BACKGROUND CONTROL: MOON SHOES
Rock Garden Tour Fact Checker, Jesse Black, clears up some confusion regarding a subject that most rock and roll gardening shows wouldn't touch with a 5 foot garden hoe, moon shoes.
If you listened to this week's show, you may have heard the chief spotlight operator make a quick mention of moon shoes. For those who were unaware of their existence, or are uncertain about the functionality of a moon shoe, here's a brief history:
In the early 1960’s, an unnamed toymaker had the idea for a shoe that sought to give kids the experience of reduced-gravity foot travel...kind of like walking on the moon. Kids, growing up in a culture infatuated with outer space, saw the need to spice up their strides with these spring-loaded sneakers.
After the moon shoes were strapped on, children were able to jump a little higher and walk a little clumsier. Former moon shoe owner, Steve Bormis, describes his experience with the toy: “They’re impossible, there’s no way you can jump on them.”
However, along with the supposed increase in elevation came an increase in major and minor “boo-boos” (i.e. broken ankles, sprained wrists, dislocated knee caps, shattered hip sockets, and scraped elbows). As a result, these shoes were recalled from stores not too long after they were introduced. Since then, various imitations have been and still are sold, but none able to replicate the jumping power of the spring-coiled original from the early 60’s. Fortunately, holding true to their roots, today’s versions still allow uncoordinated children to injure themselves much more effectively than any regular shoes are capable of doing.
Tips for the avant gardener who wants to wear moon shoes while gardening:
- Don’t.
- Wear elbow pads, knee pads, a helmet, a mouth guard, and have a pair of crutches readily available.
- If you feel that you are improving with each use of the moon shoes, be warned: it’s just an illusion. You are bound to fall and eat dirt again—failure is inevitable while using moon shoes. Don’t get cocky.
A few questions we're still looking into: 1. What happens if you wear moon shoes in the Cosmos Mystery Area? Okay, that's really the only question we're still looking into. This is the audio segment from our radio show that Jesse Fact Checker was referring.
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