Moon Shoes: On The Wrong Side Of Orthopedic History

Proving Ground

Moon Shoes were dangerous toys from the 70s that used compression springs to help wearers bounce off the ground. Most of the time, they ended up twisting or breaking an ankle.

Transcript

00:00Moonshoes, on the wrong side of orthopedic history.

00:03Many toys in the 60s and 70s only lasted as long as the lawsuits were still pending.

00:09There were heavy hitters like lawn darts, clackers, and creepy crawler thingmakers,

00:14but a few mainstream toys also made the list, like hula hoops, slip and slides, and strap-on roller skates.

00:21The one I wanted most as a kid sounded just as bad on paper as it did in reality.

00:26Duplicating the effects of zero gravity would have been a snap with a pair of Moonshoes.

00:32Original Moonshoes used exposed metal compression springs to provide lift and bounce to perfectly good sneakers.

00:39The idea was to make a series of hops, hopefully followed by a series of safe landings.

00:45Good luck with that project.

00:47Assuming you didn't crush the compression springs outright,

00:50the minimal boost would usually be followed by an ankle-busting skid.

00:54I seriously doubt Neil Armstrong experienced that much pain on Apollo 11.

00:59Eventually, the toy company Powers That Bee got hip to the Moonshoe jive.

01:05After a brief recall for security theater purposes,

01:08a new generation of Moonshoes appeared with state-of-the-art plastic suspension.

01:13The exposed metal compression springs became a distant memory about how Daddy got that scar.

01:19At least no creepy crawlers were harmed.

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