SocialRec.

This collaboration is a few years old, though one of my favorite collaborations. I’m a huge Pixar fan, and love Toy Story, part III being my favorite. I didn’t follow this collaboration closely, though I wish I did.

I came across these two pairs Christmas 2019, as I was shopping for my children. My son Michael loves Toy Story and is big into Cowboys and horses and he loves Woody and Buzz. When I saw these shoes I knew I had to buy them for him no matter the cost. I even thought about looking for matching father/son pairs but realized that the shoes were only made for toddlers.

I was semi-torn between which pair I should get him because they were pricey for a little kids shoe. Ultimately I convinced grandma (my mom) to help me buy a gift for her grandson and then I bought the other pair (Grandma’s will always be willing to buy something for their grand children). When I showed my mom the shoes, she instantly said he’ll love them. Sure enough he did.

When they came in the mail, I felt like I was more excited to receive them than my own son because of course I love the story’s behind shoes and the inspiration that comes from them.

These Adidas Ultra Boost have it down to the last details. As I poured over both kicks, I could see the time and effort that went into making sure they resembled each character. The Woody pair has the patch work with the yellow and red colors in the strips and in the primeknit upper.

While the blue from Woody’s denim isn’t there, the black makes up for it, and even has the brown shoelace ends that resemble his hat and boots. Even the sole resembles them. At the back of the heel, you get the subtle hint of blue in the unique heel pattern. The insole is the coolest and missed feature as it showcases Woody’s image.

In the second pair, the colors really pop for Buzz. You have the neon green sockliner, neon green accents in the forefoot and knit, as well as the heel collar. Then you also have the infrared colors in the side logo and knit as well. Inside the shoe, you also get the image of Buzz as he’s blasting off! Iconic.

Both shoes come with the aforementioned Boost, and provide a comfy, soft ride. Both tongues have the Toy Story 4 logo on them as a final stamp.

Though my son doesn’t fit in these anymore, I couldn’t bare myself to get rid of them (plus a few other pairs he has) because they represent so much. I somewhat forced my son onto the Toy Story saga and while he could have hated it, he really loves it. We share a special bond, kind of like an old meets new since Toy Story just celebrated it’s 25th year anniversary.

When he gets older, hopefully will still share that love for Toy Story and I can go back and show him these shoes that his dear old father got for him and still has till this day. Who knows, maybe they can even be passed on to his kids. One can hope.