In 1935 Paul Sperry invented the world's first and most enduring boat shoe. Where all other footwear brand have laid claim to every inch of terra firma, from the highest snowcapped peaks to the lowest desert valley, from baseball diamonds to basketball courts, Sperry Top-Sider has flourished by helping all who love the water master the world's final frontier... the oceans, lakes and streams of Planet Earth.

Surprisingly, the Sperry Top-Sider story begins with a cocker spaniel named Prince. On a raw winter day in New England when avid sailor and hobbyist inventor Paul Sperry let out his dog for its daily exercise he noticed that Prince was remarkably stable, even at a full run on the snow covered, icy crust.

An idea was born.

Paul raced back to his laboratory to begin working. Soon, with pieces of rubber, a razor blade and an ordinary sneaker, Paul had pieced together the prototype of the world's first boat shoe. Subsequent designs yielded the original Sperry Top-Sider now known as the Authentic Original.

Today, that heritage and performance are hard at work for those who can't live without the water. Sure, our shoes are still standard issue for most sailors. In fact, the Authentic Original is part of the US Naval Academy Class of 2006 official casual uniform.