This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Some people call Moon Boots the shoes that fashion forgot. Others see the puffy, oversized footwear as one of the most iconic symbols of the 20th century.
Whatever your feeling about this other-worldly item, one thing is certain — they're baaack!
This year, the Moon Boot celebrates its 40th anniversary, and in honor of the milestone, the original manufacturer has launched a new line that features more contemporary styles, fabrics and colors.
But the original and instantly recognizable design remains mostly the same.
In 1971, Giancarlo Zanatta, CEO of Tecnica, an Italian outdoor clothing company, designed the first pair of Moon Boots. Zanatta was supposedly inspired by the shoes worn by the astronauts during the 1969 landing on the moon. Since then, more than 22 million pairs have sold. In 2000, they were named one of the 100 most iconic symbols of the 20th century by the Louvre Museum in Paris.
The height of Moon Boot popularity was in the 1970s and 1980s, when big hair, shoulder pads and bold colors went along with the larger-than-life design.
Since fashion often repeats itself, Moon Boots have landed back in popular culture. They've been seen on the feet of everyone from the lead character in the movie "Napoleon Dynamite" to actress Geena Davis, who was seen sporting a pair at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival in Park City.
A fair number of Utahns are wearing Moon Boots, not just as a fashion statement but because they are a good way to trudge through the snow.
Of course, nostalgia is one of the reasons for their newfound popularity.
"A lot of moms will come in and buy [a pair] because they used to have them when they were little," said Jacqueline Nealon, a sales associate at JMR at Gateway Mall in Salt Lake City.
The store sold dozens of pairs at Christmas, added JMR manager Danielle Hansen. "We have them out on display because they're just so much fun to look at."
Even though the colorful boots attract a lot of attention, Hansen said it's really a "love 'em or hate 'em" piece of clothing.
Teenagers squeal with delight over the cartoonish boots, while parents groan in the background, she said.
"I hate them," said Cassie Brown, who was 10 when her mother made her wear Moon Boots to school. "It just reminds me of being a kid and having to wear them all day, all the time."
In the "love 'em" camp is 18-year-old Jessica Luker: "I'd totally wear them, probably [in] white," said the senior at Bountiful High School.
So would Sam Hurst, a 20-year-old student at the University of Utah.
"They're so cool. You have to be kind of confident to wear them," said Hurst, while shopping at JMR. "I'd probably get orange and wear them around my friends. … There'd be, like, a crew of us wearing them around town."
Fashion that's out of this world
For more information about Moon Boots, visit http://www.moonboot.it.