children's toe nails, and even toes, have been torn off

[ZombieHorde]

TOKYO–Japan has instructed the maker of Crocs to alter the design of the footwear after complaints that the feet of children wearing the colourful plastic clogs have been injured on escalators.

Japan's trade ministry said yesterday it issued the warning after receiving 65 complaints about Crocs getting stuck in escalators between June and November last year. Most of the cases involved small children.

Similar complaints have come from the United States, where Crocs has its headquarters in Niwot, about 48 kilometres north of Denver.

snip

There are reports from Singapore to Virginia of instances in which children's toe nails, and even toes, have been torn off while wearing Crocs-style shoes on escalators.

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Link:
http://www.thestar.com/Business/article/416120

[Midlodemocrat]

1. Wow. Never heard of Crocs doing that.

But, in defense of the shoe, it's been a well reported fact for years that escalators can damage feet, which is why most have the yellow stripe along the sides. To prevent a child from standing there.

[patrice]

2. Call me an elitist. I don't know what people are doing wearing crocs out of the house. nt

[Toucano]

11. I'm with you.

I think the represent a great triumph of marketing.

People will pay you to put something heinously ugly on their feet.:)

[Beaverhausen]

12. Many people wear them for health reasons

I believe that's why they were invented in the first place.

I first heard about them from a friend who has fibromyalgia- she said they helped her walk without pain for the first time in a year.

[Clear Blue Sky]

14. Lots of folks wear them after foot injuries or other problems.

Hard to fit a swollen foot or toes into normal shoes. Cheap, comfortable, easy to clean. No wonder they are a hit.

[patrice]

19. Didn't know that and, of course, that would be an exception to what

amounts to a fad amongst many others.

[TomInTib]

13. Amen to that, patrice.

I see them on the tourists all of the time.

And I can barely hold a conversation with anyone who is wearing them, because I have to hold my tongue to keep from blurting out, "Just why in the Hell would you wear those things in public?".

But most of the people who I see wearing those things cannot see their feet, anyway.

[mike_c]

3. damn, I wear these almost exclusively....

They're one of the few shoes I can wear without terrible foot pain. Of course, I can count the times I've been on an escalator during the last year or two on one hand, I think, so I'm not gonna worry too much about that particular risk.

[bicentennial_baby]

5. I wear them on escalators frequently...so far, no problems

Although, I'm also an adult. :shrug:

:hi:

[mike_c]

9. well yeah, me too....

I just don't always act like one! :rofl:

:hi:

[patrice]

20. Sorry if I offended you; I didn't know people wear them for foot pain. nt

[mike_c]

21. not at all-- they're really not much of a fashion statement....

I only buy the black ones because-- as much as I like the way they feel-- I really don't want to draw attention to them! :rofl:

[Kurovski]

4. What are they made of? Don't they make your feet sweat?

[mike_c]

7. not particularly-- most styles are vented....

Even the closed ones don't make my feet sweat much more than leather shoes, i.e. minor sock dampness. The other side of that coin is that they evidently don't support bacterial growth, so there isn't any perceptible odor associated with that dampness, and as I said, the vented styles avoid the issue altogether (but aren't helpful if you NEED waterproof shoes, of course).

I wear them because I have really painful plantar fasciitis that has begun to limit my mobility in recent years. I was at a shoe store trying on Keens-- another shoe I can wear with inserts-- and the sales person suggested I wear a pair of Crocs around the shop while he looked for my Keens in the back. I had hobbled into the store in considerable pain, but the Crocs were instant relief. I ended up buying them too, and over the last several months I've bought four more pairs in different styles. They are incredibly comfortable-- not 100% pain free but a MAJOR improvement over most shoes I've worn in the last several years.

[Kurovski]

10. That's great news. I can relate to the abatement of foot pain.

It can make one very happy indeed. I'm glad you found these worked well for you, mike_c.

[Greybnk48]

16. Same here Mike_C

I have an old fracture in my foot that began to limit my mobility. I tried Crocs at my daughter's suggestion and have been almost pain free for two years. I've even hiked with them on (as opposed to sitting and waiting for others to get back). I now have 5 pair including the lined ones for winter. Last year I had to walk for rehab from a surgery; walking was all I could do at the time. If it wasn't for Crocs I couldn't have even done that.

[grasswire]

6. the toe needs to be redesigned

I've fallen twice while wearing my beloved crocs simply because the toe extends beyond where one is used to having shoe. Once on a sidewalk crack, the other time while running up stairs. You just don't expect there to be shoe where there is shoe, and misjudge the clearance.

Otherwise, I adore crocs and wear them every day. The pebbly bottom encourages healthy feet and they are inexpensive and sturdy.

[Warpy]

8. I think there are equivalent accidents with traditional footwear

because little kids just don't know when to jump off an escalator until they've had a lot of practice and if parents are inattentive, disaster can happen.

I blame Crocs for being butt ugly but not for this.

[Clear Blue Sky]

15. I see lots of kids wearing them barefoot and running around in them.

I can see that tearing off a toe nail.

[deadmessengers]

17. No worse than those skate shoes.

How much do you want to bet that the same people that are losing their minds over this are the same ones who allow their kids to wear those ridiculously dangerous skate shoes?

[Prefer]

18. So the shoes are named "Crocs" an they bite the toes off of children?

go figure. :shrug:

[mac2]

22. It seems to be the case.