Michael Jackson’s Design Legacy: Patented Anti-Gravity Shoes
As the world mourns the death of Michael Jackson, we remember his design legacy—not his taste in clothing (dictator chic), accessories (a crystal-studded white glove, primates), or typefaces (up with script fonts, down with serifs), but his patented anti-gravity footwear. That’s right, intellectual property fans, Jackson is listed as the first of three inventors on United States Patent 5,255,452, granted in 1993 for a “method and means for creating anti-gravity illusion.” Translation: special loafers fitted with heels that can slot into the stage floor to allow the wearer to lean forward, Smooth Criminal style, at gravity-defying angles.
According to the patent’s abstract, the Jackson-devised system relies on “a hitch member movably projectable through a stage surface. The shoes have a specially designed heel slot which can be detachably engaged with the hitch member by simply sliding the shoe wearer’s foot forward, thereby engaging with the hitch member.” Jackson co-developed the technique as an improvement upon a previous method in which he and his dancers were rigged up with harnesses and cables.
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