Lord have mercy. Do you remember the days? If you were in middle school and knew what was good for you, you owned a pair of Heelys. Nothing matched floating through the halls between classes, shredding figure 8’s, and swiveling 360’s. You may have even been one of the chosen few who were lucky enough to own a pair of Heelys Soap shoes. Yes, don’t pretend like you don’t know. I’m talking about those. Simply having them, melded with their “cool-factor”, overwhelmingly made up for the fact that you never, ever actually used them to grind on anything, for fear of busting your skull open.
The most unquestionably rad fusion of two popular trends.
This dude, knows solid grinds.
I digress. I was midway in conversation with a good friend of mine over drinks at Rachel’s Ginger Beer in Seattle. We were discussing the culture at his workplace, Microsoft, when suddenly he mentions a blast-from-the-past sighting of Heelys at the office. His co-worker had dropped $80 on a pair of Heelys last week and made no subtlety of it. While walking down a busy hallway one morning, said co-worker suddenly broke into a full-on glide, catching said friend and others off guard. These weren’t ordinary Heelys either – we are talking aggressively red, foot couches that would make any feet envious.
According to my friend, Heelys had cracked their way into the tech scene, and become a somewhat revered object of nerdy rebellion. Upon hearing this revelation, two things happened in quick succession. First, a nostalgic flame had been kindled, and we proceeded to gush about the glory days of middle school – when Yo-Yo's, Game Boys', and soda pop were once the stuff of contraband. Second, I chuckled at the imagination of jaw-dropped stares from my physician colleagues if I were to bust into a Heely glide in my white coat. Now that would be a way to get around the hospital.
“Hey, are Heelys still even a thing? I thought those died a very forgettable death” I mused.
Well, a quick YouTube search for “Heelys” now has me aware they are, in fact, far from dead. At least, not dead in the way you may think. At a minimum, Heelys appear to have a gained a cult-like fandom. Informal investigation led me to come across a host of YouTubers (mostly of the Millennial age) referencing a longstanding desire to own a pair ever since they were a kid, and now unpackaging a brand new pair of Heelys as 30-year-olds. After digging further, I discovered that there has been a legitimate revival in both popularity and economic viability of Heelys in the last couple of years. This was interesting. I had to know more.
Let’s lay down a little background. Heelys’ humble beginnings date back to 1998, when Roger Adams, a former clinical psychologist and recent divorcee, invented the shoes out of something between boredom and a midlife crisis. The company was officially founded in the year 2000. According to a 2017 article published in FootwearNews.com, the Heelys company closed a red hot IPO in 2006. Somewhere after that, Heelys faded into irrelevance. In 2008, Skechers offered to buy the company between $4.75 - $5.10 a share. After the company’s board refused the offer, Adams sold his shares and resigned from the company. By 2013, the company was a sinking ship, operating unprofitably and with a surplus of unbought inventory. Much to its salvation, Heelys was privately acquired by BBC International, a global footwear conglomerate. What they did next seems simple, but surely was no easy task. BBC inherited hundreds of thousands of unloved pairs of Heelys and refreshed the product line with totally redesigned models for kids.
Not what I had in mind when I said I’d one day own a pair.
Fast-forward a few years, and Heelys is now sold in over 70 countries, with some international markets having seen sales growth as high as 500 percent. Heelys now offers a full adult product line, catering to men and women, is a sponsor of the Harlem Globetrotters, and has (cleverly) raised a large Instagram following. They have formed strategic partnerships with brands such as Marvel and released limited edition products like Spiderman gliders. I’d even go so far as to say that some of their new shoes look pretty stylish – You are no longer confined to a pair of fat, outdated, skateboard shoes. If you do have a penchant for old-school flavor, however, fear not. Heelys still has you covered with their hideous offering of the Propel model. Note: I wouldn’t be caught dead wearing them. Lastly, you may be interested to learn that some limited production Heelys sell for high markups on the secondary market. A size 9 pair of the “Launch Fashion Sneaker” model in grey and red colorway will set you back $350.00.
Heelys Propel 2's. *Swipes left*
So what *nearly* killed Heelys after 2006? Was it poor company execution? Did too many kids bust their heads open chasing the holy grind? Was it just ahead of its time? Per FootwearNews.com’s article, “Heelys began to falter in the face of safety concerns, sagging sales, inventory issues and falling share prices.” According to BBC, Heelys were marketed like a toy under previous management, and only released the same handful of (ugly) designs year after year. As a company in the business of footwear, BBC revitalized the brand with bold new styles and materials – perhaps saving Heelys.
I’m going to take a moment to speculate here and add additional theories on why Heelys faded. I would postulate that not only did stale company management lead to its downfall, but that societal changes had a role too. I want you to look outside your window and ask yourself what you see. Are there kids rollerblading, skateboarding, biking, or playing in the street? Where are the hordes of youths playing manhunt or cops and robbers in the neighbor’s yards? Regretfully, these sightings are far rarer today than they used to be. For better or worse, this is a product of living in a different era: the era of safety and privacy. Parents would likely rather buy their kids toys which would entail less physical risk, and more indoor entertainment where they can be monitored.
$350.00 Heelys? Sign me up.
Hence, I strongly suspect a change in parental mentality had a powerful role in Heelys’ fade to black. That doesn’t tell the whole story, however. What else changed about our youth generation in 2006? As I recall, Facebook was just toppling MySpace, and social media was taking a strong foothold. With cell phones, online videogames, and social media exploding, kids simply outgrew things like Heelys. Outdoor novelties took a distant backseat to the digital ones that replaced them. I would even go so far as to say that Heelys became decidedly “uncool”, as time went on. Supporting this hypothesis, I dug up a Reddit thread entitled “its 2018 guys are heelys cool to wear again” (excuse the punctuation), and peered in. To quote OP Reddit user Command_Protect, “I want to get a pair without social judgement lol”. Taken at face value, this would seem to suggest that to some young adults, Heelys are an outgrown fad, and a potentially “uncool” one to boot.
“You do you. If you does Heelys, then wear the fuck out of em.”
-/u/BKNY75
So, have Heelys been relegated to nothing more than a children’s novelty, outgrown by a now-adult and ever-nostalgic wave of millennial adopters? Or, have they made a historic resurgence into mainstream relevancy? As some say, the truth is usually somewhere in between. Heelys appear to have found a niche place in today’s footwear market, with products that target an even broader range of consumer demographics than they formerly did. Do they move volumes like the next set of Air Jordan’s? Probably not. Whatever you think the case may be, you can still pick up a pair of Heelys and enjoy ‘em like they’re meant to be enjoyed. In this ever-changing day and age, I find that impressive. Should you worry if others will judge you when you decide to glide in public? As Reddit user BKNY75 best put it, “You do you. If you does Heelys, then wear the fuck out of em.” I have yet to test the quality of Heelys’ current products, but you can bet I will post a future review of my new Heely Launch shoes.
What are your experiences with Heelys? Please share your thoughts and opinions in the comments below!
Until next time,
RolloTomasi
#heelys #footwear #nostalgia #millennial #millennials #rollerblade #2000's #2000 #90's #1990's #2006 #skechers #grind #grinding #kids #sports #skateboard #throwback #rollotomasi #trends #trending #blog
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I made this blog post of my own free will and accord, and am in no way a paid representative or sponsor for the Heelys brand. Always wear a helmet!
I am a part-time physician, part-time traveler, and full time animal lover. I read and write about various topics ranging from travel, tech, and cryptocurrencies, to generally whatever the hell I find interesting.
