[hart]

So I finally remembered to look this up when I got home and I am none the wiser.

Shoe tossing (throwing tied pairs of shoes over phone wires and lamp posts), apparently known, as per Wikipedia, as shoefiti: what's the deal with that? Wikipedia basically says "no one knows, here's a bunch of theories." Shoe tossing - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

So I'm wondering if anyone has personal experience with this phenomenon. It seems mysteriously universal so someone must have participated in a shoe-tossing related incident. Any youthful miscreants out there?

[iMOTOR]

Growing up, we were told that it was a sign that someone was selling drugs nearby. Haven’t seen one for ages.

[Waragainstsleep]

I used to see a lot of shoes in Liverpool back when I was at Uni.

[Demonhood]

I saw it with a pair of kids shoes (probably for a boy of 3-5) near where I live. Those drug dealing toddlers are out of control.

[reader50]

I've seen this rarely, and long figured the shoes belong to someone else. ie - swipe someone's shoes and put them somewhere high in the air. Where they can see it, but would need a fire truck or the Force to get them down.

[gradient]

There are shoes all over the power/telephone lines where I live (downtown apartment). Damned if I know who tosses them up there, though I've also heard the drug dealer rumour in the past. I don't tend to believe that that's the reason, but who knows; I've wondered about it myself more than a few times.

[iMOTOR]

Originally Posted by Demonhood 

I saw it with a pair of kids shoes (probably for a boy of 3-5) near where I live. Those drug dealing toddlers are out of control.

Dave Chapelle-Baby On The Corner - YouTube

[imitchellg5]

Most of the time that I've seen it has been in the complete middle of nowhere.

[jmiddel]

I have not, but it seems that it could a fun game of skill. Albeit expensive.

[hart]

If it's drug dealers then they are on every single street corner here. Shoes seem to have a rather inconvenient half life so if you change corners they're still hanging there on your old corner. Doesn't seem practical as a sign.

I always assumed it was bullying. Steal some kid's shoes and throw them up there so he can't get them.

Someone has to actually be doing the shoe tossing. Where are the personal testimonials? Or are shoe tossers just not internet types?

[seanc]

How many times do the shoes get tossed in the air, come back down and clobber someone on the head before you get them wrapped around the object?

[andi*pandi]

I assumed it was bullying/pranking/frat boys.

It's also pretty universal, I mean, they did it to Luna Lovegood's shoes in Harry Potter.

[Thorzdad]

I've never seen it here in Indiana, but I've long noticed that filmmakers and tv shows seem to use the image of shoes having been tossed as shorthand for "somewhere in an old neighborhood in NYC/Boston/Philly/etc."