene.

Many Skaters have contributed to it's pages and for many skaters around the world Thrasher was, and remains, the Skateboard magazine. As Fausto said; 'Thrasher is not about hypocrisy or selling out to corporate America. We are about skate and destroy'."

    - vintageskateboardmagazines.com

Thrasher is an American skateboarding magazine founded in January 1981 by Eric Swenson and Fausto Vitello. The publication consists primarily of skateboard- and music-related articles, photography, interviews and skatepark reviews.

The magazine also maintains a website and YouTube page, which includes segments with names such as "Firing Line" and "Hall of Meat", an online store, a video collection, a radio show, and a forum for registered users. The company also owns and operates the Double Rock indoor skateboarding facility, and the San Francisco skateshop, 66 6th.

History

Thrasher was founded in 1981 by Fausto Vitello and Eric Swenson, primarily as a way to promote Independent Truck Company, their skateboard truck company. The magazine's first editor was Kevin Thatcher. Mofo became the second staff member, joining Thatcher in mid-1981.

In 1993, Jake Phelps was named editor of the magazine. With him, he brought the punk-skater ethic to the world through his photojournalism, changing the essence of Thrasher, and in turn changing the sub-culture of skateboarding forever. In 1999, the magazine sponsored a PlayStation game called Thrasher Presents Skate and Destroy. Vitello's son, Tony, took over as owner of the magazine after his father died of a heart attack in 2006, and Swenson died by suicide in 2011. On March 14, 2019, long-time editor Jake Phelps died.

Photographer Michael Burnett is the magazine's current editor-in-chief