Looney Tunes Are Good for Selling Shoes, If Not Much Else

The Looney Tunes gang isn’t exactly culturally relevant to anyone under the age of twenty today, but Nike is betting on nostalgic older fans — and overseas brand recognition — as it relaunches its Hare Jordan line of sneakers. This spring, the company released a 3-minute online promo of Bugs mostly sitting and talking (what a great use of the animation medium!) to commemorate a 23rd anniversary re-issue of the original Hare Jordan shoe:

Nike followed that yesterday with the release of a Marvin the Martian spot in support of a new Blake Griffin-themed shoe:

…and if this TMZ report is any indication, Jon Favreau (Elf, Iron Man) is directing some kind of a live-action spot with Griffin that could incorporate animation, like the original Roger Rabbit-inspired spots with Bugs and Michael Jordan.

If it seems like a cultural anomaly to re-introduce these shoes at this point in time, when Looney Tunes are all but forgotten save for occasional dunderheaded revivals, remember that Nike is a global operation. The Blake Griffin shoes are, in fact, launching in China tomorrow, more than a month before they’ll be released anywhere else in the world.