FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

August 12, 2005

CONTACT:
Claudia Sadler
Foosies, Inc.
Tel: 877-259-2359
Email: info@foosies.com
www.foosies.com

Finally, Children's Shoes That Perform As Well As They Look

(Des Plaines, IL) - Are you looking for kids shoes that...

• won't slip on hardwood or tile floors
• fit wide and/or chunky feet
• are easy to put on, but also stay on kids feet
• have soft, flexible soles, as recommended by medical experts throughout the world?

Then Foosies is for you!

Foosies provides soft-sole shoes, slippers and boots for infants and children. This focus allows the company to offer the most appropriate footwear for each particular stage of your child's development—from crib and crawling, to cruising (first steps while holding onto furniture), early-walker and then walking/running. Foosies has done the research so you don't have to!

"With so many products, you have to choose between ones that look good versus others that function properly and perform well. We were not willing to make that compromise for our kids," says co-founder Sharon Ruterschmidt. "Unfortunately, it took a potentially serious injury to our oldest daughter to motivate us to find a better solution." Thus, Foosies was born.

Traditional wisdom has held that children need stiff, high-top, hard-sole shoes to support their ankles. That is what most of us probably wore as children. However, modern medical science has proven this to be far from the truth. Young ankles are strong and stable enough on their own. When they begin to walk, children use their toes to "grip" the floor surface, and that improves balance and enhances foot/muscle development. This "gripping" action can only be achieved by walking barefoot or with soft-sole shoes. Stiff, hard soles actually hinder foot development.

Foosies is the only shoe company we're aware of that provides seven types of soft soles. Foosies shoes also offer wider cuts to accommodate wide and/or chunky feet, and some very unique products including:

• Wide-opening winter boots that let little feet step in, rather than twist and turn in. Two drawstrings then pull tight for a customized fit.
• Shoe soles made of Toughtek®, the same material used for mountain climber's gloves and booties for search-and-rescue dogs. Toughtek® maintains its slip resistance in wet or dry conditions, and it is impenetrable by broken glass, nails, etc.
• Elastic ankle systems that keep shoes on active, squirming feet without binding or pinching.
• A wide selection of shoes that will not slip on hardwood or tile floors.

Foosies products are available though their website (www.foosies.com), their showroom in Arlington Heights, or through selected independent sales consultants.

- END -