KangaROOS
Encyclopedia
KangaROOS are an American
brand of sneaker
originally produced from 1979 through the 1980s, with a later revival that continues in present. They were notable for having a small zipper
ed pocket on the side of the shoe, large enough for a small amount of loose change, keys, or more recently, condoms.
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.
Further refinements on the original design led to several significant innovations in athletic footwear. One such innovation, the Dynacoil, was a patented energy release system designed in the mid-1980s by former Nike designer Ray Tonkel and consultant Al Gross and tested by NASA
. Many other athletic shoe manufacturers would later incorporate similar designs into their shoes. In the early- to mid-1980s many USA professional athletes wore ROOS football and baseball shoes as well as shoes for running and training. Notables included Walter Payton
, O.J. Anderson
, William (the Fridge) Perry
(football), Ozzie Smith
, Vince Coleman
and Ron Darling
(baseball), and Kenyan track stars (running).
There was a fad
dish dimension to the shoes, which became very popular among both casual athletes and American
schoolchildren. Gamm himself remained committed to KangaROOS as serious athletic footwear, and in 1985 he worked with a 10,000-square-meter testing facility called the KangaROOS Laboratory & Gymnasium at the U of Illinois. This allowed for refinement and development of the sneakers for many different sports, including American football
, basketball
, hockey
, tennis
, and track and field
.
By the end of the 1980s, the popularity of the sneakers was on the decline, executives departed the company and KangaROOS were quietly withdrawn from the market. However, nostalgia, combined with an appreciation both of the shoe's athletic design and its ubiquitous pocket, led to a reappearance of the shoe in the late 1990s.
Today, KangaROOS are sold in over sixty countries worldwide. Recent years have witnessed expansion through Central and South America as well as Asia. The footwear moved its strategic focus from performance sports to sports lifestyle footwear, most still bearing the zipper
ed pocket on the side. Some, however, now have a side pouch up on the ankle, which can hold a small wallet.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
brand of sneaker
Athletic shoe
Athletic shoe is a generic name for the footwear primarily designed for sports or other forms of physical exercise but in recent years has come to be used for casual everyday activities....
originally produced from 1979 through the 1980s, with a later revival that continues in present. They were notable for having a small zipper
Zipper
A zipper is a commonly used device for temporarily joining two edges of fabric...
ed pocket on the side of the shoe, large enough for a small amount of loose change, keys, or more recently, condoms.
KangaROOS were designed by American architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
and jogging
Jogging
Jogging is a form of trotting or running at a slow or leisurely pace. The main intention is to increase fitness with less stress on the body than from faster running.-Definition:...
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.
Further refinements on the original design led to several significant innovations in athletic footwear. One such innovation, the Dynacoil, was a patented energy release system designed in the mid-1980s by former Nike designer Ray Tonkel and consultant Al Gross and tested by NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
. Many other athletic shoe manufacturers would later incorporate similar designs into their shoes. In the early- to mid-1980s many USA professional athletes wore ROOS football and baseball shoes as well as shoes for running and training. Notables included Walter Payton
Walter Payton
Walter Jerry Payton was an American football running back who played for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League for thirteen seasons. Walter Payton was known around the NFL as "Sweetness". He is remembered as one of the most prolific running backs in the history of American football...
, O.J. Anderson
Ottis Anderson
Ottis Jerome "O.J." Anderson is a former American football running back. He was named the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year by the Associated Press with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1979, and the MVP of Super Bowl XXV in 1991 when playing with the New York Giants...
, William (the Fridge) Perry
William Perry (American football)
William Perry is a former professional American football player. He is best known for his years as a defensive lineman for the Chicago Bears. In reference to his large size, he was popularly known as "The Refrigerator" or, abbreviated, "The Fridge".-Life and athletic career:Perry was born in...
(football), Ozzie Smith
Ozzie Smith
Osborne Earl "Ozzie" Smith is an American former baseball shortstop who played in Major League Baseball for the San Diego Padres and St. Louis Cardinals from 1978 to 1996...
, Vince Coleman
Vince Coleman
Vincent Maurice Coleman is an American former Major League Baseball player, best known for his years with the St. Louis Cardinals. Primarily a left fielder, Coleman played from to and set a number of stolen base records. He was a switch-hitter and threw right-handed.-Biography:Coleman attended...
and Ron Darling
Ron Darling
Ronald Maurice Darling, Jr. is an American former right-handed starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the New York Mets, Oakland Athletics and Montreal Expos...
(baseball), and Kenyan track stars (running).
There was a fad
FAD
In biochemistry, flavin adenine dinucleotide is a redox cofactor involved in several important reactions in metabolism. FAD can exist in two different redox states, which it converts between by accepting or donating electrons. The molecule consists of a riboflavin moiety bound to the phosphate...
dish dimension to the shoes, which became very popular among both casual athletes and American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
schoolchildren. Gamm himself remained committed to KangaROOS as serious athletic footwear, and in 1985 he worked with a 10,000-square-meter testing facility called the KangaROOS Laboratory & Gymnasium at the U of Illinois. This allowed for refinement and development of the sneakers for many different sports, including American football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
, basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
, hockey
Hockey
Hockey is a family of sports in which two teams play against each other by trying to maneuver a ball or a puck into the opponent's goal using a hockey stick.-Etymology:...
, tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
, and track and field
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
.
By the end of the 1980s, the popularity of the sneakers was on the decline, executives departed the company and KangaROOS were quietly withdrawn from the market. However, nostalgia, combined with an appreciation both of the shoe's athletic design and its ubiquitous pocket, led to a reappearance of the shoe in the late 1990s.
Today, KangaROOS are sold in over sixty countries worldwide. Recent years have witnessed expansion through Central and South America as well as Asia. The footwear moved its strategic focus from performance sports to sports lifestyle footwear, most still bearing the zipper
Zipper
A zipper is a commonly used device for temporarily joining two edges of fabric...
ed pocket on the side. Some, however, now have a side pouch up on the ankle, which can hold a small wallet.