Tech a look at my Deck, Dude!

Tech Deck Dudes were again brought to the top of my mind the other day, so I thought a little retrospective was in order. While it seems Tech Deck is not longer producing their copyright-skirting finger-skating figures any longer (I haven't seen them in stores for a couple years now, all they appear to be making are the boards themselves) the ones I have will always hold a place in my heart, and there are still a few I'd like to track down in the future!

Here's a re-cap of the one's I have or have had in my collection:


The first Tech Deck Dude to ever really catch my attention was 'Adam.' I recall seeing this guy in the store and being floored that Tech Deck would dare fly in the face of DC and Warner Brothers and produce this knock-off. Apparently I wasn't the only one to feel that way, as 'Adam' didn't last long as was eventually stricken from Tech Deck's line-up. Smartly, I bought two and still have this one and one mint in package!


The Tech Deck Dudes design aesthetic later evolved to include arms. I eventually discovered 'Minga,' an Optimus Prime wannabe and knew he had to be mine!


Around the same time this Kato inspired 'Bruce' hit the scene. I sure wish Tech Deck would have gotten around to a Green Hornet figure!


As Tech Deck Dudes began to hit their twilight, Dudes began to appear with little pet sidekicks. What's true in sit-coms is true in toyland. 'Mort,' resident Megatron faker, came with a little RatBat 'Zood.'


The Dudes further evolved with the elimination of their magnetic feet - by the time Ghostbuster 'Murry' came about he held fast to his board via a peg. Murry also came with a ghost 'Zood' whose name I do not recall.


The very last Tech Deck Dude I purchased in store was way back in 2010 at a discount outlet store - another sign of the death of a line. 'Nightwatchman' is a clear rip-off of The Watchmen's Nite Owl II. By this time the Dudes were not only pegged to their boards (instead of the classic magnets) but Nighwatchman came with a clear plastic 'arm' to pose him mid-rip on a base that could be connected to other Tech Deck Dude bases for hours of displaying fun.

While Tech Deck Dudes started out innocently enough, with various general designs, by the end the pop culture references were the bulk of the line. I'm just surprised they were able to pull it off for so long.

Here's a handful of Tech Deck Dudes I missed out on but wouldn't mind tracking down someday:

This one here is probably the one I regret not buying the most: #147: Nate. Nate is of course inspired by the Ninja Turtles and was released near the very end of the line. I saw him in Toys R Us once but passed on him. Lame!

Tech Deck Dude #036: Norman. Norman is a bit of a mish-mash here, he looks like he's supposed to be Jason from Friday the 13th but he's been given Aquaman colors in this iteration. Which means he, Adam, and Superfinger (see below) would make a great Tech Deck Justice League!

#014: Petey is clearly Hellboy.

#140: Robo Supreme is an Ultraman wannabe.

Another one I had in hand but put back on the shelf. #148: Stuart is a Teen Wolf Tech Deck Dude!

#164 Mite is a Tick rip-off complete with two Sporks!

Shik just looks like Harley Quinn so yeah.

Tech Deck Dudette Helen looks like Xena.

Finally: Superfinger. I almost bought him as well once but ironically he didn't look enough like Superman for me to do so at the time (his colors are all off!) Obviously Tech Deck rectified that problem with Adam, but got sued in the process. Pretty sure this guy was canceled too.

Will Tech Deck Dudes ever make a triumphant return to toy store shelves? I don't know, but I am sure a generation of kids and collectors will one day look back on these guys with a nostalgic eye, and maybe they'll get super articulated pain-in-the-butt-to-buy-online-only Tech Deck Classics!

One can only hope.