Surf Bum

The term 'Surf Bum' was a slang phrase used to casually describe anyone who spent as much of their time as possible at the beach catching waves in the 1960s.

The Revell Company was a well-established maker of plastic model kits such as military airplanes, monsters from Universal horror films and other such items when it hooked up with custom car designer Ed 'Big Daddy' Roth to develop a model kit line capitalizing on the surfing fad that was sweeping the West Coast at the time.

A number of crazy-looking hot rods, dune buggies and what-have-you were turned out, and one such kit ('Surfite', with Figure) featured a futuristic one-person dune buggy.

It was on the box for the model that the words 'with Figure' appear in a casual, brush design type face.

Those few letters were the inspiration for creating a new retro type face entitled Surf Bum JNL, which is available in both regular and oblique versions.

Tags
1960sbrushcasualdecorativedisplayhand letteredheadlineinformalretrosans serifsurfingvintage