Moon Shoes

Moon Shoes was a toy marketed by Nickelodeon. Moon Shoes were essentially hollow plastic ovals with foot plates suspended by elastic bands. They functioned as portable trampolines, allowing kids to jump as high as four feet in the air.Jewett, Dale. "Moon shoes take a giant leap". The Desert Sun (Palm Springs, CA), 21 Dec 1989, C1. Newspapers.com. Accessed 6 Dec 2023. One boy described using them as "just like walking, only bouncier".DeGarmo, Kelly. "Walking On Air". Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 20 Nov 1990, Section 6 p. 8. Newspapers.com. Accessed 6 Dec 2023.
Moon Shoes were designed for kids 8 - 12 years old. Specifically, the foot plates could accommodate feet up to a men's size 8 and weights up to 150 pounds.
The general idea is similiar to an earlier toy from the '50s and '60s, Satellite Jumping Shoes. However, Moon Shoes used elastic bands to provide the bounce while the earlier toy used metal springs.Howard, Sherry L. "Terrifying 1950s satellite jumping shoes". Auction Finds. 1 Dec 2014. https://myauctionfinds.com/2014/12/01/terrifying-1950s-satellite-jumping-shoes/.
==History==
Moon Shoes were invented by Lee Hart. The inspiration for the toy came from Hart's younger days in the Tumbling Olympians, where he was an acrobat specializing in trampoline tricks. Hart began developing Moon Shoes in 1987. The original prototype was made with aluminum and bungee cords. 
Moon Shoes were released during the 1989 Christmas season in three test markets: Palm Springs, CA; Orange County, CA; Vancouver, WA; and Portland, OR. The test was a success. Hart Enterprises president Bob Laman reported that they worked 24-hour shifts to fill the orders. Even then, there was a waiting list of stores wanting a shipment. The manager of one Longs Drug Store said it was his best sellling toy of the year.
The product was available in almost 200 stores in the USA by the fall of 1990 as well as the UK and Sweden.Ecke, Richard. "Bigfoot, step aside". Great Falls Tribune, 21 Oct 1990, 1C. Newspapers.com. Accessed 6 Dec 2023. However, they were still limited by their ability to manufacture enough stock.Guinn, Jeff. "Hoppy Holidays". Fort worth Star-Telegram, 19 Dec 1990, Section 1 p. 1. Newspapers.com. Accessed 6 Dec 2023. In 1991, 67,000 pairs of Moon Shoes were sold compared to 17,000 the previous year. This was also their first year in the Sears catalog, which accounted for 30,000 of that year's sales.Popham, Art. "Sales know no ceiling when products are off the wall". The News Tribune (Tacoma, WA), 21 Sep 1993, C7. Newspapers.com. Accessed 6 Dec 2023. By February 1992, Nickelodeon was licensing Moon Shoes.Friedlander, David. "Gadgets!" Atlanta Constitution, 3 Feb 1992, E4. Newspapers.com. Accessed 6 Dec 2023.
Moon Shoes continued to sell throughout the decade. In 1998, Hart Enterprises sold their millionth pair of Moon Shoes.Brown, Craig. "Moon shoes still racking up sales". Arizona Daily Sun, 13 Jun 1998, p. 6. Newspapers.com. Accessed 6 Dec 2023. 
As of the 2023 Christmas season, Moon Shoes were still available for sale from Big Time Toys."Moon Shoes". Amazon.com. https://www.amazon.com/Big-Time-Toys-Trampolines-colors/dp/B000N5OIE6. Accessed 7 Dec 2023.
==Reactions==
During the 1989 Christmas season, The Desert Sun called Moon Shoes "one of the hottest toys this season". The manager of Uncle Don's Toys called it "the Hula-hoop of the 90's". In 2022, Creative Child Magazine named Moon Shoes its Kids' Action Play Product of the Year."Moon Shoes". Creative Child. https://awards.creativechild.com/product/4942-moon-shoes. Accessed 7 Dec 2023.
There were safety concerns about Moon Shoes. Commenting on an advertising pamphlet suggesting kids do tricks with their Moon Shoes, columnist Cathy Zimmerman wrote "Emergency rooms and law offices, hire now."Zimmerman, Cathy. "Ceiling may be limit for Moon Shoed kids". Longview Daily News, 26 Nov 1990, B1. Newspapers.com. Accessed 6 Dec 2023. In 1992, Moon Shoes were one of the toys on an annual list of dangerous toys put out by Ed Swartz, a hazardous product attorney and author of Toys That Kill. Hartz Enterprises responded that their liability rate was lower than it is for bicycles, skateboards, and pogo sticks."Troll and Terminator are listed among lawyer's dangerous toys". The Miami Herald, 18 Nov 1992, 6B. Newspapers.com. Accessed 6 Dec 2023. Columnist Mark Nixon skewered Swartz, referring to him as "the Toy Police".Nixon, Mark. "Toy Police on duty to spoil kids' fun". Lansing State Journal, 2 Dec 1992, 8A. Newspapers.com. Accessed 6 Dec 2023.
==Moon Shoes on Nickelodeon==
Several games from Wild & Crazy Kids used Moon Shoes:
* Guac Ball: A game that is similiar to baseball. All players wore Moon Shoes and the standard baseball was replaced with a Guacball, which was larger and designed so that it doesn't go straight when thrown or hit. Other changes included smaller teams, a smaller field, only two outs per inning, only three innings per game, and the ability to get runners out by throwing the ball at them.
* Moon Shoe Balloon Bust: Teams of seven had 60 seconds each to bounce around in their Moon Shoes, trying to use a tack on their headband to pop balloons filled with paint, water or shaving cream. The team who popped the most won.
* Moon Shoe Limbo: A game of limbo with the contestants wearing Moon Shoes. This was only part of the traveling show and was never used on TV.Wright, DeWayne. "For 2 days, fair geared to kids' stuff". South Bend Tribune, 11 Jun 1992, D1. Newspapers.com. Accessed 6 Dec 2023.
Nickelodeon GUTS used Moon Shoes for one of its events. In Moon Race, the contestants raced around a track while wearing Moon Shoes. However, the event was dropped after the first season.Siegel, Alan. "Do You Have It? An Oral History of 'Nickelodeon GUTS'". The Ringer, 11 Aug 2021. https://www.theringer.com/tv/2021/8/11/22618852/guts-nickelodeon-oral-history-aggro-crag. Accessed 7 Dec 2023.
==References==
Category:Toys