Japan Has Croc Problem

You'd think that Japan would have more important issues to tackle, but no... apparently they do not. The Trade Ministry of Japan has decided to take a bite out of the makers of Crocs. No... not mommy and daddy croicodiles, but rather the makers of those hideously ugly, but suppsedly extremely comfortable (thank you marketing department!) shoes. 
Known globally as one of the worst fashion trends in decades both from the point of view of safety and appearance, the Ministry has told Colorado, US-based Crocs, Inc. to redesign its shoes or face extinction in Japan.
Perhaps in an effort to replace the ugly house slippers worn by everyone in Japan, over 3.9 million pairs of Crocs were sold in Japan since their introduction back in 2002 (actually a few years later into the Japanese market).
But cheap, ugly, comfortable shoes apparently come at a price.
Some 65 complaints were made to the Ministry, with many about how the shoes would get stuck in escalators - many of which involved kids getting hurt.

This croc looks comfy.

As a result of this negative press involving kids getting hurt, a factory in Japan closed down meaning over 700 employees lost their jobs
Despite the controversy and the closing of one factory, in the last decade the sale of Crocs has surpassed its $1 billion mark for the 2011 calendar year, raising the value of the company’s stock by 6.3 per cent.
Oh... and in light of the Tohoku earthquake that hit Japan on March 11, 2011, you really have to hand it to the good folks at Croc, Inc., who donated 100,000 pairs of shoes to Japan.
Great. Now that they have lost their jobs, homes, family members, economy, they can at least have comfortable feet. Too bad these shoes have air holes in them and can't really keep one's feet warm in the cold... like what it was when the earthquake hit... 

By Andrew Joseph