Nothing beats rocking sneakers inspired by your favorite cartoon—it’s like wearing nostalgia on your feet. From grown men in Powerpuff Girls costumes to Homer Simpson Dunks selling for $19,842, cartoon kicks are turning childhood memories into pricey collector’s items. Here is a list of the 15 best cartoon Nike sneakers of all time.
1. Nike SB Dunk Low “Powerpuff Girls” Pack
These sneakers mark one of the rare occasions when fans begged Nike for a concept for so long that they couldn’t help but bring it to life. After what felt like ages of demand, the Nike SB Dunk Low “Powerpuff Girls” pack emerged in December 2023. The colourways of this pack are fully inspired by the three sisters. Find out more: Sneaker Fortress
2. Nike CJ81 Trainer Max “Megatron”
Although the “Megatron Rises” pack included three stunning sneakers, the Nike CJ81 Trainer Max was, without a doubt, the best of the bunch. These kicks are effortlessly cool. Plus, Johnson’s favourite Megatron quote, ‘Show no mercy,’ is printed under the midfoot strap, which is quite a nice touch.
3. Nike Air Trainer SC II “Megatron”
The “Megatron Rises” packs have brought forth some of the best cartoon Nike shoes from a toy line and sneaker manufacturer. However, you can easily see that the Nike Air Trainer SC II “Megatron” is the more wearable. This pair swaps it out for a reflective circuitry board pattern on the medial and lateral quarter panels but maintains the Decepticon iconography on the heel.
4. Air Jordan 1 Stash Utility “Prowler”
These were just a pair of sneakers that were seen for a couple of frames in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. However, the second that fans saw the Prowler’s sneakers, they simply had to have them. Being the talk of the town for weeks after the movie was released, Nike finally shared that the stunning Nike Air Jordan 1 Stash Utility “Prowler” was a pair made for friends and family.
5. SpongeBob SquarePants x Kyrie 5 “Patrick”
The pack is loved for many reasons, but Patrick’s bright pink pair is definitely a favourite. Much like the other pairs, it has a few more minor details that tie it to the beloved character. However, the winning feature of this pair is undoubtedly the vibrantly coloured upper.
6. SpongeBob SquarePants x Kyrie 5 “SpongeBob
Kyrie Irving, a massive fan of the popular animated series, ensured his collaboration did justice to the theme. We appreciate how the mesh cleverly reflects SpongeBob’s porous texture, producing a design that represents the beloved cartoon and is incredibly stylish.
7. Nike Zoom LeBron 6 “Stewie Griffin” PE
Although many have tried, no pair of sneakers has come close to capturing the iconic design of these Nike Zoom LeBron 6 “Stewie Griffin” player-exclusive sneakers. The LeBron 18 Low made one of the best attempts at bringing the player-exclusive colourway to general retail for fans. Still, it was never quite the same as this iconic pair.
8. Nike SB Dunk Low Pro “Bart Simpson”
As one of the coolest skater dudes of our childhood, we couldn’t think of a better character to be brought to life using the iconic skating silhouette than Bart Simpson. These cartoon Nike shoes give you just the right amount of Bart flair.
9. Nike Air Trainer III “Optimus Prime”
The design pays homage to one of our all-time favourite childhood characters, Optimus Prime. These silver, red, and blue sneakers certainly nod to the iconic character.
10. “Spider-Verse” Nike Air Max Plus 3
Innovative, ingeniously coloured, and perfect for any occasion, these high-tech sneakers look like they fell off the bottom end of a Spider-Man suit. They are about to turn you into a superhero.
11. Nike SB Dunk Low “Homer”
You can’t put together a collection of cartoon-inspired Nike sneakers without mention of the Homer Simpson SB Dunks. Sure, these kicks aren’t an official collaboration with the TV show (that honour seems to belong solely to adidas at the moment). But it’s still widely regarded as the perfect sneaker tribute to the doughnut-munching TV dad.
12. Gundam x Nike SB Dunk High
In 2021, Nike brought Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn to sneakerheads’ feet with two SB Dunk High colourways. Both the White/Red and Black/Gold pairs are customisable with removable Swooshes (done in Gundam style, of course) and stickers to spruce up the shoes. Honestly, Nike nailed the details on this design. It’s just like stepping into the suit yourself.
13. Verdy x Nike SB Dunk Low “Visty”
Who can resist Nike SB’s fuzzy Dunk Low collabs, especially when the inspiration is a cute pastel-coloured monster named Visty? Nike’s collaboration with artist Verdy on these pink, blue, green and yellow Dunks was one of the sneaker highlights of 2024. The shoe comes with cartoon drawings of the plushy character on the insoles and hang tag. Plus, these cartoon inspired sneakers are just really fun and different.
14. Air Jordan 7 “Marvin The Martian”
While Bugs Bunny kicked off Warner Bros.’ collaboration with Jordan Brand in the ’90s, Marvin the Martian also had a turn to take over a pair of Jordan sneakers. The black, red, and green Jordan 7 perfectly captures the cheeky Martian. And thankfully, he didn’t blow anything up in the process.
15. Nike SB Dunk High “Doraemon”
Nike treated Doraemon fans to an SB Dunk High inspired by the anime cat back in 2020. While this is yet another unofficial colourway for the skateboarding subsidiary, all fans really needed was the white, blue, and red palette to make the connection. They even added a hint of yellow to represent the bell around his neck! To learn more: Sneaker Fortress
