Town & Country Surf Designs
Encyclopedia
Surfboard
A surfboard is an elongated platform used in the sport of surfing. Surfboards are relatively light, but are strong enough to support an individual standing on them while riding a breaking wave...
s. T&C's origins began in 1971 with a single store founded by Craig Sugihara in Pearl City, Hawaii
Pearl City, Hawaii
Pearl City is a census-designated place located in the Ewa District and City & County of Honolulu on the Island of Oahu. As of the 2010 Census, the CDP had a total population of 47,698. Pearl City is located along the north shore of Pearl Harbor. ʻAiea borders Pearl City to the east, while Waipahu...
. The company soon expanded into a full line of surfwear and surfing
Surfing
Surfing' is a surface water sport in which the surfer rides a surfboard on the crest and face of a wave which is carrying the surfer towards the shore...
accessories and now has retail shops throughout the world in countries such as Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, and Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
.
In the 1980s, T&C became famous for their shirt designs featuring "Da' Boys," surfing cartoon characters designed by Steve Nazar. The most famous of these was Thrilla Gorilla, a surfing anthropomorphic gorilla.
In 1988, LJN
LJN
LJN was an American toy company and video game publisher. It created toy lines and video games based on movies, television shows, and celebrities. It was headquartered in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, and later in Lyndhurst, New Jersey.-Founding:...
released a game on the NES
Nes
-Localities:In Norway:* Nes, Akershus, a municipality in the county of Akershus in Norway* Nes, Buskerud, a municipality in the county of Buskerud in Norway* Nes, Hedmark, a former municipality in the county of Hedmark in Norway...
based on the store, entitled Town & Country Surf Designs: Wood & Water Rage
Town & Country Surf Designs: Wood & Water Rage
Town & Country Surf Designs: Wood & Water Rage is a skateboarding and surfing game developed & published by LJN for the Nintendo Entertainment System in February 1988...
. A sequel focusing on Thrilla Gorilla (Town & Country II: Thrilla's Surfari
Town & Country II: Thrilla's Surfari
T&C Surf Designs II: Thrilla's Surfari is a sequel to the original, Town & Country Surf Designs: Wood & Water Rage for the Nintendo Entertainment System video game system.-Gameplay:...
) followed in 1992, before the character designs disappeared into obscurity.