They’re called British Knights, how you like me now!
The white shoe with the gold BK plate. The only shoe endorsed by MC Hammer. A shoe that came out of nowhere, was part of the slap bracelet revolution and returned to nowhere for hibernation.
The late 80s and early 90s are the retro fads du jour. Plastic sunglasses with the soft neon sides are gonna be everywhere this summer. I know in the big cities, girlies are going to come out sporting spandex shorts and doing The Butt with the original E.U. (no José Manuel Barroso). I dig this style.
This is when I was first coming up and got my bike stolen. Nothing is really worse for a nine year than losing his bike. It’s how I got to school and the only real source of freedom for a kid, but more to the point it’s having to tell your folks. Unless that bike was locked up and photographed for evidence, it is 100% always your fault. The bike took me as far as the mall (across the street, but really a mile) on one side, CB Smith park on the other, Al’s Baseball Card Store, Pizza Hut (you know the lunch buffet is grizzly) and over speed bump ramps…till the lights came on. If you spent your time outside, you know when the light comes on that your ass is on borrowed time.
Back to the front, though.
British Knights were introduced via Nickelodeon, the greatest channel in the history of viewing and mostly on Double Dare if memory serves (n. Takeshi Kaga). Our (Wink Martindale + Chuck Woolery)/Dave Coulier is the immortal Marc Summers, who now controls the vast majority of what is programmed on the Food Channel. Oh, and I can’t forget sidekick Robin and her great efforts to succeed Vanna White in the pantheon.
Marc was hip, he wore jeans with a sport coat and pushed up the sleeves and kept his shoes white and too crisp for a slime-laden obstacle course. The BKs were a prize on the obstacle course, usually toward the front and I can’t think that it would have ever been awarded after the fifth obstacle. These were some fly ass high tops which were marketed directly to kids, which was different than Nike or Reebok which didn’t feature prominently outside of target audiences of adults. The tiny gold badge was a sign that you were up on what was new and matched the bling of one’s tiny gold necklace (mine included a UMiami helmet charm).
I never got a pair of these. My mom never spent more than $50 back in the day for any pair of shoes and even in high school kept it in the sub $75 range. And it’s because of that I don’t think I’m going to pimp a pair now. It would have been different if I had them and wanted to reminisce which is the same reason that you don’t see me flossing the Z Cavaricci 100-loop throwbacks or Dolphins Zubaz. I do suggest them for anyone trying to make in real early 90s and I’ll even throw in a Hypercolor shirt.