If we would’ve had to bet a couple of years back which celebrity would start selling merch with their own blood, the top picks would’ve probably been names like Ozzy Osbourne or Marilyn Manson. Ozzy though is not in the best shape currently to be able to have a ton of blood drawn. While Manson’s fluids are not something fans are into. They’ve made that clear to him through recent lawsuits.
Tony Hawk, though, is now joining the ranks with an interesting marketing tactic of selling skateboards with his own blood!
Are You Serious?
恵比寿大好き, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Is this for real? The skateboarder recently posted a video on his IG page where he explains the whole initiative. It’s essentially a partnership between himself and the energy drink Liquid Death. The idea is to put a limited amount of skateboards on sale that are painted with a mixture of real paint that you would regularly put on a board. The second component in that mixture is said to be Tony Hawk’s own blood. The ad shows Tony having blood drawn while he explains the whole initiative.
The Purpose Of The Campaign Is Not Sadistic At All
Marie. L., CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
When you hear the phrase, Tony Hawk is selling skate boards with his own blood, a lot of disturbing images can pop into your head for sure. Although the whole campaign is centered around Tony Hawk’s blood, it’s actually for a good cause. The money that the energy drink and Tony are able to raise from the boards is going to go to different causes. Mainly to build skate parks and other facilities in at risk areas. Tony warned the folks who were drawing his blood that he didn’t want any clones of him made!
View this post on Instagram
A Token of His Retirement
Government of California, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
There may be another reason why Tony Hawk moved forward with his initiative. The boards are could also serve to mark a milestone in his career as a skateboarder. At 53 Tony Hawk still enjoys riding his skateboard as he always has. However, he’s choosing to stop doing a lot of the tricks that made him famous. He recently mentioned that he had performed the last ollie 540 of his life. Saying,
“In 1989 I started trying ollie 540’s as a joke, since it seemed there was no way to keep a skateboard on your feet throughout 1 1/2 spins in the air. But at some point I started scooping the tail with my back toe, which kept my feet in place for most of the spin,”
View this post on Instagram
Own A Board With Tony Hawk’s Blood
Stig Nygaard from Copenhagen, Denmark, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
It wasn’t clear how many liters of blood were taking from Tony to paint these skateboards. We do know though that the original plan is to only make 100 boards. Each of them is going to have a retail price of 500 dollars. It seems like the resale market for these, is really where prices could potentially heat up! Tony himself seemed pleased that this whole idea was for a good cause, saying,
“This collaboration is taking those connections to a new level, as I have literally put my blood (and soul?) into these decks, and I take pride in knowing that organizations fighting plastic pollution and creating skate parks worldwide will be supported through our efforts,”
.jpg){kind=link}