People often ask what “BBS” stands for. We usually tell them it doesn’t stand for anything—it’s just BBS. Or, on a good day, we’ll say it stands for whatever you’d like it to mean.

Of course, the truth is a little more interesting.

BBS originally stood for Bare Back Skateboards, a longboard brand we launched in 1996. The concept was simple and a bit unconventional: a board designed to be ridden barefoot, without grip tape—just you, the wood, and the ride. It was a different time, and the idea matched the spirit of the era.

Not long after, the internet grew up—fast. And along the way, the term “bareback” took on… unrelated meanings that made it increasingly difficult for a small skateboard brand to be discovered for the right reasons. Searching for us online became less about skateboards and more about dodge-the-popup.

By the early 2000s, we had shifted our focus to OEM manufacturing, and it made sense to leave the old name behind. “Bare Back Skateboards” was retired, and we became simply BBS.

So if you’re wondering what it stands for today—the official answer is: just BBS.