Nike SB Causes A Tongue Twister
This picture was just taken outside of Nike HQ as tons of people boycott against the new thin Nike SB tongue. The fat tongue was the prime feature that made the Nike (SB) Dunk Low so lovely. Keep it real, it was something about the fat tongue that made you want a pair of SB Dunks in the first place, right? Apparently, someone in the Nike SB camp had to make an executive decision by doing away with the beloved stuffed tongue.
Tons of Nike SB fans caught feelings about the tongue-change, but is it the skaters complaining, or is it the sneakerheads whining as usual? Depending on who’s mad is extremely vital at the end of the day since Nike SB is a “skateboarding” brand. More importantly, who’s the true Nike SB consumer: skaters or sneakerheads? Surely that matters since Nike’s kick-push division wouldn’t be able to turn profit without their loyal following.
By now, team Nike SB should have an idea of why so many people are turning their backs on the Dunk Low SB, but what are they willing to do about it? It’s all about giving the consumers what they want, and time will tell who’s the real voice for the people. Will the tongue remain thin or will the fat tongue return? That’s the million dollar question ladies and gentlemen.
Pour your hearts out by telling Nike SB how you feel about the tonge-change in the comments section. You never know, they just might bring the fat tongue back after reading what you have to say. Speak now or forever hold your peace.
I’ve been meaning to publish this for a while now. I thought I’d give everyone thats mad about the tongue swap an official place to vent and express their thoughts.
Nike SB hasnt been the same since 2007
^IMO since 2005. That was a GREAT year for Nike SB. 2006 and 2007 were ok, but 2005 was off the chain.
First of all, fat tongues should be second to making classic SBs again. and to be fair, the garbage there dropping these days. fat tongues wont help. But man, i dont get how taking away the comfort level of the sneaker will help anyone
BRING BACK THE FAT TOUNGE, BRING BACK THE FAT TOUNGE!!!!!
It was the tounge that set the SB dunk low apart from any other regular dunk!!! I gotta agree with TorontoComeUp Cuz they really have been dropping garbage lately and the tounge helps, but it wnt automatically make the shoe a classic!!
BRING BACK THE ’05 STYLE HEAT, BRING BACK THE ’05 STYLE HEAT!!!!
Thin tongues isn’t the only change nike has made to dunk sb lows, as the padding around the heel is also firmer and more supportive now. I stopped skating Dunk Lows a while ago in favor of less poofy shoes. I’ve been skating the new thin-tongued lows for a few months now, and they are the best Nikes I’ve skated in years and years. Nike SB won me back with thin tongues and new padding. Plus, look at the colorways coming out in 2010: Nike SB is back in full-throttle, all-suede killer mode. I admit, fat tongues look better. But the shoes are sooooo much more quality now, it makes me hardly care. An occasional fat-tongued drop (maybe just give the so-said “premium” colorways fat tongues?) would be nice, but honestly it’s 2009 not 2005 the game has changed and Nike SB has successfully adapted. I am a skater and a sneakerhead first but have way more respect for the wants/needs of skater culture and trust me shoeheads, we got this one right. Thin tongues, please.
word, they can do it too. Easily, i just dont get whats taking so long to drop some classic joints. Nike somtimes is too big for there own good, they dont wanna get no licenses or nothing. can you imagine some super hero sbs with ACTUAL logos on them.
man the only way SBs get any hype anymore is if there limited, and they come with a paper bag, and some bbq sauce like the lobsters.
so jordan 1 fat tounges are for what agin if they took away the fat tounge in sbs
i want the fat tounge back… ima skater to
BRING THE FAT TONGUES BACK! From what i can gather both sneakerheads n skaters alike want the fat tongues. Give the people want they want. If the majority of sneakerheads n the majority of skaters want fat tongues then fat tongues it is. U can’t please everyone all of the time.
I’ve been skating for 8 years now and I would rather have stuffed tongues. I don’t enjoy skating Dunk lows but from my thin tongue skating experience I’d have to say the stuffed tongue provides a better comfort level. The change didn’t effect me much because there’s other skate brands besides Nike SB. From a design stand, I can say Nike SB fell off a long time ago.
Nice work TSG. I agree with the picket sign that says “Keep Em Fat Nike”.
The fat tongue is Nike sb without it, its just nike…
Love the fat tongues but I have been off that SB stuff for a while. I sold my DOOMS, LOBSTERS, MILLIS, PEE WEES, TINKERS, NEW CASTLES, AQUA CHALKS…. I’ve only kept my SKATE OR DIES and my GRAILS which are the DE LA highs. I bought the TOXIC only out of respect for the dude that owns NJII who designed ‘em. I still have the SANDALWOODS which I’m looking to get rid of now.
yea its been a weak year(couple of years) for sb imo but i would love for the fat tongue to come back, im hoping 2010 will be better but from what ive seen so far im not to impressed, also i hope 2010 is better for dunks in general, stop with the splatter ish and other bs
TorontoComeUp said it absolutely correct. If these weak Lows had fat tongues I really wouldn’t care. They’re not dropping Shanghais or Band-Aids anymore. Why do you think they’re releasing the Guccis, a scrapped sample? They are running out of ideas…Forget the bringing the fat tongues back, first bring back orignality then we would care more.
I was on the boy cot from the beginning and nike is making a terrible mistake some times you have to support what supports you and although i know some skaters that skate sb i know more sneaker heads that buy them for the love of the shoe sometimes you have to cater to who caters to you thin tongues will be the death of sb lows weather its more comfortable for skaters or not when you see the big picture skaters will not be able to support sb they need people like me who love to stay fresh with the tiffs on or the brandades or even the blue lobster how about the humpa lumpas and lets not forget the bisons well dont really see to many people skating in these do you I hear allot of people blogging how sb is dead and its a shame such a short run and this will be the nail in the coffin eff hypebeast like Frenalations he’s wack supporting a product that does not support you let sb rot with its consumer base of skaters us sneaker heads we can change it up like the climate ya dig
nike sb really needs to bring back the fat tongue because i ve recently started collecting sneakers and i m forced to buy shoes that dropped years ago because of the garbage they have been dropping lately
I agree with everyone who says it’s about originality, not the fat tongue. I’ll admit I was heated when they took the fatty away, but it wouldn’t be an issue if they were still putting dope colorways out. Send us something we can sink our teeth into and we won’t complain about the tongue!
i have always liked fat tongues for sketing and look purposes. i hat the thin togues and if they contiue the skinny tongues no ones gonna buy lows any more.
i never had a pair of nike sb dunks. i’ll get a pair one of these days. anyway, when i heard the news about the loss of the puffy tongue, i was a bit mad. my fave feature of sb dunks are the puffy tongue, and i’m not the only one that feels this way. our voice really doesn’t matter, to be honest. nike is going to put out whatever they want, and as long as nike puts stuff out, we can complain all we want. just know they’re not losing sleep cause someone buys it, whether it’s beautiful or ugly, expensive or cheap, fat tongue or no fat tongue.
Years ago, I commented that NIKE SB should start a RETRO movement…. WHO AGREES???????
Haven’t bought a pair since the fat tongue. Gonna work on my hold section at my spot and boycott until/if they bring em back.
without fat tongues sb’s aint the same. thats why all the old ish basically 2005 and back is at least 200 resale. From a sneakerhead standpoint, without a fat tongue, the dunks don’t have the same appeal; the flashy i different than all you normal dunk wearing look. From a skater standpoint, the fat tongue separates the normal dunk by making the shoe more comfy and thus makes skaters happy by allowing their feet to be more padded, thus rewducing injury and increasing the comfort level. With all that said, please bring fat tongues back and think of better colorways. Make nike sb the exclusive sneakerhead loving skater wearing shoe that all of loved. WHOEVER DESIGNS THE NEW ISH SHOULD BE FIRED CAUSE ALL THE NEW ISH IS HELLA WHACK. I’m tryin’ to become a sneaker designer so i can bring the consumer what they really want. WHO AGREES? SPEAK YOUR MIND AND BRING BACK THE CLASSICS FROM THE OLDEN DAYS. back in 2005, nike sb wasn’t as known by the everyday person. But now since non skaters and even non sneakerheads are rockin’, the brand has lost its exclusive appeal. I have a tip for you, why dont you just bring back the exclusive 1000 pair sneakers and stop tryin to make whack colors that nobody likes. If you think about it, all of the good “heat” was simple and almost plain, but not as fukin plain as the shitt that is releasing now. The todd bratud highs are better than everything else in the last year, with exception to the lobsters, and anything that I may have missed (the heat that skaters like us and sneakerheads like us all like)
NIKE please loyal to your consumers who purchase your Nike SB’s on a common basis. Don’t try to cut costs by using less material so you save money and we suffer on the our products. I don’t hate the flat tongue, but I’m not in love with it like I was with the FAT tongue. Seriously this is some shady sh*t you guys pulled on us. You charge outragous prices on your products and then try to gain every little penny by cutting costs. Not cool. I really hope SB sales go down so they bring back the fat tongue.
Who care. If the shoe is hot, then its hot.
Wear what you like and maybe even sites like this and Sneakerfiles and the rest won’t have to exist. Silence the HypeBeast and SwaggerJacker and wear shoe that YOU want to wear!
BTW I still think the Yeezys are ugly and the only MJs I own are a few pair of 12s – Dunk High forever! no matter the tongue, SB or Not!
I’ma keep it brief & tell yal 2 things that my older generation (OGs-original gangstas) told me: Dear Nike SB….
.
If it ain’t broke, don’t try to fix it.
.
You reap what you sow.
This is goin ruin everything that the SB has less people are going to stop buying them an it well cause a big delema they gotta change it bak
FAT FAT FAT!~~~
Nike SB R.I.P 2008
GRoc I agree with you in 2005 I remember when the tiffs came out the same weekend as the black laser 4s.
That’s were SB was the best making ppll go crazy over Nikes
Same shit they doing to Jordan brand bad quality more profits but who’s going to suffer at the end?? Time will tell
My Newcastle Dunks came today. They’re awesome.
GIMME MY PHAT TOUNGES BACK NIKE. U PEOPLE ALWAYS HAVE TO RUIN A GOOD THING.
LAST TIME GROC POSTED NIKESB LEAVIN THE FAT TONGUE I LEFT A COMMENT SAYIN NIKE SB SNEAKERHEADS WERE GONNA PROTEST AGAINIST THE SKINNY TONGUE
Please…you people just dont get it….I posted a thread on this in NT (ayipapi)….And G please you got a good memory so rememeber who said this first….The creativity of Nike SB has been falling for a while now…they are shifting into second gear as a brand…Things like JPack Mids…Dr Feel Good Blazers…”Bloody” Grip tapes…are meant for one thing and one thing only…to test the market for retro of Nike SB’s….what you will see in the next year or two will be the re-release of many of the older SB’s with the fat tongues…Its not a materials change or any of those things…Please the beast would have come out any way for an Unkle Retro but image they release after a year of fake ass GR styled releases…people will go insane and SB will be back!!!! Trust you will see the fat tongues back..but not until SB is ready to make you line up and go deep in your pockets….(The kids from Nike 6.0 are making those Air Morgans even puffy now…as they laugh at SB)
R.I.P NIKE SB… yOUR NOT WELCOME NIKE DUNKS 2.0s!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
to all people who say “i like fat tongues”…
i say..
“thats what she said
”
haha ok, plain and simple this time:
“Nike SB, bring back the fat tongues. Don’t make me have to call Chuck Norris”
On my side of the Nation North VA Nike sb is strictly fresh kid wear, sneakerheads every skate ive seen is rockin bummy vnas, fallen, at best 6.0′s
bring back fat tounge
and in my opinion Nike Dunk Low Pro SB is the best branch in the entire Nike SB division
FAT TOUNGES OR WERE DONE ! FAT TOUNGES OR WERE DONE!!!! imo the fat tongue is the best quality of a dunk unless the color way is complete trash pleas nike please!!! and starin poppin 05 heat back outt!!!
I agree with some people saying that NIKE SB is dead.
I feel like SB fell off around 2007.
Fat tongue is one thing they shouldn’t take away from us…
FAT TONGUES FOREVER!
Bring Our Fat Tongue Back, !!
Bro thiss is rediculous im nt coppin any lowtops without the FATTONGUE.
I can’t lie..I have boycotted SB since the fat tongue was gone! SMH
All I buy are older SBs now and just pass on the new crap SB is coming out with.
PLS BRING THE FAT TONGUE BACK!..and more creative designs like in the past…You will have my money!!!!
nike, when 95% of your customers like something, theres no need to change it. bring the fat tongues back and come up with some simple, creative, older type stuff and everyone wins.
I LOVE THE FAT TONGUE. POINT BLANK. DUNK SB’S WITHOUT IT ARE GR’S WITH A FRUITY COLORED BOX.
I THINK MAYBE c brown IS RIGHT…..THEY MAY BE SITTING BACK AND REVAMPING THEIR SALES STRATEGY…..LET THE CONSUMER GET ANGRY, AND KIND OF FORGET ABOUT DUNK SB’S FOR A MINUTE……THEN A WHILE LATER, BOOM, THEY RETRO THE 1ST OR 2ND SERIES SB DUNKS WITH THE FAT TONGUE……IMAGINE THE ABSOLUTE MAYHEM THAT WOULD CAUSE…..IMAGINE THE CAMP-OUTS IF THEY RE-ISSUED THE J PACKS, TRUE REDS, SUPA’S, SUPREMES, DE LA’S, TIFFS, JEDI’S ETC…..IF THEY DID THAT AND WENT AS FAR AS DROPPING THEIR RETRO’S ON THE SAME RELEASE DAYS AS JORDAN WAS SUPPOSED TO DROP A RETRO, IT’D BE A FULL OUT WAR, AND I’D THINK THAT NIKE SB WOULD WIN….FUCK WIN, THEY’D MOST LIKELY CRUSH THE COMPETITION EASILY……GIVEN THE CHOICE BETWEEN “CAMPING” FOR DE LA HI’S OR SOME SHIT QUALITY JORDAN RETRO, SB’D GET MY CASH WITHOUT QUESTION 10 TIMES OUTTA 10 AND I BET IT’D BE THE SAME CHOICE FOR ALOT OF KIDS OUT THERE……
I have enough fat tongue SB’s already… let their value rise (no I don’t mean monetary). While I will miss having it, it’s not the worest thing that has happened to the SB line. I think the worest has been the lack of inspiration they have delivered lately. Trust me as soon as a solid colorway with an original motif is released then everyone will be riding its jock (no homo). Chirping bird sample comes to mind. Besides the lack of a fat tongue other things I have come to miss are the lace bag (with the 2nd pair of laces) being attached to the sneaker, and how it used to be a clandestine sub-culture of the sneaker game.
Yo c brown,
only way I ever see a retro happening is with this new slim tongue… retros have to be different from OG’s at least when it comes to Nike
Like everyone else I too miss the fat tongue. What Im wondering is why nike hasn’t explained why they removed it. If it was a money issue, then I get it, everyone is cutting back these days. But to leave everyone in the dark like that is super lame. It feels like I’m in the great depression of SB.
I cant belive that people are worried about the tounges. We should be worried about the crappy colorways that have been dropping since 2006. People need to do their HW when it comes to this because there are a few sb’s that did not have a fat tounge and were classic colors. But oh well I gave up on dunks a long time ago.