From the moment she steps out of bed, 26-year-old Parker has her trusty pair of Crocs strapped to her feet. “I got them in August of 2021,” the California resident says. “And whether I’m doing things around my house, walking my dog or running errands, they get the job done.”
To be sure, Parker’s Crocs are much more than a lightweight, single-toned clog-shaped sandal. Jet black and speckled with little, seven-pointed marijuana leafs throughout, Weed Crocs are a way of life for her. In fact, those who bestow these cultural icons upon their feet belong to an elite club, championed by stoners and Croc-lovers alike.
“My Weed Crocs are the most comfortable pair of shoes I own,” Parker says, echoing the sentiment of many Croc champions. While normal Crocs might garner a few jokes and comments from passersby, Parker has found that wearing Weed Crocs in public sparks entire conversations. “They’re my most asked about pair of shoes,” she tells me. “I’ve got the comfort of having a great conversation starter on my feet, which is a wonderful way to spread my love for cannabis.”
Merging the iconography of a pot leaf with an existing consumer-facing product or brand is hardly a successful endeavor, but Crocs has managed to capitalize on something countless boardwalk T-shirt vendors could not. Though they officially label the style “Classic Hemp Leaf Clog,” Crocs’ official online store is overflowing with glowing reviews for Weed Crocs. “These are the best Crocs I have ever purchased. I feel like a celebrity when I wear them because I get approached by so many people complimenting them,” writes “Grass of God,” from Boston. “If you wear these, you ARE cool.”
“[V]ery swag,” expounds Mia, another satisfied Crocs customer. “[I] love weed, these are great.”
Such reviews are what tipped off Syd Specter, a 34-year-old in Austin, to the realization that Weed Crocs were something special. “I was searching online to find some Crocs, and during the search I realized not just anything would do,” he tells me. “Then I found these glowing recommendations from people I would never have expected.”
At first, Specter says, he “laughed out loud at the concept of not only wearing Crocs, but Weed Crocs.” But then again, “just wearing normal blue or black Crocs didn’t fit me,” he says. “If I was going down this path, I needed to go all the way — Weed Crocs were all the way for me.” From that point forward, Specter has strapped on the Weed Croc and stepped into enlightenment.
“I love rocking them even more now that I’m getting out and about more than I was when I first got them during lockdown,” he says. Though he’ll sport them around his neighborhood or to the store, Specter says the Weed Crocs really shine when he wears them to practice with his band, Blood Hammer. “Being on my feet for more than four hours during rehearsal can be a pain,” he explains. “But I now do it in comfort and style, while smoking.”
Comfort, style and weed. It’s an unimpeachable holy trinity. Those who took the leap of faith don’t have time for ridicule anyway; they’re moving forward, spreading the Weed Croc gospel one marijuana-speckled step at a time.
Quinn Myers
Quinn Myers is a staff writer at MEL. He reports on internet culture, technology, health, masculinity and the communities that flourish within.
