Crocs....

The colorful plastic shoes attributed to three Colorado-based entrepreneurs, Crocs now adorn the feet of the high fallutin' -- including the likes of Jack Nicholson, George W. Bush (that fact is almost enough to make me toss mine out the window of a speeding car), Faith Hill, Terri Hatcher, Heidi Klum and Matt Damon are all Crocs fans.

The story goes that back in 2002, plastic product developer Scott Seamans worked with Duke Hanson and another worthy to produce these 6 ounce shoes. They're made of a top-secret resin that molds to the wearer's feet, and (allegedly) locks out both odor and bacteria. Tis true they're a snap to clean.

According to the tale, the first Crocs were designed as boating shoes, based on prototypes Seamans produced using material he'd been using for developing medical equipment.

A couple of corrections: an Italian company, Finproject, N.A. (which has offices in Quebec)/ The company developed a proprietary plastic material known as "croslite". Finproject N.A. made clog-like shoe out of it; the material was waterproof and bacteria resistant, making it ideal for use in day spas.

Seamans came across the clog, and thought they'd make good boating shoes. Presto, after some trial and error, Crocs were produced. In 2004, Crocs obtained the exclusive rights to croslite. The first real run of Crocs where indeed destined to be boating shoes: they were sold at a 2002 boat show.