Jelly shoes, made from gelatin rubber, were popular in the 1980s but went out of style in the 1990s. They can be uncomfortable and cause blisters, but are practical for wading in water. They come in a variety of colors and patterns and are generally considered women’s shoes.
Jelly shoes are shoes made from a porous type of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) known as gelatin rubber. Jelly rubber is made by adding materials known as plasticizers to PVC, causing it to soften and become more flexible. It is also used in a wide variety of other products. Like other plastics, jelly rubber can be made in a wide variety of colors and patterns, ranging from clear transparent material to neon pink jelly rubber with sparkles.
The heyday of jelly shoes was in the 1980s, when these shoes were on the feet of women and girls all over the world, in a rainbow of styles and colors. In the early 1990s, jelly shoes began to go out of style, and can sometimes be hard to find today, and tend to be much more expensive than they were in the 1980s, when they were often sold at prices very low in discount stores.
The term “jelly rubber” is a bit of a misnomer, as anyone who has worn jelly shoes knows. In fact, it’s a bit stiff and sometimes quite uncomfortable; jelly shoes could contribute to the formation of large blisters, and also tended to get very unpleasant when the wearer started to sweat. Some people put pads in their jelly shoes to keep up with comfort, in response to these problems.
Jelly shoes tend to be flat, though chunky-heeled versions are also available, and are generally designed to be worn like sandals, with a woven or interlock upper. “Jellos”, as they were called, were often used with decals and could be decorated with drawings of flowers and other motifs. Glitter was a common feature on jelly shoes in the 1980s, and some designers embedded objects into the jelly, from tiny plastic fish to geometric shapes.
As a general rule, jellies are considered women’s shoes. In addition to being fashionable for a brief period in human history, these shoes can also be practical at times. For example, the partially closed design makes the jellies ideal for casual wading in rivers and streams, as they protect the feet from rocks and allow the shoe to drain freely and dry quickly on dry land. For people with feet of the correct size and shape, jellies can also be very comfortable casual shoes.
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