Soaps

A brand of sneaker with a removable slick plastic plate in the soles, under the arch of the foot. The plate enabled the wearer to grind on rails and edges without the aid of skates or a board. Style-wise, they tended to be pretty chunky looking, similar to skate shoes, but were probably not as comfortible. They were cool for only a few months in 1998-99, but were popular enough to cause concern among parents and schools. Succeeded by Heelys a couple years later, which had heel-mounted weels and were uglier and even less comfortible. Soaps is now a defunct maker.