Cartoon Culture

Looney Tunes Are Good for Selling Shoes, If Not Much Else

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harejordan

The Looney Tunes gang isn’t exactly culturally relevant to anyone under the age of twenty today, but Nike is betting on nostalgic older fans — and overseas brand recognition — as it relaunches its Hare Jordan line of sneakers. This spring, the company released a 3-minute online promo of Bugs mostly sitting and talking (what a great use of the animation medium!) to commemorate a 23rd anniversary re-issue of the original Hare Jordan shoe:

Nike followed that yesterday with the release of a Marvin the Martian spot in support of a new Blake Griffin-themed shoe:

…and if this TMZ report is any indication, Jon Favreau (Elf, Iron Man) is directing some kind of a live-action spot with Griffin that could incorporate animation, like the original Roger Rabbit-inspired spots with Bugs and Michael Jordan.

If it seems like a cultural anomaly to re-introduce these shoes at this point in time, when Looney Tunes are all but forgotten save for occasional dunderheaded revivals, remember that Nike is a global operation. The Blake Griffin shoes are, in fact, launching in China tomorrow, more than a month before they’ll be released anywhere else in the world.

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