crocs...the kristy kremes of shoes

Where to start with Crocs? The little foam plastic molded clog exploded on the shoe scene in 2003 after initially selling 200 pair at the Fort Lauderdale Boat Shoe in November 2002. People either love or hate Crocs. According to Wikipedia there are several groups dedicated to the eradication of Crocs from the earth. This would include the blog "Ihatecrocs.com. and a Facebook page. Others are ardent fans although these are not so organized. I have several pairs of Crocs that I wear with varying degrees of embarrassment. I am never seen outside my home in Crocs.

Specifics:
Here is the Crocs homepage where they describe the stuff Crocs are made as the following:
"all crocs™ brand shoes feature crocs'™ proprietary closed-cell resin, croslite™, which represents a substantial innovation in footwear. the croslite™ material enables us to produce soft, comfortable, lightweight, superior-gripping, non-marking and odor resistant shoes. these unique elements make crocs™ footwear ideal for casual wear, as well as for professional and recreational uses."
Crocs have made all sorts of shoes and more absurdly, fur lined knee high boots. Their foundational products however are the Beach model of clog as well as the Cayman model which fits slightly more snuggly. The features of these two models are:

comfortable, cool, and molds to your feet
orthotic foot bed; advanced toe-box ventilation system
slip-resistant and non-marking soles
anti-microbial and odor resistant
ergonomic italian styling; wide, roomy foot bed; made with croslite™ material
buoyant; weighs only ounces
ventilation holes accommodate jibbitz™ brand charms

Reviews:
Here are 185 pages of reviews of Crocs from Zappos. Bottom line. Almost everyone loves them. It appears that they are so comfortable that you do not care if you look like a clown. If you believe that the stock market is a leading indicator for the success of a product Crocs might not look so appealing. Here is a chart showing recent share price action for Crocs company.


Pricing:
Basic Croc clogs are around $30 new. The more exotic styles have prices up to $80. With patience you can hunt them down Ebay for $15-$20.