Member-only story
Martial Arts Movie Stars Bruce Lee & Jim Kelly Wore Onitsuka Tiger Sneakers
But did Lee actually wear these iconic shoes on screen in ‘Game of Death?’
Non-Medium subscribers can read this by clicking here.
Your uber-stylish pop culture archeologist (yes, me) was extremely close to buying a yellow pair of Mexico 66’s. The temptation to buy arose from my having it incorrectly in my head that these sneakers, made by the Onitsuka Tiger company of Japan since the mid-1960s, were the shoes that Bruce Lee had on his nimble feet in the film Game of Death.
The sneakers that Lee actually did wear added a stylish grounding element to an iconic ensemble comprised of a yellow and black striped jumpsuit and color-coordinated nunchaku.
If you’re the type of kung fu movie geek for whom such imagery resonates, imagine what you’d do if you saw yellow and black sneakers on the feet of some nameless soul out browsing the racks at the comic book shop with his kids, or roaming the aisles at Trader Joe’s with his wifey, or doing Tai Chi exercises in the park.
If you’re anything like yours truly, you’d prolly walk right up and give the guy a fist bump or a high five for followin’ in the footsteps of the most badass man to ever put on a pair of yellow and black sneakers. Am I right?
Well, as fate would have it, I‘ve come to realize (after re-watching clips from Game of Death and studying production stills) that the yellow and black sneakers seen on Lee’s feet in the film were actually a different and, as yet, unknown brand. There is a very strong similarity between that sneaker and the Mexico 66, but the Onitsuka Tiger sneaker is a slightly better looking shoe.
Sincerest form of flattery
It should be mentioned that in various parts of Asia…um, back in the day, the production of knock-off sneakers was a fairly common…
