What kitchen appliance inspired one of the first pairs of Nikes?

A waffle iron inspired one of the first pairs of Nikes. In 1971, Nike co-founder and University of Oregon coach Bill Bowerman used his wife Barbara’s waffle iron to experiment with a new rubber sole pattern that could provide traction without heavy metal spikes.

Bowerman poured liquid urethane into the iron, accidentally gluing it shut. The resulting grid pattern became the basis for the waffle sole on the Nike Moon Shoe, an early racing shoe tested by Oregon athletes and associated with the 1972 Olympic trials. The Moon Shoe was produced only in very small numbers.

The idea was later refined into the Oregon Waffle and then the Waffle Trainer, which became Nike’s first major commercial success. The Waffle Trainer helped establish Nike as a serious athletic-footwear company during the 1970s.

A common mix-up is thinking the waffle iron made the entire shoe. It was used to inspire and shape the sole pattern; the upper, materials, molds, and later production process were developed separately.