"Do you know, Mr. Hopper, dear Agatha and I are so much interested in Australia. It must be so pretty with all the dear little kangaroos flying about. Agatha has found it on the map. What a curious shape it is! Just like a large packing case."
- Duchess of Berwick to Mr Hopper. LadyWindermere's Fan, act 2.
Now, back in "the day" these shoes were popular. WHY they are making a comeback is beyond me! Kangaroos were designed by American architect and jogging enthusiast Bob Gamm. Gamm was a running enthusiast who would go ten kilometers a day, but preferred light athletic clothes without pockets. He designed the sneakers for his own personal use as a place to store his keys and money, then marketed them effectively. His marketing design was successful, leading to sales in excess of 700,000 pairs a month by the early 1980s. But really, they were notable for having a small zippered pocket on the side of the shoe, large enough for a small amount of loose change, keys, or more recently, condoms.
On a more serious note, once you got your change or personal item into the pocket, you had a slim to none chance of getting it back out without the removal of the shoe. I remember trying to get my twenty five cents out of the pocket so I could successfully make a telephone call. Yes, dear readers, Sister Mary owned a pair. I distinctly remember standing in the phone booth wrestling with my shoe and trying to get the change out of it without losing my calm, cool, collected self.
Readers, if you insist on having pumped up kicks like all the other kids, these are NOT for you. These shoes are strictly for nostalgia purposes and nothing more. Consider picking up a different pair, and leave these 'roos to forever roam the Australian Outback.
Until later my lovelies, stay fashionable!
Sister Mary
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