"Heelies": Won't anyone think of the children? ;)

[Ko-Ko]

But you can still get plenty of exercise with them. They don't go that fast, and if anyone stopped moving, they'd soon roll to a stop. So they can still get exercise like riding a bike or using roller blades.

Ko-Ko
 

[caranfin]

I think they're kind of interesting, but . . . as a nation, we're overweight from not getting enough exercise already.  Do we really want to encourage our kids to cut out the only exercise they DO get by letting them roll around instead of walk?

The last time I went roller skating (after, um, several decades of not skating) I was surprised at how much my leg muscles hurt. I know Heelies aren't the same, but the other side of the coin is that they might encourage kids to get on their feet instead of sitting in front of the TV.

I still won't let my daughter have them, though. 

[kathrynne]

DH and I have been talking for a while about getting a pair for me so he can tow me around when we shop. I can't possibly keep up with with his walking pace.

Then again, I wear a boys' 3-1/2 shoe (women's 5), so it's going to be pretty easy to find. Do I want Superman or Batman? With or without flashing lights?

[Leprchn]

I vote for Superman, with flashing lights.

Oh.  Were you asking for an opinion?   

I swear, I'm just a big kid at heart!

[kathrynne]

I vote for Superman, with flashing lights.

Oh.  Were you asking for an opinion?   

I swear, I'm just a big kid at heart!

I'm really tempted. We didn't have light-up shoes when I was a kid and I'm jealous! Is 45 too old for this sort of thing?   

[pryncsskittyn]

I think they're kind of interesting, but . . . as a nation, we're overweight from not getting enough exercise already.  Do we really want to encourage our kids to cut out the only exercise they DO get by letting them roll around instead of walk?

My response to this, they are not a lazy activity.  They make walking fun and it get's kids out of the house to use them.  I may not have liked him gettingthem for Xmas, but then, they're better than an XBox 360 right?  They're similar to roller skates in that, if you want them to work, you have to move your body.  There is also balance and coordination taken into consideration with these as well, so they are a good mobility toy.

My son's school has also banned the wheels, but not the shoes themselves.

As for the adults that want them, I know Footlocker at my mall carries them in adult sizes, and if you shop online, I'm sure you can find them, I know they are made.  Lots of high schoolers like them so there is a market for adult sizes, and the company made them... I'm just not sure how available they are in stores.
I did a quick Google for them *Heely's Adult* and found this link:
http://shopping.yahoo.com/s:Skates:4168-Brand=Heelys

They're not cheap, but from what I can tell they're of a decent make and they look alot like my Vans' as far as comfort goes (and I paid $120 for those!), and my Vans are the most comfortable sneakers I've ever worn!

[hobish]

pryncckitty, i think i love you.

The heelys i saw in kids sizes were of equable price in our mall if i remember right, and they seemed really well made. Not much beats a pair of Vans ... too bad they don't make those with wheels. Or do they? We've got a Vans Skate Park inside one of the malls where i live (NJ, home of the strip mall).

I promise solemnly not to knock over ladies ... or gentlemen...carrying groceries.

[snoopygirl]

I must be one of the few people then that hate those shoes. I saw them in the hockey arena when I went to the game on Tuesday. Now to me they arent that safe becasuse a hockey game is very crowded. Not to mention the kids were skating around the food stalls. Picture a lot of people with six dollar beers. I was wating for one of those beers to get knocked over because I almost got knocked over while I was looking at hockey shirts at a stand. I ended up pressing myself up against a wall while waiting for my mom to get out of the bathroom so I wouldnt get run over.

[Ciarrai]

I hate Heelies too. I cannot count the number of times I've been run into or almost run into at work because some little bratling is skating around the store. We have a sign that says no bikes or roller skates/rollerblades in the store, and we're pushing to add a sticker to the bottom that says "no shoes with wheels" as well since it's become quite dangerous. Our floors are slippery sometimes, even in my combat boots. I'm just waiting for someone to fall and slam his/her head into the floor, and the parent turn around and sue the store.

[pryncsskittyn]

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
To the 2 posters above me.  I agree with you.  Children should not be allowed to wear the wheels when there is a danger of A. a crowded shopping or event area or B.  When there is a danger like hot food or slippery floors. 

I will note though.  I live in a suburb, a highly populated one.  There are nice sidewalks and the parks have paved areas for runners/riders etc.  There is a ligitimate outdoor use for these things where I live.  I don't ever let my child wear them inside anywhere, I think it's just as rude as bringing a skateboard into these places. I tend to think of them as rollerskates and only allow my son to wear them in places where rollerskates would be appropriate.
The problem is that most parents and kids don't have this thought, they just wear them everywhere and people are getting hurt.  I honetly feel the warning on the box should say "This item is a type of rollerskate and should only be worn where these types of activities are accepted."  Because, well, they are rollerskates right?  Just a more sophisticated design, rollerblades fit somewhere in the middle of this evolutution.

[RoseRose]

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
To the 2 posters above me.  I agree with you.  Children should not be allowed to wear the wheels when there is a danger of A. a crowded shopping or event area or B.  When there is a danger like hot food or slippery floors. 

I will note though.  I live in a suburb, a highly populated one.  There are nice sidewalks and the parks have paved areas for runners/riders etc.  There is a ligitimate outdoor use for these things where I live.  I don't ever let my child wear them inside anywhere, I think it's just as rude as bringing a skateboard into these places. I tend to think of them as rollerskates and only allow my son to wear them in places where rollerskates would be appropriate.
The problem is that most parents and kids don't have this thought, they just wear them everywhere and people are getting hurt.  I honetly feel the warning on the box should say "This item is a type of rollerskate and should only be worn where these types of activities are accepted."  Because, well, they are rollerskates right?  Just a more sophisticated design, rollerblades fit somewhere in the middle of this evolutution.

I mostly agree.  I think the SHOES should be okay anywhere, but the WHEELS should be removed in places you mentioned where rollerskates would be inappropriate.  That's why the wheels CAN be removed, the wheels aren't appropriate everywhere.

[Dragons 8 Cactus]

I loved those Slap Bracelets. I wish they would bring them back.

And I know guys in Heelies that are reasonably responsable, they don't heel in spaces with a lot of oldies or people in general.

So, yeh, I think it's probably the area you are in.
Dragons8

[CalabashCorolla]

I loved those Slap Bracelets. I wish they would bring them back.

And I know guys in Heelies that are reasonably responsable, they don't heel in spaces with a lot of oldies or people in general.

So, yeh, I think it's probably the area you are in.
Dragons8

I think they actually did bring back the slap bracelets sometime in the mid-90s, made from plastic instead of dangerous metal, but by that time the fad had sort of faded. But if we start seeing a substantial wave of 90s retro coming back (*shudder* too....soon...getting...old...), then slap bracelets might come along for the ride.

And I'm glad that you know people who play with Heelies responsibly, but sadly, anywhere there are irresponsible parents, it seems there will also be Heely-wearing kids getting into trouble 

[Barghest1031]

I loved those Slap Bracelets. I wish they would bring them back.

And I know guys in Heelies that are reasonably responsable, they don't heel in spaces with a lot of oldies or people in general.

So, yeh, I think it's probably the area you are in.
Dragons8

I think they actually did bring back the slap bracelets sometime in the mid-90s, made from plastic instead of dangerous metal, but by that time the fad had sort of faded. But if we start seeing a substantial wave of 90s retro coming back (*shudder* too....soon...getting...old...), then slap bracelets might come along for the ride.

I had a Star Wars Episode One Obi-Wan slap bracelet. I loved that thing. Sadly, it started to wear out so it's now tucked away safely. ^_^

I don't have so much of a problem with Heelies themselves, but, like several others have said, I do have a problem with the kids who skate around in them when they shouldn't. I was at Walmart looking through the V-day cards when an older woman and a young boy (who I think was her grandson) came up. The kid was wearing some heelies and smacked into me several times. Grandmother said/did nothing. If my mood had been several notches worse I probably would've accidentally pushed back. (Yes, I know that's terrible, but when I'm grouchy I'm really grouchy.)

Same thing almost happened several other times at both Walmart and Target. *sigh*


OT but I'd love to get a pair of light-up shoes again. I miss those. (However, they do not combine well with small, bored children in movie theaters who decided to start stomping their feet on the floor in the middle of the movie. My eyes are drawn to flashing lights.)

[CalabashCorolla]

OT but I'd love to get a pair of light-up shoes again. I miss those. (However, they do not combine well with small, bored children in movie theaters who decided to start stomping their feet on the floor in the middle of the movie. My eyes are drawn to flashing lights.)

Heheheh, OT too but I just wanted to say that some of my favorite "dumb criminal" stories involve bad guys who might have pulled off escapes through the dark woods at night had they not been wearing light-up shoes. Talk about natural selection in action