There’s no shortage of memorable moments for inflatable sneakers in pop culture.
From Reebok’s Bungee jump
to Dee Brown pumping up his Omni Zone II on tv during the 1991 slam dunk contest (for which he won)
to Wesley Snipes pumping up Woody Harrelsons Command Forces in White Men Can’t Jump (fast forward to 1:38)
and all the way to “inflatable turkey’s” on SNL
the inflatable sneaker was a force to be reckoned with during the later part of the 80’s and early part of the 90’s. For some, the pump mechanism was nothing more than a gimmick but in reality it was functional in the fact that for many it did give the user a better fit and the way Reebok packaged it was nothing short of a masterpiece. Many don’t realize however, how far back the technology goes, controversy surrounding Reebok’s initial release and the many imitators that followed. Lets go back, way back.
THE SHOES.
In 1893 Fillmore Moore created the Pneumatic Insole, an inflatable sole that could be adjusted. In addition to being the first work cited by Reebok for the Pump it is also the first work cited for Nike’s ‘Air’.
THE AERO SHOE CORPORATION INFLATABLE RUNNING SHOE 1983
In 1983 a company by the name of the Aero Shoe corporation advertised a running shoe with adjustable air in the midsole. The company would only last 5 years and the pump looked somewhat like a turkey baster but there was no denying that the company was one of if not thee earliest modern interpreter’s of the original Pneumatic Insole.
THE REEBOK PUMP BASKETBALL SHOE 1989
The worlds first Inflatable basketball shoe was and still is one of the finest basketball shoes ever made. Not to be outdone Nike would release their own inflatable basketball shoe the same year in the NIKE AIR PRESSURE (which inflated at the heel in contrast to Reebok’s cleverly designed basketball pump on the tongue).
Nike would only go on to release two additional inflatable basketball shoes in the NIKE AIR COMMAND FORCE –that used a pump in the collar-
and NIKE AIR FORCE 180 PUMP -which utilized a pump that could adjust not only the collar but also the arch of the shoe-
before abandoning the technology all together around 1992.
Reebok however would go on to follow up 1989’s basketball pump with a historic lineup of inflatable shoes across all sport categories over the years to come as well as a memorable ad campaign that put Reebok head to head with Nike.
Shoes like the Reebok Court Victory Pump
Twilight Zone & Omni Zone Pump
SXT PUMP
and PUMP FURY -to name a few- kept Reebok a viable threat to Nike for YEARS.
Of course with success would come imitators, one of which – L.A. Gear- was sued by Reebok (we’ll get to that later).
Shoes like the
and VOIT PUMPS
All this success however would lead to lawsuits both by Reebok and against Reebok.
THE PUMP LAWSUITS
In 1991 Spalding hired Design Continuum Inc. (the same company that worked with Reebok) to help them design an inflatable baseball glove that went by the name Air Flex -interestingly enough Mizuno had a similar glove called the AirFit-. Apparently the glove used the same technology used in Reebok’s shoes and the result was a lawsuit.
Fresh of securing a patent for some of the Tech related to the Pump technology Reebok went after one of the largest footwear companies of the day L.A. Gear who was using similar technology in shoes like their Regulator line. Eventually L.A. Gear settled for 1 Million dollars an a licensing agreement allowing for them to use the pump technology in shoes that “borrowed” design characteristics from just about every major brand of the day.
Byron Donzis was a well known inventor with over 35 patents to his name. In a twist of fate Reebok (who at that time had already sued L.A. Gear and & Spalding for infringement on their Pump technology) found themselves on the other side of the table when they were sued by Donzis for infringing on HIS pump technology. Donzi claimed he had shown Reebok the technology back in 1987 and received a patent for it in 1989 -while Reebok’s was still pending-. Reebok would go on to settle with Donzis in 1995 and as part of the settlement Reebok acquired the rights to some of Donzi’s technology.
TODAY
Today the technology is of course still celebrated and used in things like Ski Boots, but most are probably anticipating some sort of 30th anniversary celebration by the company that showcased the technology like no other, Reebok. Lets keep our fingers crossed for a 2019 celebration.