A Century of Kids and Fun - Buster Brown Shoes Celebrate 100 Years
July 28 2004 - 5:25PM
PR Newswire (US)
A Century of Kids and Fun - Buster Brown Shoes Celebrate 100 Years
Brand Built On A Kid, His Dog, and Fun Will Mark 100th Anniversary
Milestone With Year-Long Events ST. LOUIS, July 28
/PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Most grown-ups today remember "That's my
dog Tige, he lives in a shoe. I'm Buster Brown, look for me in
there too!" and probably have shoe boxes full of other Buster Brown
memories. The shoe championed by a mischievous yet well-intentioned
boy and his dog turns 100 this year. And while the shoes have
evolved from yesteryear's brown and buckled to the latest in
fashion and function, the brand's inherent character of kids'
mischief and fun still holds true, one century later. "Since our
beginning, Buster Brown has been about reaching kids through
television shows, advertising, gifts-with-purchase, and live
receptions. With this anniversary we are returning to our roots,
focusing the next 100 years on being a fun brand for kids," said
Buster Brown Director Maureen McCann. "We want to give today's kids
the same enjoyment that a boy named Buster Brown and his dog Tige
gave their parents when they were children." The first one hundred
years of Buster Brown offer a unique look at both the history of
brand marketing as well as the evolution of the American consumer.
Buster Brown - one of the nation's oldest existing children's shoe
brands - originated in 1902 as a comic strip by Richard Outcault in
the New York Herald. The Buster Brown brand debuted in 1904 at the
St. Louis World's Fair and Brown Shoe was one of more than 40
companies to license the Buster Brown character. The brand gained
quick momentum with children through innovative marketing
techniques. From 1904 to 1930, Brown Shoe brought the Buster and
Tige comic characters to life using actors, like the 41-inch tall
Major William Ray, to play Buster Brown and dog Tige across the
United States. Well-promoted in advance, visits by Buster Brown and
Tige generated sizable crowds. Buster Brown told jokes, while the
trained dogs untied the shoelaces of any child in non-Buster Brown
shoes. As soon as there were airwaves to take to, Buster Brown
sponsored children's programming from 1943 to 1959. The brand
sponsored the Smilin' Ed McConnell Show on radio (1943-1954) and
television (1950-1954), the Andy Devine's Gang television show
(1955), and the Captain Kangaroo Show (1956- 1959). Subtlety rarely
came into play as hosts frequently reminded their audiences to wear
their Buster Brown shoes and receive the latest Buster Brown comic.
While appealing to children through programming, Buster Brown
appealed to moms through advertisements in The Saturday Evening
Post, Life Magazine, Vogue, and Ladies' Home Journal. In addition,
Buster Brown shoes introduced "gifts-with-purchase" -- toys that
ranged from noise-makers, to mirrors, to ornaments. Today, Buster
Brown shoes have come a long way from the shoes most adults
remember wearing. New technology includes the Kids' Fit System, a
unique insole comfort system that pads and protects a child's foot,
and Toe Zone, which uses Visual Fit Technology to help determine
fit. Recently, Buster Brown shoes updated the traditional "Buster
and Tige" logo on its advertising and packaging with a series of
photos of modern kids and dogs. The brand's new identity, "Kids
only. Fun." brings to mind a no-parents-allowed clubhouse where
kids can be themselves and play to their hearts' content.
Activities to celebrate the 100th anniversary will get national
attention starting this summer. A national contest kickoff in New
York will invite children to submit photos with their dogs to win a
chance to be featured on Buster Brown shoe boxes and marketing
materials. More details about the contest is available on
http://www.busterbrownshoes.com/. In addition, an anniversary line
of Buster Brown shoes will be available in late July, just in time
for back-to-school shopping. Buster Brown retail partners include
Famous-Barr, Famous Footwear, Filene's, Foley's, Hecht's,
Kaufmann's, L.S. Ayres, Meier & Frank, Robinsons-May,
Strawbridge's, Shoe Department, The Jones Store, select Babies R Us
stores, and select independent shoe stores. Buster Brown is Brown
Shoe's flagship children's brand. Brown Shoe is a $1.8 billion
footwear company with worldwide operations. The Company operates
the 900-store Famous Footwear chain, which sells brand name shoes
for the family. It also operates 400 Naturalizer stores in the
United States and Canada that sell the Naturalizer brand of shoes
and accessories. Brown Shoe, through its Wholesale divisions, owns
and markets leading footwear brands including Naturalizer,
LifeStride, Connie, Buster Brown; it also markets licensed brands
including Dr. Scholl's, Bass and Carlos by Carlos Santana for
adults, and Barbie, Supergirl, Superman, Spider-Man, and
Bob-the-Builder character footwear for children. Brown Shoe press
releases are available on the Company's Web site at
http://www.brownshoe.com/. ** CALL FOR ENTRIES! CALL FOR ENTRIES!
CALL FOR ENTRIES! ** Calling All Kids and Canines - Enter Buster
Brown's National Search for The Next "Pair to Remember" CONTEST:
Buster Brown Shoes - 100 years old this year - celebrates a century
of kids, dogs and fun with a national search for six new "pairs to
remember" - boys and girls with their dogs - to be featured on
Buster Brown shoe boxes and win $5,000 savings bonds. A photo
search is on for the next "Sam and Sparky" or "Samantha and Spot"
who represent the enduring qualities of Buster Brown. Kids ages
2-12 years are invited to enter a photograph submission of
themselves and their dog. Winners and their four-legged friends
will be featured on Buster Brown shoe boxes starting in early 2005.
Kids in New York will have a special opportunity to participate in
Buster Brown's kick-off anniversary event being held at Chelsea
Piers on July 31, 2004. During this event, kids can have their
photos taken and submitted on the spot while also participating in
activities that celebrate "Kids. Dogs. Fun." TO ENTER: Visit
http://www.busterbrownshoes.com/ to submit a completed Official
Entry Form with a photograph. Or, mail the form available at
participating Famous Footwear locations and photograph to the
following address: Buster Brown, P.O. Box 8797, St. Louis, MO
63101-8797 Completed submissions will be accepted July 15, 2004
through September 8, 2004. FINALS: Selected from all submissions,
six lucky pairs of kids and dogs will have their photo printed on
Buster Brown shoe boxes. (One pair selected from the New York
event, and five from photo submissions.) JUDGING: Entrants will be
judged on personality and spirit as it relates to the Buster Brown
brand character. Creativity that brings the "pair to remember"
theme to life is encouraged - kids and dogs might look alike, dress
alike, or make a matching expression. PRIZES: Six grand prize
winners will receive a: - $5,000 US savings bond Series EE (Value
of Bond at Maturity) - Their photo printed on Buster Brown shoe box
- Trip to photo shoot location, with dog and up to two parents or
legal guardians. INFO: For more information on the Buster Brown
"Pair to Remember" contest, official rules, or Official Entry
Forms, please visit http://www.busterbrownshoes.com/. DATASOURCE:
Brown Shoe Company, Inc. CONTACT: Erin Conroy, , or Beth Fagan,
+1-314-854-4095, cell, +1-314-323-8301, both of Brown Shoe Company,
Inc.; or Ann Balsamo of Fleishman-Hillard, +1-314-982-8698, cell,
+1-314-520-7973, or , for Brown Shoe Company, Inc. Web site:
http://www.busterbrownshoes.com/ http://www.brownshoe.com/
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