Soap was a brand of athletic

shoes A shoe is an item of footwear intended to protect and comfort the human foot. Though the human foot can adapt to varied terrains and climate conditions, it is vulnerable, and shoes provide protection. Form was originally tied to function, but ...

designed specifically for grinding, similar in concept to

aggressive inline skating Aggressive inline skating is a sub-discipline of inline skating in the action sports canon. Aggressive inline skates are specially modified to accommodate grinds and jumps. Aggressive skating can take place on found street obstacles or at skate p ...

. The shoes were introduced in 1996 by Chris Morris of Artemis Innovations Inc. under the brand name "Soap." They featured a

plastic Plastics are a wide range of synthetic polymers, synthetic or Semisynthesis, semisynthetic materials composed primarily of Polymer, polymers. Their defining characteristic, Plasticity (physics), plasticity, allows them to be Injection moulding ...

concavity embedded in the sole, enabling the wearer to grind on surfaces such as

handrail A handrail is a rail that is designed to be grasped by the hand so as to provide safety or support. In Great Britain, Britain, handrails are referred to as banisters. Handrails are commonly used while ascending or descending stairways and escala ...

s, ledges, and pipes. The brand gained popularity through online communities and live demonstrations, and Soap shoes were featured in the ''

Sonic the Hedgehog is a video game series and media franchise created by the Japanese developers Yuji Naka, Naoto Ohshima, and Hirokazu Yasuhara for Sega. The franchise follows Sonic the Hedgehog (character), Sonic, an anthropomorphic blue hedgehog who battle ...

'' video game franchise. The brand faced legal and financial difficulties and was sold multiple times, eventually being acquired by Heeling Sports Limited (HSL), the company behind Heelys.

History

Soap shoes were inspired from rollerblades and aggressive skating. Chris Morris, a former Rollerblade employee in Torrance, California, developed a shoe with a ground plate embedded in the sole for grinding. Morris enlisted the design firm Concept 21 to create a prototype, leading to the founding of Artemis Innovations, which sold Soap shoes for the first four years. In 2001, Morris lost control of the Soap license due to legal issues, and the remaining executives sold the brand. Soap was then acquired by In-Stride, a company primarily known for wrestling gear. However, In-Stride filed for bankruptcy in late 2002, making Soap available for acquisition again. Later that year, Heeling Sports Limited, the manufacture of Heelys, purchased Soap. “Soap" had a professional team, including former professional inline skaters such as Ryan Jaunzemis, Brandon L. Blackburn, Danny Lynch, Paul Cifuentes, Eddie Ramirez, and Ben Kelly, who led research and wear-testing. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, regional crews from across the

Americas The Americas, sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North America and South America.''Webster's New World College Dictionary'', 2010 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio. When viewed as a sing ...

and

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

shared online videos, supported by a dedicated online community of "Soapers." These crews and forums have since become inactive. Derek Brooks, a former team captain, continues to promote Soap through the website ''SolidGrind.com.'' The Melbourne Soapers, led by Greg Crellin, also maintain a

Facebook Facebook is a social media and social networking service owned by the American technology conglomerate Meta Platforms, Meta. Created in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with four other Harvard College students and roommates, Eduardo Saverin, Andre ...

page dedicated to the brand.

Soap shoes in ''Sonic the Hedgehog''

In the 2001 video game ''

Sonic Adventure 2 is a 2001 platform game developed by Sonic Team USA and published by Sega for the Dreamcast. It features two Conflict between good and evil, good-vs-evil stories: Sonic the Hedgehog (character), Sonic the Hedgehog, Miles "Tails" Prower, and K ...

'', developed by

Sonic Team USA , doing business as , is a Japanese video game developer owned by Sega. Sonic Team is best known for its ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' series and games such as ''Nights into Dreams'' and ''Phantasy Star Online''. The initial team, formed in 1990, con ...

, Soap shoes were featured as an in-game accessory. Billboards, blimps, and benches in the game displayed Soap advertisements, and the character

Sonic Sonic or Sonics may refer to: Companies *Sonic Drive-In, an American drive-in, fast-food restaurant chain * Sonic (ISP), an Internet provider CLEC, serving more than 100 California communities * Sonic Foundry, a computer software company whic ...

wore a custom version of the Scorcher/Nitro model. Soap shoes reappeared in ''

Sonic Forces is a 2017 Platformer, platform video game developed by Sonic Team and published by Sega. It was produced in commemoration of the 25th anniversary of the ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' franchise. The plot focuses on Sonic the Hedgehog (character), So ...

'' as an unlockable accessory for the Avatar character in three colors, one matching the 'Sonic Adventure 2' design, and in ''

Sonic Frontiers is a 2022 platform game developed by Sonic Team and published by Sega. As Sonic, the player explores the Starfall Islands to collect the Chaos Emeralds, after Sonic and his friends are separated when falling through a wormhole. ''Frontiers'' ...

'' as a bonus DLC for newsletter subscribers.In the anime ''

Sonic X is a Japanese anime television series based on Sega's ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' video game series. Produced by TMS Entertainment under partnership with Sega and Sonic Team, and directed by Hajime Kamegaki, ''Sonic X'' initially ran for 52 ep ...

'', Sonic wears Soap shoes in two episodes to gain an advantage in battles. The HD re-release of 'Sonic Adventure 2' retained in-game advertisements but removed the Soap-specific branding.

References

{{Reflist

External links

Archived Official Website
Shoe companies of the United States Sporting goods manufacturers of the United States Clothing companies established in 1997 Companies that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2002 Athletic shoe brands Companies based in Carrollton, Texas