The footwear industry is fertile ground for collaborations, and since the sneakerhead subculture began in the late ‘70s/early ‘80s, big names like Nike, adidas, and Converse have understood the unique opportunities (and shoes) they present. The adidas Originals lineup, which highlights collabs with classic icons and celebrities, always aims to kick it up a notch and reinvent classic silhouettes. Now, the three stripes have teamed up with The Simpsons again (shoutout to the Marge Superstars that dropped last year) to bring us the adidas Stan Smith Homer Simpson shoes, featuring the loveable oaf himself on the back.
The star of the show here is clearly the back of the shoe, where Homer is receding back into the bushes (enhanced by the raised plush material), depicting the famous scene in the season 5 episode “Homer Loves Flanders” where Homer is trying to (unsuccessfully) befriend our favorite do-gooder Flanders. This scene was immortalized in a famous GIF that first hit the internet in the early 2010s, which quickly became a meme still used today. It got so popular, in fact, that the writers included a quick joke where Homer uses the GIF himself while texting in a 2019 episode.
Like traditional Stan Smiths, these limited edition kicks have a leather upper, leather lining, and a rubber outsole. This time around, the tongue features a portrait of Homer, along with a custom sock liner, a custom box, and, of course, an embroidered Homer peeking out of the bushes on a plush green heel tab. The color of the meme scene also lends itself nicely to the original Stan Smith colorway, but instead of the tennis legend’s name on the side, we have Homer Simpson’s.
The adidas Stan Smith Homer Simpson shoes are available now for $120.
