These ‘Jurassic Park’ Shoes Are Real, Somehow Not a Late April Fools’ Day Prank

Jurassic Park shoes

When you walk into a room wearing Jurassic Park sneakers, does John Williams’ theme music suddenly start blaring from whatever speakers happen to be in that room? I suppose we’ll soon find out, because Reebok is about to release the Jurassic Park x Reebok Instapump Fury from designer Steven Smith sometime this year. The release of these shoes was originally set to coincide with the release of Jurassic World: Dominion, but even though that film has been delayed due to the pandemic, that’s not going to stop these shoes from stomping their way out into the world. Check out some more photos below.

Once these shoes hit shelves at a still-unconfirmed date later this summer, you’ll be able to get a pair for $180. House of Heat describes them like this: “the pair takes on the franchise’s iconic track detail, with uppers of green and yellow gradient slashed with red claw marks throughout for a perfect tribute to the original people mover. The signature wordmark lettering features in 3D rubber at the front and rear pulls reading ‘Reebok Classic’ and ‘Jurassic Park’ respectively, while the world-renowned T-Rex silhouette logo rests atop the Pump tech at the tongue. Interestingly, Reebok branding has been removed at the forefoot and heel, while the undercarriage sees a special tear detail that shows the internal workings of the truck. Capping off the design is an elegant tan leather liner and special co-branded graphic insole set.”

I love Jurassic Park as much as the next person, but I must say, I find these to be absolutely hideous and aesthetically revolting. I’m sure there will be plenty of sneakerheads and/or Jurassic Park fanatics who disagree, but I think they look like a McDonald’s Happy Meal toy, or like the type of plastic, ridiculously colored shoes that your three-year-old niece or nephew would get from a Wal-Mart. In my admittedly limited experience on this planet, I just cannot imagine an adult thinking it’s a good idea to wear these in public – unless, maybe, it’s for a Halloween party. But I’m also not super into sneaker culture, so there’s a whole other world that I’m not tapped into where people would probably jump at the chance to own these purely as a collector’s item, which is far more understandable in my eyes.

As for that famous T-rex logo on the Pump tech pad, I’d recommend listening to this episode of the Spark & Fire podcast to learn about how designer Chip Kidd crafted that memorable image: