If you were both a sports fan and watched Saturday morning cartoons in what was apparently a very short slice of time in the rich year of 1991, you might remember having watched ProStars.

No?

The show, which according to Wikipedia aired for only 3 months but made a long-lasting impression on at least one youth in the 90s, featured star athletes MIchael Jordan, Wayne Gretzky, and Bo Jackson fighting crime and doing good things with their athletic super powers.

The thing I thought was so cool was how each of them could press a button to get a boost of their already super abilities. Jordan’s rocket shoes launched him into the air, Gretzky’s shoes had pop-out wheels and rocket blasters for extra speed.

What an era for Saturday morning cartoons.

The winter shoe for Manitoban runners is ProStars-inspired, as was this Swix Army Watch, and these items every Manitoban needs for winter. I also must credit for inspiration the Japanese chindogu tradition, and maybe be some of the odd Croc add-on memes my sister sends me. (No Jibbitz here, however.)

Here’s to winter running, whether your shoes are equipped with the latest in Manitoban running technology, or you’re stuck slipping and snowplowing through this season like the rest of us.