The other day a press release came into my inbox with the subject line, “Slip into Oobees.”  At first, I was horrified, thinking it was some sort of demented pitch telling me to slip into obesity. But even after I cleared up the meaning during that bout of dyslexia, it didn’t get better; if I only knew the horrors that I’d actually encounter once I opened the email.

Say hello to Oobees – the cross between a slipper and a shoe.

Basically, Oobees are fuzzy slippers with fun patterns with extremely thick soles (like those thick-soled flip flops that Britney Spears used to wear everywhere pre-meltdown). So far, fairly normal – and useful for fetching the paper while still wearing your slippers – right? But what’s WTF-worthy is what the brand seems to be hoping will happen. Oobees are pictured being worn everywhere.  Yes, everywhere – on an escalator at the mall, outside on the school steps, while sitting in the back of a pickup truck – you name it, and Oobees are there.

But why would anyone think wearing slippers all the time will catch on? According to the company, Oobees are the perfect answer to “today’s casual climate” and were inspired by the founder’s teenage daughter who would put duct tape on the bottom of her slippers so she could wear them to school. Um…okay. We know teen’s have a style that’s all their own, and individuality is fantastic…but was this concept really the basis for a solid business plan?

Imagining Oobees being worn everywhere is like thinking thousands of people will wear plastic-foam clogs with ventilation holes while shuffling off the couch to the kitchen donning a blanket with sleeves. Oh. Crap.

Photo Credit: Oobees