When were skateboard helmets invented?

Answer 1

Skateboard helmets were never really invented for the purpose of just Skateboarding. The first skateboarding helmets were rudimentary hockey helmets, made by companies like Cooper and Norcon, because there were no helmets made for skateboarding, and these were light and relatively inexpensive.

The first helmets made for skaters were probably the Flyaway helmets in the late 1970s.

Around this same time, other brands started marketing their existing safety helmets, which could be used for bikes, hockey, hanggliding, or any other activity, directly to skateboarders. Very few companies have made specific safety changes geared at skateboarding during this time. Protec has been the leader in sales of skateboarding helmets, and their design and materials have stayed largely the same over the last thirty years, with only minor tweaks.

Several other companies have entered the market, but have not been able to gain a large enough share of the business to maintain longevity. Since skaters, for better or worse, care as much or more about appearance as they do about safety, this trend seems likely to continue.