In 1878, a young man by the name of George Warren Brown believed he had a great idea and a great product to sell. He had enormous faith that St. Louis could become a manufacturing center for the shoe industry. He believed in this idea so much that he invested his entire life savings into his own little company that manufactured and sold shoes.

Fortunately for Brown, his dream became an insane reality, as his little shoe making factory and family-owned business turned into a $2.3 billion dollar industry. Brown Shoes is now the number one value-priced, brand name shoe for the American family, recognized by children because of the Dutch-looking boy always wearing snazzy new shoes. However, many people mistakenly think Brown’s Buster Brown shoe brand was named after the beloved comic character, Buster Brown. In fact, the Buster Brown shoe brand came 25 years later.

According to the Brown Shoe company, in 1904, a Brown Shoe executive went to the “Meet Me At St. Louis” World’s Fair, where he met Buster Brown’s creator, Richard F. Outcault. After a long discussion, he purchased the name from him. At the time, Buster Brown was a mischievous character who, along with his pals, Tige (pronounced like Tiger, without the r) and Mary Jane, delighted and captivated children of all ages with their adventures.

After the rights to use the comic character were purchased, Brown’s business soared. Brown Shoes made marketing history when it sent on the road a series of actors, each dressed as Buster and accompanying a dog called Tige. The group toured the entire country selling Buster Brown shoes and performing in theaters, department stores, and shoe stores. One must remember that this was a huge feat (no pun intended) in this day and age, as a show such as this coming to a community would generally draw the entire town.