43 Iconic Shoes from Pop Culture

Costume design plays a powerful role in film, television, video games, and other forms of entertainment. No detail is overlooked, and every component helps craft the ambiance and personality of the costume. Shoes are no exception. Iconic shoes in film such as Dorothy’s ruby slippers can become influential parts of the story in their own right. Sneakers such as the PF Flyers from The Sandlot have become some of the most important shoes to be featured in film. Renditions of these famous shoes have been made for those looking to pay tribute to their all-time favorite cinematic features. Video game fashion has also produced some legendary fictional footwear. Talented and passionate cosplayers have created incredible reproductions of video game shoes such as the Long Fall Boots from Portal and Tifa’s red combat boots from Final Fantasy VII. This infographic captures 50 of the most iconic shoes from fiction, both nostalgic and modern.

In no particular order, let’s take a walk through history to remember some of the most iconic shoes from pop culture featured in this infographic:

1. Dorothy’s ruby slippers from the Wizard of Oz. The original sippers are now housed in the Smithsonian. Conservators spent more than 200 hours treating the shoes. This involved removing particles of dirt and stabilizing loose threads.
2. Tifa’s combat boots from the Final Fantasy VII remake
3. Astro Boy’s rocket boots. In the 1980 series, he received them from one of his first friends, Kathy.
4. The red ballet slippers from The Red Shoes. It is believed that the red represents the dark side of passion and obsession. The Red Shoes was originally a folktale by Hans Christian Andersen meant to teach a moral about the consequences of temptation.
5. Midoriya’s practical red boots from My Hero Academia. The character is a popular choice for cosplayers, so there are plenty of purchase options and tutorials for re-creating the shoes.
6. Ellen Ripley’s Reebok stompers in the Alien franchise.
7. Sonic the Hedgehog’s Power Sneakers, which can withstand his incredible running speeds.
8. Wonder Woman’s gilded boots from Wonder Woman 1984.
9. The legendary thigh-high red boots in Kinky Boots. The pair used for the hit Broadway musical were obtained by the New-York Historical Society in 2017.
10. The Long Fall Boots from the Portal series. These futuristic boots were developed by Aperture Science to prevent test subjects from damaging the Portal Device when plummeting to their deaths. The human test subjects surviving unharmed was merely a byproduct of protecting the device.
11. Ariel’s red cowboy boots from Footloose. The bold color is rebellious and refuses to be silenced, much like the character in the movie.
12. Elle Wood’s pink embellished heels that are worn on the poster of Legally Blonde.
13. Pegasus Boots from The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. They granted Link the power to dash at high speeds.
14. The 10th Doctor's Converse sneakers from Doctor Who.
15. Bruce Lee’s yellow sneakers in Game of Death. They are often mistaken for Onitsuka Tiger Mexico 66s, but the true make and model is still unknown.
16. The infamous platform aquarium boots in I’m Gonna Git You Sucka.
17. Vincent Valentine’s dramatic gold-toed boots from the original Final Fantasy VII.
18. The iconic Manolo Blahnik Hangisi 105 embellished satin pumps that Carrie was proposed to with in Sex and the City. They can actually be purchased for under a grand on various luxury platforms.
19. The empowering Chanel boots worn by Anne Hathaway’s character in The Devil Wears Prada.
20. Spider-Gwen’s distinctive green ballet slippers from Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. Her fighting style is inspired by rigorous ballet and dancing techniques.
21. Legolas’s elven boots from Lord of the Rings. They are expertly crafted from supple material that suits his quick, stealthy movements.
22. Master Chief’s boots from the Halo series. In Halo: Combat Evolved, the underside of one boot is inscribed with the letters “MRL,” which are the initials of Halo’s art director, Marcus R. Lehto.
23. The iconic salad shoe from Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery.
24. Spike Spiegel’s boots from the legendary anime series Cowboy Bebop. His shoes are inspired by Lupin III, a classic manga character who is known as the “world’s greatest thief.”
25. Wolverine’s boots from the X-Men franchise. They are a crucial component of his classic blue-and-yellow suit.
26. Steve Harrington’s blue Adidas from Stranger Things.
27. Cinderella’s glass slippers from Cinderella. The glass slipper is arguably one of the most influential shoes on this infographic because it shaped such an iconic narrative.
28. Bayonetta’s Gun Heels from the Bayonetta franchise. The guns that the heels are equipped with are called Love is Blue.
29. Samus’s jet boots from Super Smash Bros. Some theorize that the shape of the heels is a nod to Bayonetta.
30. Daedric boots from Skyrim. This heavy, intimidating armor was crafted by the Daedra, entities that inhabit the realms of Oblivion in The Elder Scrolls games.
31. PF Flyers from The Sandlot. These shoes have recently made a comeback because legends never die.
32. The Dude’s jellies from The Big Lebowski are the right footwear for abiding in style.
33. Leia’s boots that she wore when imprisoned by Jabba the Hutt. No doubt they provided traction when she strangled Jabba to death with his own chains.
34. Puss in Boots would not be Puss in Boots without his dashing boots.
35. Yennefer’s strappy boots from The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. They embody the power and intensity of the proud sorceress.
36. Vivian’s black patent boots from Pretty Woman. She made these statement boots work with several outfits. The originals recently sold at auction for 25,000.
37. Rosa Flebb’s dagger oxfords from From Russia With Love. Despite these undercover weapons, Bond was able to fend her off with a chair.
38. Michonne’s studded boots from The Walking Dead.
39. Darth Vader’s boots from Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. These boots were reinforced with durasteel that hinged on the sides of the foot to permit walking. The boot soles contained a ferromagnetic core that could generate a magnetic field when voice-activated, allowing him to be firmly grounded on metal surfaces.
40. The white strappy heels worn by Marilyn Monroe’s character in The Seven Year Itch.
41. Leviathan boots from Star Trek V: The Final Frontier. These boots enabled Starfleet personnel to propel, levitate, and hover to some degree.
42. Apollo Creed’s Ali-Shuffle custom tassel boots from Rocky.
43. Patent platform shoes from Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure.