Crocs facts for kids
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| Public | |
| Traded as |
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| Founded | 2002 |
| Headquarters | Broomfield, Colorado, U.S. |
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Key people
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| Products | Shoes |
| Revenue |  US$2.313B (2021) |
| US$725 million (2021) |
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| Total assets | US$1.54B (2021) |
| Total equity | US$14.08M (2021) |
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Number of employees
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4,000, including 3,000 in retail-related functions (2021) |
Crocs, Inc. is an American company that makes and sells the famous Crocs brand of foam shoes. These shoes are often called "clogs," but they are different from traditional clogs because they are made of foam, not wood. The company is based in Broomfield, Colorado, in the United States.
Contents
History of Crocs
How Crocs Started (2002-2007)
Crocs was started in 2002 by three friends: Scott Seamans, Lyndon "Duke" Hanson, and George Boedecker Jr. They saw a special type of shoe and thought it had great potential. They bought the design from a company called Foam Creations, Inc., and this design became the basis for the Crocs shoes we know today. The friends loved how comfortable and useful the shoes were.
In 2002, Crocs showed their first shoe model, called the Beach, at a boat show in Florida. All 200 pairs they made sold out very quickly! This showed how popular the shoes could become right away.
As more people wanted Crocs, the company grew. In 2005, they changed their logo and started their first big advertising campaign called "Ugly Can Be Beautiful." This campaign helped Crocs become even more popular and get ready to sell shares to the public.
In February 2006, Crocs became a public company. This means people could buy shares of the company on the NASDAQ Stock Market under the symbol CROX. Even with some challenges, Crocs kept growing and became a well-known shoe brand around the world.
Growing and Changing (2008-2015)
Around 2008, during a time when the economy was struggling, Crocs faced some difficulties. They had to reduce their plans for how much money they would make. This led to them laying off about 600 factory workers because stores were ordering fewer shoes. The company's CEO, Ron Snyder, said that shopping had become harder in the U.S. because people were spending less money.
To make things better, Crocs announced a plan in 2010 to make their business simpler. They cut 180 jobs and planned to close many stores that were not doing well. They also decided to stop making some shoe styles that weren't selling much.
Despite these tough times, Crocs kept working to improve. In 2013, a big investment group called The Blackstone Group invested $200 million in Crocs. This helped the company buy back some of its own stock and make changes to its leadership.
Crocs Today (2016-Present)
By 2017, Crocs had sold an amazing 300 million pairs of shoes! In 2018, Crocs stopped making shoes in their own factories in Mexico and Italy. They moved their main office from Niwot, Colorado, to Broomfield in June 2020.
In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Crocs helped healthcare workers. They gave away free pairs of shoes to many healthcare heroes and sent 100,000 pairs to hospitals for staff.
From 2020 to 2022, Crocs sales grew a lot. This happened because many people wanted comfortable shoes to wear while working from home during the pandemic. Also, Crocs became very popular through special partnerships with famous fashion designers and clever marketing campaigns. This helped make the brand cool again, especially among younger people.
Buying Other Companies
Crocs has bought other companies to grow its business and offer more products.
- In October 2006, Crocs bought Jibbitz. Jibbitz makes small decorations that you can snap into the holes of Crocs shoes.
- In January 2007, Crocs bought Ocean Minded, a company that makes leather and foam-based shoes.
- In July 2007, they agreed to buy Bite Footwear, another shoe and sandal maker.
- In April 2008, Crocs bought Tidal Trade, which was their shoe distributor in South Africa. They also bought Tagger International B.V., a company that makes messenger bags.
- In February 2022, Crocs made a very big purchase: they bought the Italian shoe company HEYDUDE for $2.3 billion.
Since early 2022, Crocs has stopped its business in Russia, including selling shoes and importing them. They also promised to support UNICEF with donations.
How Crocs are Made
In 2004, Crocs bought Foam Creations, the company that made the special material for their shoes. This gave Crocs the only rights to use this material, called Croslite. Croslite is a special type of foam that molds to your feet, making the shoes very comfortable. Some foot doctors even say it has health benefits.
Crocs also has patents, which are like special rights that protect their shoe designs and how they are made. They have also registered "Crocs" and their logo as trademarks in many countries. This means no one else can use their name or logo without permission. They even protect their brand for other items like sunglasses and watches.
What Crocs Sells
Crocs makes shoes in many different styles and colors. Their most popular "Classic" style comes in over 30 colors! They also have a "Fuzz Collection" with soft, woolly liners, perfect for colder weather.
Besides shoes, Crocs sells other fun things. Jibbitz are small decorations that you can clip into the holes of your Crocs to make them unique.
In 2008, Crocs even started making golf shoes after buying a golf shoe company called Bite Footwear. They introduced a Croc-style golf shoe called the Ace.
Cool Partnerships and Collaborations
Crocs has worked with many famous people and brands.
- From 2006 to 2009, Crocs was the main sponsor for the Association of Volleyball Professionals (AVP) Tour.
- In 2021, celebrities like Nicki Minaj and Justin Bieber showed off their Crocs on social media, making the shoes very popular. Crocs also became a big trend on social media platforms like TikTok.
- Crocs often teams up with individuals and other brands to create special, limited-edition shoes. For example, in 2021, they worked with The Smiley Company. In 2023, they partnered with a German luxury brand called MCM for unique releases. They've even had collaborations with KFC, Hidden Valley Ranch, and Pixar!
Fake Crocs and Copies
In 2006, Crocs announced that they were taking legal action against 11 companies. These companies were making and selling fake Crocs, or "croc-offs," that looked very similar to the real ones and used Crocs' protected designs.
Fake Crocs were found and stopped in places like the Philippines and Denmark. In 2010, a court decided that Crocs' design patent had indeed been copied.
In 2007, a safety group in the U.S. asked for a recall of some Crocs-like shoes. This was because small plastic parts could come off, which could be a choking hazard for children.
Many other brands make shoes that look like Crocs, such as Airwalk, Crosskix, and USA Dawgs. You can often find these similar shoes in discount stores or amusement parks.
Health and Safety of Crocs
Some Crocs shoes have been tested and approved for comfort and health. In 2005, a company called U.S. Ergonomics recommended them. In 2009, the American Podiatric Medical Association also accepted them. In 2008, the U.S. government even approved a Crocs model as special footwear for people with diabetes, to help protect their feet.
However, there have been some safety concerns. In 2006 in the U.S. and 2008 in Japan, some children got their Crocs or flip-flops caught in escalators. This happened because the shoes are soft and children's feet are small. Japan's government even asked Crocs to change their design to prevent this.
Some hospitals around the world have also made rules about wearing Crocs. For example, some hospitals in South Dakota and Canada changed their dress codes. In Sweden and Austria, some hospitals banned Crocs for staff because they could build up static electricity, which might affect electronic medical equipment.
In response, Crocs introduced new shoes in 2009 that are designed to prevent static electricity buildup, especially for people working in healthcare.
Crocs in Pop Culture
Crocs sales really started to grow a lot around 2009. At first, some people thought Crocs were "hideous" or ugly.
- In 2007, then-U.S. President George W. Bush was seen wearing black Crocs with socks, which got a lot of attention.
- Comedian Bill Maher joked that people should "stop wearing plastic shoes."
- The 2006 movie Idiocracy used Crocs a lot because they were cheap and looked like a silly "shoe of the future."
In 2008, fashion expert Tim Gunn said Crocs looked like "a plastic hoof." A writer for Newsweek even wrote an essay against Crocs, which caused a lot of discussion. In 2010, Time magazine put Crocs on a list of the world's "50 Worst Inventions." There were even websites created by people who loved Crocs and people who hated them!
But in the mid-2010s, how people saw Crocs started to change.
- In 2015, Prince George was photographed wearing navy blue Crocs. This caused a huge increase in sales on Amazon.com!
- Fashion designers like Christopher Kane and Balenciaga started using Crocs in their fashion shows, even making platform Crocs.
- In 2020, Crocs became super popular again, partly because of the rise of comfy fashion during the pandemic lockdowns.
- By 2022, they were the best-selling clothing item on Amazon. Experts believe that young people, especially Gen Z, love Crocs because they are comfortable and have an "unconventional style."
- Many celebrities like Justin Bieber, Bad Bunny, Ariana Grande, Post Malone, Nicki Minaj, and Kanye West have worn Crocs, inspiring their fans to embrace the shoes' "newfound coolness."
- Crocs has also made fun, limited-edition shoes with themes like KFC, Hidden Valley Ranch, and Pixar.
Images for kids
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An American pair of stylized Crocs, symbolizing the flag of the United States
See also
In Spanish: Crocs para niños
