Most shoes fit true to size, and any variations from this are noted on individual product pages. For detailed charts which convert from sizing in other countries, consult the Hush Puppies sizing chart on the website. Hush Puppies offers US women’s sizes from 5.5-12, men’s from 7-16, and kids from 2-13.5. Visit hush puppies FAQ Hush Puppies Sizing This entry was posted in Basset Hound and tagged advertising, basset, basset hound, Hank The Basset, Hush Puppy, marketing, Velvet and Jasmine. Advanced technology integrates polyurethane spandex into the hat’s flexible sweatband.Hound owners, show your support for hounds with National Purebred Dog Day Embroidered Flexfit® Stone Washed Twill Cap that reads: The Hounds: Chase it Seriously, take a gander at the shoes and see if you can’t picture them in a dog show ring? Co-hosts were other Basset Hounds from the Tri-State Basset Hound Rescue. Each guest was treated to their very own pair of Hush Puppies shoes before being taken on a dog walk through Central Park by the brand’s iconic Basset Hound represented by Instagram star and fellow New Yorker, Hank The Basset. As of 2006, more than 19 million pairs of Hush Puppies were sold in 135 countries, and last year, Hush Puppy had its 60th Brand Anniversary in New York City at the rooftop venue of the Viceroy hotel. Hardly a shoe of the past, the revival of retro fashions that came in the late 90s saw the shoe’s popularity revive. Jason became an overnight superstar appearing in magazines and print ads all over the world: He was the very last dog to be seen on the day, but he was their pick. Jason had no formal modeling training, but they auditioned him anyway. In 2011, it was “Jasonian of Westchester” (“Jason” to his friends) whose people responded to Wolverine World Wide’s new ad campaign for their Hush Puppy Shoes. Over the years, different Bassets have represented the company. “Barking dogs,” meanwhile, has been a common euphemism for aching feet, so what better way to quiet those “barking dogs” than to put them in a pair of Hush Puppies? Hush Puppies were the name of fried cornballs (cornmeal, flour, eggs, salt, baking soda, milk and water, sometimes with onions and peppers thrown in) that hunters and fishermen in the South feed their dogs to quiet them down or “hush the puppies” so they could talk. A media storm of public outrage rarely seen over missing pets ensued. Jasmine’s body was eventually found at the bottom of a silo, and Velvet was never found.Īs for the shoe’s name, Hush Puppy, credit a savvy Wolverine Shoe company executive, James Gaylord Muir. Tragically, Velvet went missing from Greb’s home in 1973, and a few days later, a heartbroken Jasmine decided to go looking for her. “Velvet” and her sister “Jasmine” were the embodiment of sound marketing strategy, and their images had one of the highest brand recognitions in the world to the extent that many countries reported an astounding 90% recognition. The dogs were owned by Chuck Greb, grandson of founder, Philip Walker, and the national sales director of the original parent company. Medics believed that the crepe-soled Hush Puppies he was wearing saved his life.Ĭomfort was certainly part of the shoe’s appeal, but their popularity may also been due to the lovable face that advertised the shoes, soulful Basset Hounds named “Velvet,” and her “sister,” Jasmine. Keith Richards accidentally touched his guitar against an ungrounded microphone and was knocked unconscious. They were the first shoes advertised on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, but a real “electrifying” boost to the brand came in 1965 at a Rolling Stones concert in Sacramento, California. Even Frank Sinatra’s Rat Pack and the Beatles wore them.

Seemingly everyone had a pair, from David Bowie and Princess Diana’s custom-made pair, to Tom Hanks (who wore them in Forest Gump) and Dennis Rodman. Folks either wore dress shoes, or they wore cheap sneakers.Ĭreated by Wolverine World Wide Inc, in Rockford, Michigan, one out of every ten adults in the United States came to own a pair of Hush Puppies by 1963. Until 1957, high-end casual shoes were virtually non-existent. Made of brushed pigskin and constructed on a lightweight crepe rubber sole, the Hush Puppy was something of a footwear revolution. Many of us of a “certain age” remember Hush Puppies, the first casual shoe.

Hush puppie shoes