Jeepers athletic shoes
Manufacturer:
Converse, Uniroyal
Not all kids could afford the high price of Converse high top sneakers. For those less financially fortunate, there were Jeepers, Sears’ brand of lower-priced but high fashion sneakers. Like other athletic shoes of the era, Jeepers only came in black or white, with either low or high-top styles.
The brand name unfortunately rhymed with “cheaper”, and “cheaper Jeepers” were what they became. Ironically, the high-top basketball style shoe was actually manufactured by Converse. The low top style was made the people who made Keds, Uniroval. But without that Converse tag, Jeepers would never be cool.
The Super-Jeepers shoe style remained popular for girls up into the 1970’s, but Converse no longer wanted to be affiliated with the less-expensive shoe line. The boys’ high-top shoe was renamed the Winner. It actually became a big competitor with the Converse All-Star, and kept it’s lower price point. And it had a much better name.
