Thursday, April 23, 2009

My Red Goose Shoes

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Do you remember Red Goose Shoes? These are my pink Red Goose sandals from when I was a toddler. I think I got a lot of wear from them :-) I keep them in our Amish made curio cabinet along with other treasures.

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Who knows why Mama saved these... and the box too!
Take a look at the price... $1.98!



They were bought in Tifton GA where we lived at the time.

For those of you that can't remember the Red Goose Shoes the following is a bit of history.

The Red Goose Shoe Company of St. Louis, Missouri, began selling shoes to pioneer families headed west in 1869. The company's name was originally Gieseke-D'Oench-Hayes, after its founders, but when the company became advertising conscious in the early 1900's, they changed the name. Gieseke is German slang for "goose" so the goose image came naturally. The red color came later when, during the St. Louis World's Fair in 1904, some stock boys painted the goose on the cartons red. The head of the company liked the idea, and so Red Goose Shoes was trademarked in 1906.

As you can see on the shoe box the shoes were manufactured by International Shoe Company. I wish I could find a better history of the Red Goose Shoes.

The Founding of International Shoe Company

Roberts, Johnson & Rand Shoe Company was a footwear jobber organized in St. Louis in 1898 by Jackson Johnson, Oscar Johnson, Edgar E. Rand and John C. Roberts. Peters Shoe Company, originally formed in 1836 and organized under Missouri law in 1891 by Henry W. Peters, was engaged in manufacturing and wholesaling footwear. These two companies had been competitors, but their policies, ideals and business standards were so closely allied that they were drawn together by a wholesome mutual respect. Without submerging the individuality of either company, the two companies were merged in 1911 to form International Shoe Company under the laws of Missouri. In 1912, International Shoe Company purchased Friedman-Shelby Shoe Company, another St. Louis-based shoe manufacturer. It, too, became part of International Shoe Company without loss of identity and individuality.

On March 16, 1921, International Shoe Company was incorporated in Delaware as the successor to the Missouri corporation of like name. The stockholders of the 1911 Missouri corporation exchanged their stock for stock in the 1921 Delaware corporation. This is the corporation which exists today.

International Shoe Company was once the largest footwear manufacturer in the country, with such recognizable brand names as Red Goose and Poll Parrot. In 1953, International Shoe acquired substantially all of the common stock of Florsheim Shoe Company. This represented an investment of $24,980,246. A year later, the company acquired all of the common stock of Savage Shoes Ltd. of Canada. By 1961, the company’s 50th anniversary year, the company had grown to $294 million in sales, had 91 footwear manufacturing facilities, tanneries and warehouses in the United States and employed over 33,000 persons. The company's presence in St. Louis helped to identify that city as the home of “Shoes, Booze and Blues.”

The Red Goose Shoe Store was one of my favorite stores to visit. I only remember the one here in Albany. If you bought shoes you would get to pull the Red Goose's neck and a golden egg would be laid. Inside... if I remember correctly.. was a toy and maybe candy. I think that is where we got the little whistles. Seems like water was put in the whistle that looked like a pipe and had a bird shape somewhere on the pipe.... or maybe that was Cracker Jacks. My memory is fading fast!

On Sundays we would go downtown when the stores were all closed and window shopped. I would hope that soon it would be shoe shopping time.



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My niece, Marcy, seems to have her 'post comment' working. So hopefully now you can leave a comment on one of her wonderful cakes at Lady M's Cake Decor.

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21 comments :

  1. Oh yes, I remember these shoes. My mom used to take me to Lenox Square Mall to buy these when I was little.

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  2. I have never heard of them. How cool is it that you still have the box and the shoes?! We wore Hush Puppies when I was a kid and the best part of getting a new pair of shoes was the box with the picture of the dog on it. Kids!

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  3. How are you today?
    What an interesting post, the little shoes are darling, and pulling a goose to get an egg is quite a gimick.
    How sweet of your mom to keep them, and you to carry on the tradion:)

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  4. How amazing to have so many child hood treasures. I remember the name, As I grew up in St. Louis. But I do not know that I ever got a pair my self.

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  5. Wow, I remember Red Goose Shoes. I had completely forgotten that name, never here of it anymore. Can you believe my first job was in Jackson,Missouri at International Shoe. It was hard work and low pay, but I was happy to have a job. I had been graduated from high school for 3 days and went to work away my summer there. I was very fast at my job and sure built up some arm muscles working there. Happy for the experience, but would never want to do it again.

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  6. Oh my. I have no recollection of shoes when I was little. Maybe because I was traumatized by that contraption I had to wear to straighten out my feet. That is the only pair I remember. lol I must have put up a mental block. Wow the things you find in the closet. Is there a pair of mine in there too? : )

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  7. I was reading an old "Gene Autry and Champion" comic published by Dell comics. What is most interesting is the ads within. The inside front cover had an ad for the Red Goose Shoes "Treasurama" sweepstakes for kids up to 15 years of age. A lucky boy and girl could win a round trip to any American city served by American Airlines. Included were all expense paid transportation, hotel lodging and pocket money for the lucky winners and their adult companions. The kids would also win a junior American Airlines pilot or stewardess uniforms.

    There were other prizes as well. What makes me sad is knowing how many fine American businesses
    are gone and the quality products they manufactured here are now poor quality products from China or some other third world country.

    I was interested in finding out more about Red Goose Shoes and found your well written history of Red Goose and the International Shoe Company. Thank you very much.

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  8. Red Goose shoes, wow! I was about 6 years old (1952) when we shopped in Ybor City, in Tampa, Florida located on Seventh Ave and 17th Street. My little brother and I were full glee to get the treasure from the red goose. Afterward, we'd go for a Grapette soda and a deviled crab. Wow those were the days. I think, though, not sure, the Grapette went by the way of the Red Goose.

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  9. Wow very interesting bits of information. I recently bought a pair of Red Goose Shoes for my infant son from a thrift store in Alpharetta, GA the shoes were brand new, I don't think they were ever worn. They are really nice you can tell they are old school because they don't make good walking shoes like this anymore all the older women comment on how good they are. I was trying to see where to get another pair because they are good to help him start walking but from your info I can see that these were a find. Thanks for the history lesson and forgot to mention that mine were just about the same price as yours, a steal at just $2 that's good thrifting :).

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  10. wow... this is really nice blog... i ever see this blog.. this is the fantastic one.. i love ladies shoes.. here i found good collection... thanks

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  11. I am from Southern Louisiana and we had a store in my town that sold Red Goose Shoes. My sister asked me if I remembered the goose that layed the golden egg. Well of course, I remember alot from my childhood. I thought that there was a balloon and some kind of whistle in the egg. The balloon had Red Goose Shoes and a picture of a goose on it. Thank you so much for the history. It ment so much to be able to go get new shoes and a prized back in the day. Now-a-days, it wouldn't mean much. I value my childhood memories so much.
    Mary La Rose Dixon
    Houma, LA

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  12. I think I remember their jingle "Every day's a holiday in Red Goose Shoes"!

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  13. I remember part of the song that goes "all I want for Christmas are my Red Goose shoes"
    I spent my younger years (I am 54) in Alaska and nobody I have ever talked to down here has heard of Red Goose shoes.
    I thought it was something that they just had up in the cold state.

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  14. My grandmother was born in 1918 and i have her baby shoes that were Red Goose School shoes.

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  15. Half the fun of having feet is Red Goose Shoes

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  16. I was raised in an area of the east coast where shoes factories abound, I think that I heard of red goose shoes

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  17. I was hoping to find information on the Friedman Shelby international shoe comp. But I was led to you...I enjoyed your post.

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  18. I ALWAYS got a pair of Rd Goose shoes for Christmas from my grandmother. She would take us to downtown Birmingham and go to Parisian's and let us pick our shoes and then go over to the big Goose and get our Golden Egg! What a wonderful childhood memory ! If children only had something like that today to excite them and make memories of their childhood, this world would be a happier place

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  19. I just came upon a Red Goose Shoes coin bank, and am fascinated to learn so much background on the company. Thanks.

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  20. I have my baby leather shoes from 1948. With a little polish could still be used. There from Friedman Shelby thrift St Louis. Can anyone shed any more light?

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  21. My grandfather's last name was Gieseke. He was born Earl Colmar Gieseke May 3, 1895 in Germantown, PA to Harry H. Gieseke and Sara Sally Wasser Gieseke. I wonder if there is any connection, especially since Gieseke is such an unusual last name.

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Make it a great day!

Zaroga