Toys in shoes.

gayleygoo

My MIL recently kindly insisted on getting my children their school shoes. She took them to Clarks and let them pick. They came back with what I can only assume were dear shoes, since there were crappy little toys in the heels of them - as in, lift up the insole, and there's a toy in there.

Shameless marketing by the company, since what child can resist anything that comes with a "free" toy, but I'm concerned about the quality of the shoes. Since there is quite a large hollow area under the heels, will they support the foot properly? Won't the insole wear out quickly from frequent folding back to retrieve toy?

If I'd taken them to get their shoes, I probably would have told my children that the shoe makers mustn't think very much of their shoes if they have to put toys and other gimmicks in to sell them! I'm very grateful to MIL, but wouldn't like to think she'd spent a lot of money on shoes that won't last. Has anyone any experience of these shoes?

delain

Sometimes they last, sometimes not! My ex memorably filled the heels in one pair because the insole kept collapsing. Can't remember what he used. That was the only pair that were bad though, and grandparents bought them those shoes several times.

The really annoying bit is when the 'toy' is missing or broken in the first week :eek:

DD265

When I was a little girl, I had some shoes from Clarks with a keyhole in

http://observationdeck.kinja.com/an-epic-80s-childrens-fantasy-with-shoes-1555492845

GwylimT

My daughter had those last year, the only reason she needs a new pair is because her feet have grown.

southoftheriver

Well I'm 30 and I still want shoes with lights on them. This has no relevance to anything, but thanks for reminding me!

troubleinparadise

southoftheriver wrote: »

Well I'm 30 and I still want shoes with lights on them. This has no relevance to anything, but thanks for reminding me!

Me too! and I'm a fair bit older than you.....

olgadapolga

My son had to have these as they were the only ones that fit him on the day and they were fine. The inner heels did not collapse and they do support the foot properly; my son was unharmed whilst wearing the shoes. The question about the insole wearing out quickly with the removal of the toys isn't really an issue as the toys get lost very quickly (my son lost his within a couple of weeks but that was to be expected). The shoes lasted my son until his feet outgrew them.

Also, IIRC, the shoes were about the same price as any of the other shoes in the shop at the time.

freda

I expect they were Clarke's shoes. Pricey compared to supermarket/marks/BHS etc but cheaper than other good quality shoes like startrite and so on. My experience is that Clarke's will last maximum a year of school use before falling apart. This is with children who don't play football in the playground at break. Wearing out tends to either coincide with them growing out of them, or their feet grow before you even get to that stage. It has been the soles and stitching/gluing that has failed on my kids shoes, not the insoles.

But, that being said, I don't agree with such a blatant marketing ploy directed at children. It took a lot of explaining to get mine to understand that the toy was not the reason to choose a pair of shoes.

pinkshoes

OMG my 4 year old convinced me to buy him the Clarks trainers that you lift up the insole to reveal a car!

NEVER again! The darn things constantly fill with sand, which then transfers to our hallway or wherever he takes his shoes off.

BAD design only to be bought once!

Callie22

DD265 wrote: »

When I was a little girl, I had some shoes from Clarks with a keyhole in

http://observationdeck.kinja.com/an-epic-80s-childrens-fantasy-with-shoes-1555492845

I desperately, desperately wanted a pair of those. Eventually my mum agreed I could have some but I was heartbroken when I got to the shop to find out they didn't make them in a wide fitting. I don't think I've ever quite recovered from the disappointment ...

tyllwyd

My younger daughter had a couple of pairs of Clarks shoes with the little toys inside - the novelty of the toy wore off quite quickly, but there was no problem with the shoes themselves. They were in the same price range as any other Clarks school shoes - to be fair on your MIL, there might not have been many other options offered.