Part 1: Introduction

An Introduction From CMO, Mark Schwartz

When I was a kid, maybe 8 years old in 1988, I remember walking out the front door of my house to a court filled with radical neighborhood kids & teens on skate decks — the kind that now would be considered “cruisers” — going up and down their makeshift halfpipe.  

Even as a kid, I always noticed clothes and style for some reason — but, I can pinpoint this day as one of my earliest memories that began to connect the idea of a style to a brand — and what it meant to wear something cool… VS… not cool.

Some of the kids were well known hellions in my neighborhood — while others were their friends, or strangers from houses down the block. — but, they were wearing these colorful t-shirts with a bright neon yin-yang on the front “pocket” logo — and on the back of the tee there were some of the brightest, coolest, raddest, most awesome cartoon characters I’d ever seen.

Looking at the neon colors made my eyeballs feel like they were high — before I even knew what “high” meant.  Maybe it was that the “edgy” skater kids were wearing them, or that I had recently become a massive fan of comic books, Garbage Pail Kids & just saw “Who Framed Roger Rabbit” for the first time, but the idea of “‘toons on a tee” blew my 8 year mind — like GPK “Adam Bomb.”  I wanted one of these tees badly,  but first I had to figure out exactly what it was. I didn’t know the names of the characters, or what a yin & yang was, or that it was “a brand.”

It was the summer of ’88 — and the next day, while attending a summer “day camp”  I was determined to find out about these tees — but, getting info was tough in those days, because obviously  there was no internet. So, I did what most kids in the 1980’s did when they wanted to know something — I nervously asked an older kid.  

I somehow summoned the courage to ask an older camp counselor about it — and gave him a description of Thrilla Gorilla and drew a picture of a crude yin & yang — asking him, “Who makes this? Is it a comic?”

 His reply was loud, and I remember being instantly embarrassed, thinking I said something wrong — “Dude! Are you talking about T&C and Thrilla Gorilla?! How do you even know about that stuff yet dude?!” Then, he started getting excited and quickly told 2 of the girl counselors (whom I had crushes on) that I was asking  about “T&C.”  

Just as my embarrassment was reaching peak level — I started to notice the older kids weren’t laughing… they actually thought it was cool — and they started talking to me differently, like I was suddenly a member of their “secret cool club.” Then, they started talking about some of their favorite Thrilla tees and characters (if not by name, by description.) They talked about  characters, like “Thrilla Gorilla”, 2 Kool Cats, Space Alien and even a Caveman. The next day one of the camp counselors gave me 2, ultra-bright, neon, clear vinyl, Thrilla stickers. 

I was hooked.

I can’t help but wonder — If I was able to go back in time and tell the 8 year old me, that one day — way in the future — I would get the chance to interview Steve Nazar — the artist who drew the characters I was crazy about — and have him answer all of my questions — AND that I would also get the opportunity to help out with a Gecko X Nazar collaboration — what would he say? 

I have a feeling he would either say: 

“Yeah right dude!  I don’t look like you in the future!” 

Or, “Can you get me more stickers… AND a shirt?!”