How The Movie ‘Idiocracy’ Accidentally Predicted The Future Popularity Of Crocs

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The year is 2505. Civilization has declined into a dystopia of anti-intellectualism. Costco now functions as an Ivy League law school. Wrestling and monster truck rallies pass as high art. Fashion, too, has devolved—as evidenced by the ubiquitous sight of hideous plastic clogs adorning citizens’ feet.

Yes, we’re talking about Crocs, in all their ventilated, clunky glory.

When moviegoers first caught a glimpse of Mike Judge’s 2006 film(Amazon link) Idiocracy ($3.99 via Amazon), the prevalence of these polarizing foam clogs felt like a spot-on gag about the idiotic dress sense of future societies. After all, the shoes were still effectively brand new, not yet the stuff of middle school lunchrooms and hospital work floors. Little did Judge know that by associating Crocs with dimwittedness and cultural decline in his satire, he was actually predicting the monumental wave of popularity they would soon enjoy in the real world.

So how exactly did this once-obscure footwear brand end up on the feet of Luke Wilson and an entire cast of morons in a dystopian masterpiece? The story behind the Idiocracy Crocs connection is pretty hilarious.

Blame it on a stingy costume designer.

In an interview with Fast Company, director Mike Judge revealed that featuring Crocs so heavily was never meant as commentary:

“Our wardrobe person was looking for ways to make the budget work. And Crocs were not out in the world yet, they were just a small startup at the time. We shot in 2004, so no one was wearing Crocs.”

Essentially, the costume department needed an inexpensive way to shoe all the extras and background characters. The still-under-the-radar Crocs shoes fit the bill perfectly. Judge elaborated:

“She showed me these things, and I thought, ‘Oh those are great, just stupid plastic shoes.'”

So the signature Idiocracy Crocs connection had its humble roots in a penny-pinching maneuver.

Crocs predictably blew up shortly after filming.

Of course, after production wrapped in 2004 prior to the Crocs popularity boom, the costume designer assured Judge that foam clogs would never take off in the real world. Boy, was she wrong.

By the time Idiocracy debuted in 2006, Crocs had morphed into a full-blown cultural phenomenon.

Suddenly, those ugly “garden clogs” were freakin’ everywhere, embraced by adults, children, nurses, cooks, gardeners, and more for their cushion, ventilation, and slip resistance.

Judge recalled the eerie sense of predictive accuracy, saying:

“Sure enough, by the time it comes out two years later, everyone is wearing Crocs. So it already started coming true even faster than we made the movie, really.”

Overnight, the shoemaker amassed hundreds of millions in revenue. Knock-offs abounded. Both professional critics and school-age bullies lambasted their stylistic atrociousness. Yet nothing could stop the cultural staying power of Crocs, as we still see today.

Idiocracy Crocs: An Accidental Foreseeing Of The Crocs Popularity Explosion

Indeed, much of the general public regards Crocs clogs as ugly footwear. To some, rocking them in public betrays suspect taste.

Still, after decades of anti-Croc propaganda, the brand has only grown more successful. They’ve enjoyed a spike in revenue since the start of the pandemic in 2020. Today, celebrities like Questlove, Bad Bunny, and Justin Bieber, are proudly buying Crocs shoes.

No one can deny their practicality either. Cooks swear by the spill-proof, non-slip, and ventilated construction. Hospital workers survive demanding shifts thanks to cushy Crocs. They’ve been embraced globally too—by rice farmers in China, coffee growers in Brazil, even the Italian navy!

Indeed, dystopian predictor Mike Judge himself has admitted defeat on the issue:

“I have since come around to realizing they are the greatest thing ever invented. I now can’t live without my Crocs flip-flops.”

So, while the shoes may remain ugly to some, their domination was foretold by Idiocracy’s director back in 2006 through a brilliant costume accident. Perhaps the joke really is on the rest of us, as Crocs have the last laugh… all the way to the bank.

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