Dry-erase basketball shoes

White consumer goods mesh nicely with the human desire to scribble on things, as we noted last year in a story on white board refrigerators. Now, expanding the idea beyond large appliances, Reebok has launched a dry-erase basketball shoe that facilitates the same type of thing. Released earlier this month, the ATR Talkin’ Crazy is a lightweight, cushioned basketball shoe that features a midcut design with removable sockliner and herringbone outsole. Most fun is its dry-erase upper, which lets wearers tell everyone what’s on their mind. A dry-erase marker comes included with the shoes, so consumers can write a message on them for one game, erase it and then write a new message for the next. The ATR Talkin’ Crazy is available exclusively at Champs Sports stores in both men’s and kid’s sizes, priced at USD 79.99 for the grown-up version. John Lynch, Reebok’s vice president of US marketing, explains: “For as long as there have been basketball kicks, people have been writing on them, but now the Talkin Krazy gives consumers the freedom to express themselves in countless ways.” Indeed, self-expression is what Generation C is all about, and this one could be applied to countless other light-coloured goods as well–particularly those the world will see as a person goes about their day. Who will bring this to handbags, backpacks, jackets or other kinds of shoes….? (Related: Customizing sneakers with removable stickers.) Spotted by: Maria Dahl Jørgensen