I Must Be Crazy! {#Heelys}

Oh, yes - I got to try out a pair of Heelys! Never heard of them? Well, my oldest knew right away - as soon as he saw the box. You really should have seen his face when I told him they were sent for me to review. You see, he bypassed me in foot size last spring, so he knew that there was no way he'd be able to mash his foot into shoes that were my size. Good thing I requested a Men's size 12, huh?Anyway, Heelys look like regular shoes... until you turn them over. On the heels, there are spots for wheels. You can wear them as shoes, or convert them easily by popping in the wheels. And there are tons of styles to choose from - from the super-girly to jock. I'm impressed with how comfortable the shoe, itself, is and it's also very well made. I don't expect them to fall apart after a couple of months' use.

Now, our Heelys came with a ton of paperwork. On the inside of the box top, there was a sticker describing how to put the wheels on correctly. There was also a page filled with warnings! Kind of had me worried, you know? This paper said things along the lines of: You're using these at your own discretion and you can't sue us if you're an idiot and aren't careful. Things that need to be said to protect the company from being sued. They don't want to end up like McDonald's getting sued because their HOT COFFEE wasn't labeled as being hot. Same thing here - shoes with wheels can be dangerous - if you aren't careful, you can really screw yourself up! Now, I read through all of the paperwork and then got to work. I cut off the tags, pulled the tissue paper from the toes, laced them up, then followed the directions for inserting the wheels. I had my oldest bring the camera and we headed to the park so I could try them out. (See that red tag connected to the shoe in that picture over there? I didn't read that. That's why I look  so stupid! READ EVERYTHING!)

Yeah, this is the one video where I'm not saying something stupid or with my son narrating. Most of them had him saying things like, "Yep. There's my mom trying to be cool. I can't believe I'm sitting here in public with her right now. This is so embarrassing!"

After I nearly crash-landed (Heelys strongly suggests the use of helmets and pads - I say strap a big, fluffy pillow to your butt with a belt!), I was done. I cannot risk getting hurt due to my inability to get used to these things. You have to be comfortable leaning back onto your heels - which have wheels attached to them. Balance is key here and I just don't have that kind of ability. I took off the shoes and asked my son if he wanted to try. "They're not going to fit me!" So, I explained that they were his - I got them way too big for me so he could have them. I mean, I just couldn't see myself actually using these very often... they'd have been a waste if they were in my size!

Show-Off

It seems he actually read the directions on that little red tag and was skating around on his new Heelys in minutes! He even got on the Heelys site (during English class!!!) and found an entire portion of their site dedicated to learning the ropes and even including a few tricks - Skate 101. It even includes things like using common courtesy around other people, when NOT to skate, and a safety checklist that you should go over before using your Heelys every time. A much shorter and to-the-point set of rules can be found on the Heelys Playbook. I had my oldest read it over and then quizzed him on the safety and courtesy issues listed.

You know what I like about the removable wheels? My son loves showing off his Heelys. He wears them to school and to hang out with his friends. I can make sure he hands over the wheels before he goes anywhere! I am certain that, when he realized the shoes were for him, that he was envisioning himself floating down the halls at school. But, without even looking it up, I know that the school has probably outlawed any type of wheeled shoes on campus! Then there's the part of him that wants to show off to his friends. That teenage "I'm Invincible" part of his brain that would have him skating down the 5-foot tall cinder block wall in our parking lot and then attempting to jump something for a finale. With no helmet. So, I have peace of mind when he walks out the door, knowing that the wheels are in my sweatshirt pocket! Oh, and if one of us happens to lose a wheel, we can order a replacement without having to get another pair of shoes. I'm looking into getting him some protective gear (<---that's a non-affiliate link to Amazon) for Christmas so I won't feel like the anxiety-ridden mommy whenever he wants to wear them outside.

Heelys are already popular among the tween & teen crowds. If you're thinking of picking up a pair for the "cool kid" in your life, check this out: First, every week, Heelys has a $30 and a $40 Deal of the Week. If you're patient and wait for your preferred style to show up, you can score them at a great price! Next, you can check back on Black Friday for a great special! Between Nov 25-Nov 28, Buy any pair of HeelysNano, and get a pair of shoes for $25. And get free ground shipping on all orders!

Look how much better I got after reading the directions! 

OK, it's Little Guy's Hold-On Handle tied to the basketball hoop's pole. So sue me! LOL

You can check out Heelys Fall/Winter Collection 2011 (with prices!) HERE.
You can find Heelys on Facebook and Twitter. If you're interested in buying some, make sure to like/follow them for updates on deals.
Want to see what people can do on these things? It's really amazing! Check out Heelys You Tube Channel.


*Disclosure: I received one pair of Heelys for free for the purpose of this review. I did not receive any other form of compensation. All opinions are mine and have not been influenced by Heelys or any other entity.