While the wisest expectation to have for Brooklyn-based art collective MSCHF is to expect the unexpected, each new iteration of the group’s trickster-like sensibilities comes as a true surprise. This time, at least, it does seem to build on the success of another recent project. In all their bright red, cartoonishly curvy glory, MSCHF has unveiled the Big Red Boots—a near-perfect construction of the iconic footwear worn by anime and manga icon Astro Boy.
Big Red Boots immediately reads as yet another comic offering by MSCHF and is well in line with their usual modus operandi. The boots have a notably tall and thick design featuring a rubber exterior and finishing in an entirely impractical wide and round foot, all in an unmistakable red hue. But after the images of the footwear themselves made the rounds, it wasn’t long before pictures of celebrities and influencers were showing off the extremely conceptual shoes, the simply lined treads emblazoned with “MSCHF” being a clear calling card that doesn’t disrupt the iconic design.
“Cartoon boots for a cool 3D world,” reads the product description. “Cartoonishness is an abstraction that frees us from the constraints of reality. If you kick someone in these boots they go boing!” The group goes on to describe the design in terms of “unreality” and highlights the ability of animated design to convey true aspects that are true with abstracted forms, giving sly references to Mickey Mouse, Mario, Pac-Man, and Dora the Explorer—though the exact details of the design certainly point most directly to Astro Boy.
While MSCHF is no stranger to apparel design in conjunction with their artistic prankster spirit, this project seems most especially to spring off from last year’s headline-making Satan Shoes—the Satanist-inspired and blood-infused inversion of Nike Air Max 97’s design.
Big Red Boots are currently on a waiting list for orders, but interested parties will be able to put down a cool $350 to pull off their best Mighty Atom cosplay. Pieces are already going for double and above on the likes of eBay, which is no surprise. MSCHF has once again found a way to put all eyes on them in the art and culture worlds, and more than ever, it’ll be hard to look away from these beacons of cartoon joy.
