1001 Crew
The first to open the border
A Dutch C64 group active in the mid-1980s, 1001 Crew pioneered the hardware trickery — including opening the sideborder — that turned intros and demos into technical showcases.
Overview
1001 Crew were there at the start. Active from around 1985, the Dutch group — founded by Honey (Joost Honig) — were among the earliest C64 crews to treat intros and demos as serious technical work rather than throwaway signatures. Competing with rivals like The Judges, they pushed original graphics, music, and hardware trickery at a time when most groups were still doing simple text screens.
Their signature breakthrough: 1001 Crew are remembered as the first to open the sideborder on the C64, fooling the hardware into not drawing the border so sprites could move into the area the machine “shouldn’t” use. It became one of the defining C64 tricks, and a staple of the intros and demos that followed.
Fast facts
- Active: 1985–1988, Netherlands.
- Platform: Commodore 64.
- Founder: Honey (Joost Honig).
- Famous for: First to open the C64 sideborder.
Why they matter
The crack intro and the demo became technical contests because pioneers like 1001 Crew proved the C64 had hidden capabilities worth competing over. Opening the border was exactly the kind of “impossible” trick that raised the stakes — every effect that filled a C64 border afterwards owes them a nod.