At the Spring trade shows, we were taken with a new kids footwear brand, Native Shoes. These rubber shoes comes in easily recognizable silhouettes of Converse, Wallabies and Keds. Could it be the new Croc? With the help of six opinionated individuals, ages 3 to 9, we did a product test (yes, they are our kids). First, we had each come in separately to ensure no sibling influencing. The initial and overwhelming reaction by all was "Cool!" and "Can I keep them?" We got more. We heard "Natives are tighter around the foot, Crocs are looser." For one of the girls, the Miller style's "tongue rubs against the top of my foot and hurts." For another girl (who refuses to wear Crocs), she liked that there was a back and not just a strap. They got specific. "These don't have any holes around bottom so dirt and rocks can't get in" and of serious concern to the boys, "Can I put little pins in them?" (Natives has told us, not for now). At the end, we took a group vote. Natives won unanimously. So, what do the moms think? Hadley is sold and her three girls got their pick of color and style. Holly is on the fence, she thinks their fun and original but may be a little too hip for her boys. SHOP NATIVES >