The first time I saw the big red boots appear on my screen, I thought they were just an emoji of a pair of boots. They were so unshoe-like and smooth, they didn't even feel like they fit into the shoe universe. Alas, I was wrong and they are in fact a real pair of boots that one could hypothetically walk in, and jump through puddles wearing. Pushing the envelope so far into the cartoon world, they are literally the same as the Astro Boy boots. They have certainly taken the internet by storm over the past week with people posting some very joyful content in the boots.
The boots have been described as 'AIRPOD shaped' and offer some shoe-like semblance around the toe. After that, they just shoot smoothly up to the mid calf. The rubber is too smooth. As if moon boots had been 'pumped full of botox.' They give you the sensation of having asked someone who'd never seen a shoe to draw one.
It seems we're past authenticity at this point. MSCHF co-founder said of the boots that they are, “an absurd, simplified form that conveys the idea of ‘BOOT’ without worrying too much about the particulars of realism."
So how did these big red boots step into our lives?
The big red boots were brought to us by the Brooklyn based collective MSCHF. This is no surprise since the brand has also brought us other ridiculousness in the past few months. Namely, Birkenstocks made out of Birkin bags, and a cologne that smells like WD- 40. The team has long understood the connection between divisiveness and virality. They were the minds behind the collaboration with Lil Nas Z in 2021 releasing the "Satan Shoes" Nike Air Max 97s that contained the blood of MSCHF team members that Nike swiftly sued them for.
You might be wondering... what are the boots made of?
The boots are made of TPU which is the same material used by many phone cases. They also use an EVA foam outsole and midsole. EVA is what Crocs are made out of so might feel bouncy and squishy to walk on. Fun
“Big Red Boots are REALLY not shaped like feet, but they are EXTREMELY shaped like boots,” the brand said in a news release.
There's no doubt about it though, the internet has some feelings about the boots. Some love them, and some love to hate them. It's not like we haven't been working up to this point, with the weird shoe trend brewing, and puffing out bags and shoes like they're balloons. But we seem to have surpassed that and moved into full blow up boot territory. See some of the internet's reactions to the boots.
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— David (@DMBMan72) February 12, 2023
“are you wearing the-“
“The Big Red Astro Boy Boots? Yes I am” pic.twitter.com/6g4p6Kr8xH— Holekage Of The Hidden Bussy Village (@CAdreamboy) February 12, 2023
Yall gotta get the gloves to match the big red boots too lol pic.twitter.com/abSxbY49yj
— Malcolm Xcellent (@J_Nova_Kane) February 8, 2023
The boots are not yet available for purchase to the public but MSCHF has announced on their Instagram that they will be available on the 16th of February 2023 for $350.
