Why MSCHF's ridiculous red boots are all over your social media feed

• MSCHF's oversized big red boots, releasing on February 16, have taken social media by storm.
• The shoes are drawing comparisons to shoes seen on fictional cartoon characters like Astro Boy.
• MSCHF, founded in 2016, is known for creating art concepts that poke fun at facets of everyday life.

Even if you've never heard of MSCHF, chances are you have come across many of their wacky sneaker and miscellaneous art concepts in the past. 

The latest viral release from the company is the "Big Red Boot," which goes on sale February 16 for $350. The shoes are expected to fetch a sizable premium on resale markets. Prices on StockX are already well over $1,000, though asking prices should come down after release.

The shoes are drawing comparisons to footwear seen on fictional cartoon characters like Astro Boy or Boots from Dora The Explorer. In a release describing the boots, MSCHF said the boots were made of TPUrubber shell, EVA foam,  along with 'Red' and 'Big.' MSCHF calls these shoes "Cartoon boots for a Cool 3D World." The release notes: "If you kick someone in these boots they go BOING!" 

MSCHF was founded by CEO Gabriel Whaley, a former BuzzFeed employee, in 2016. Its ethos since launch has seemingly been to make fun of everything its creators can think of a concept for.

The latest release from MSCHF is timed with New York's Fashion Week, and the company plays into a high-fashion theme with a photo shoot with model Sarah Snyder wearing the boots in various spots around the city. The absurdity of these boots calls to mind extreme puffy coats, accessories like Jacquemus's comically tiny purse and Balenciaga's $1,795 trash bag pouch, as well as cartoon character attire. 

"Our perspective is everything is funny in a nihilistic sort of way," Whaley told Insider in a 2021 interview. "We're not here to make the world a better place. We're making light of how much everything sucks."

Including boots, apparently. In the release, the company says: "You never design shoes to be shaped like feet. Big Red Boots are REALLY not shaped like feet, but they are EXTREMELY shaped like boots." 

The response online has been predictably polarizing and prolific. 

—????????????????????????????????. (@luigihatesyou) February 6, 2023

Many of the brand's previous artwork and retail releases have also gone viral. In 2019, MSCHF debuted custom Air Max 97 "Jesus shoes" that the company said were filled with 60 cc of holy water sourced from the River Jordan, according to a Hypebeast.

—Hotep Steve Martin (@VayaConDiosBruh) February 6, 2023

MSCHF again used Nike's Air Max 97 silhouette to create "Satan Shoes" in 2021, in partnership with rapper Lil Nas X. The sneakers featured drops of real human blood from members of the art collective.

"We love to sacrifice for our art," A MSCHF spokesperson told CNN at the time. 

—Matthew Welty (@MatthewJWelty) February 7, 2023

Nike later sued MSCHF, citing trademark infringement, forcing MSCHF to recall all of the shoes it shipped out to customers. 

MSCHF's meme-worthy art interpretations additionally expand beyond footwear. In December, the brand debuted an ATM with a visual leaderboard of everyone's bank accounts. MSCHF also recently created a cologne it says smells just like WD-40.