[ojame]

Heh, that was my local shoe shop for quite a while... never thought i'd see it in a comment on HN.

"Heelys" were their common name (it's a brand) and they were very popular in the early 2000's. Kids had them everywhere - it was impossible to go to the shops without seeing a kid sliding around.

A comparison to offer though is "why would you pay 10x the price for an electric bike?". I don't think it's an entirely fair analogy (electric bikes let people go farther than they typically could). If you use Heelys, they take a fair bit of effort - it's more comparable to rollerblading. I reckon the Moonwalkers are more 'assisted fast walking' - i can see lot's of middle aged people being more attracted to that than 'roller blading on a budget'.

That said I personally will just continue to walk normally!

[baby]

Always wanted heelys but never got them when I was a kid. 20y later I decided to buy them as an adult. Well first, very bad idea in SF due to the hills. But also, not comfortable at all, and kinda dangerous. Returned them pretty quickly