Chuck Taylors 'miniatures' review

Honey, I shrunk the Chucks!

Many months ago, I ran a poll on one of the many Converse groups on the popular social networking site, Orkut.com. The poll asked the members to select a reason behind why they loved wearing a pair of Chuck Taylors so much, and one of poll options was "because Stuart Little wears them". After I posted the poll, it got member comments like "what kind of dumb poll is this" and the like. Well, who ever made that comment can eat his words, because Converse does makes Chuck Taylors which Stuart Little can squeeze his tiny paws into, and today we are going to have a close look at not one, but six colors of those exquisite lovelies.

I got my first Converse miniature around four years ago, and it was love at first sight. It was a size '0' Chuck Taylor with Jacquard print detail on it, and replicated a regular pair of Chuck Taylors in every detail possible. Be it the tiny iconic Chuck Taylor patch on the side with the text clearly readable, or the now so familiar chocolate brown outsole, the miniature was perfect in every sense. And I'm sure that if I was a size 0, they would have been as comfortable as my regular pair of size 10 Chuck Taylors. Ever since, I looked far and wide for original Converse miniatures and I had no luck - until a month ago. On one of my recent trips to the US, I chanced upon a shop which sold regular Converse shoes, and guess what; they also had these beauties for sale next to the cash register. There were two sizes and many colors, so I spent the next 30 minutes deciding which ones to carry back home. After a painful process of selection by elimination, I ended buying a bag full of Converse miniatures across six colors and two different sizes.

Rise of the miniatures: (left to right) Classic pink, mini 'Hotrod', military camouflage, Scottish Plaid, pink hearts and the classic black.

Well, I am no little Stuart Little and I can't seem to fit into any of these shoes, so we'll conveniently skip the wear testing part. What I want to do today is a 'show and tell' since I have loads of pictures, so grab a bag of your favorite potato chips, sit back and enjoy the show...

To get things warmed up, let's get started with the very hot miniature Converse Flame Hi, which I fondly call the 'Hotrod' Chucks, and then move on to the other ones:

Flames licking the fender: The adult Chuck Taylor Flame Hi has been one of my all time favorites, and the miniature version here does full justice to its elder sibling.

Ghost Rider: Notice the color of the flame print transition from amber in the front to a red glow in the back - Brilliant! Reminds me of the recent Nicolas cage flick, the 'Ghost Rider'...

These are Chuck Taylors, alright: The white wrap around midsole and toecap tries to mimic a regular pair of adult Chucks, and the ring at the back might just be the thing for passing your house keys through...

The art of stealth: Try this at home - cup this Chuck Taylor between both your hands, and ask the other person to guess what do you have there...I bet a box of miniatures that no one can. In the near future, when US invent nano robot soldiers to fight their covert wars, these shoes might come in very handy indeed.

Mini Trooper: The business side of the mini military Chuck Taylor. The black midsole and the olive green stripe makes the shoe for a er... mini-general.

Military precision: The printed Chuck Taylors were the smaller of the two sizes I bought. In the printed version, the Chuck Taylor patch seems to be a screen print as compared to the welded patch in the bigger version. But at any rate, the detailing is fantastic - you can clearly read even the cursive 'Chuck Taylor' on the patch! The rubber 'All Star' patch dutifully does honors at the bottom of the heel.

Scottish Plaid: This miniature wonder dons a plaid upper, inspired by traditional Scottish blanket designs. Originally associated with Scotland, the Plaid or the Tartan fabric design is now a common sight in popular dress culture.

The All Star legacy: Meticulously executed 'All Star' heel tab. They even have the ® detail perfectly right!

The inside story: Converse has tried to recreate the Chuck Taylor footbed here, but I feel that it could been a wee bit tidier. I know it is incredibly difficult to get perfect finishing inside a pair of microscopic Chucks, but...

Scottish kilt: Where's the bagpiper?

Chuck Taylor is in the details: A microscopic close up of the Chuck Taylor patch print. It's simply amazing how well the details have come out, considering that the whole circumference of the white printed area is no bigger than a head of a regular AA battery.

Queen of hearts: Teeny bopper 'pink hearts' printed upper works its charm on the miniature version. The pink color is a pleasant contrast to the white midsole and toe cap, and should make a perfect handbag accessory.

All lovey dovey: Personally I think this shoe would have looked better with smaller heart prints on it, but this still makes for a great Valentine's day gift...

We will move on the slightly 'bigger' miniatures in classic colors...to give you a proper perspective, here's a picture of three outsoles stacked together. No prizes for guessing that the biggest outsole is a size 9 adult version.

The power of perspective: As you can see, these miniatures are really, really miniature...

Classic pink: I hear that the classic pink Chucks are running out of stock in India, and with good reason. Pink seems to be one of Converse's highest selling classic colors - the white midsole and the soft pink upper joins hands for the ultimate in girl power.

Candy floss: The two classic colors featured here (pink and the black one below) are a size bigger than the printed miniatures, so the details are more accurate. The toe cap spreads out properly over the forefoot, and there's an extra metal eyelet.

Classic Black: The miniature avatar of the world's all time favorite Converse Chuck Taylor color. The powerful black and white contrast comes alive in this shoe which is no bigger than an average cell phone.

The bigger the better: The footbed and the upper lining gets more refined, and closer to the real thing. The printed Converse logo with a ® and other shoe symbols are clear and unsmudged.

Objet d'art: In this slightly bigger version of the miniature Chucks, the popular patch logo is welded on instead of printed, much like the adult Chuck Taylor. When I say 'slightly' bigger, it is relative; the patch logo is small enough to disappear under the base of your thumb.

Perfect 10: Everything is a perfect miniaturization of the regular Chuck Taylors - the heel rubber All Star tab, the oval Chuck Taylor logo or the contrasting white midsole and black stripes. The chrome bead ring adds an extra dash of bling.

Size '0' : The much loved outsole design is painstakingly duplicated here, complete with a size '0' callout.

The league of extraordinary miniatures: Five very desirable colors of mini Chuck Taylors!

You must be wondering why I went through the trouble of shooting two dozen photographs of shoes which you can't even wear and are extremely hard to find. Well, for one simple reason - beginning May 2008, solereview.com is giving away at least one Converse miniature every month for an indefinite period of time, and this was the best way for you to get to know your prize better!!

Of course, terms and conditions apply...

The Lowdown:

Shoe name: Converse Chuck Taylor All Star Hi miniature

Color reviewed: Classic black, pink, 'hearts', flame, plaid and military camouflage.

Estimated US retail: $10

Weight: 22 grams for the smaller size '0' miniature, and 40 grams for the slightly 'bigger' miniature.

Verdict: Utterly desirable and a thing of joy.