There have been a lot of variations of the ACCEL over the past 30 years — some more technical, some more limited, some more controversial.
Then there was one that was… just small.
Really small.
The Micro Accel x Gonk Toys wasn’t designed to change skateboarding. It wasn’t designed to do much of anything, really — except bring a little fun to ACCEL DAY, and maybe make you laugh when you opened the box.
The Birth of a Tiny Joke
The idea came from Tony at Gonk Toys, a good friend of éS and an even better purveyor of tiny things. He surprised us with a few handmade samples: a 2-inch version of the ACCEL made from white suede, gum rubber, mini laces, and an embroidered éS logo. We were sold instantly.
It was weird. It was great.
So we cleaned up the CADs, sent them to the factory, and made a small run of them for ACCEL DAY 2021–2023. Gonk helped manage the production to make sure the proportions looked right, and somehow — in about 8 weeks — we ended up with a skate shoe you couldn’t skate in.
Not Quite a Shoe.
Not Quite a Toy.
Let’s call it a novelty.
Each Micro ACCEL came in a matching micro éS box, complete with a tiny note and signature from either Pierre André Senizergues or Don Brown signature.
They were packaged like collectibles, and that’s pretty much what they became.
We also made a limited run of fingerboards to go with Micro Accel x Gonk Toys — maybe the first true skate shoe x fingerboard collab? Either way, the fingerboard crowd was stoked. We guess.
A Nod to PJ
(and Joe Brook)
Just to dial up the fun, we even tried distressing one Micro ACCEL to look like PJ Ladd’s blown-out pair from the end of his Wonderful Horrible Life part — a nod to the Joe Brook photo that made the real ACCEL immortal. It never made it to production, but if you saw one floating around: yes, it was intentional. And yes, it was ridiculous.
So... Why?
Because the Accel deserves to be celebrated — even if that celebration involves shrinking it down to the size of a Matchbox car.
The Micro Accel x Gonk Toys wasn't revolutionary. It wasn't even remotely practical. But it was a good time.
Good times matter.