CARROLLTON, Texas, July 8 (UPI) -- Heelys Inc., the U.S. maker of quirky sneakers that glide on a back wheel, said it would launch a customized skateboard called the Nano.
The Nano is an arrowhead-shaped skateboard not much bigger than one foot. The user is expected wear a Heely shoe without the wheel for riding on the Nano, while using the other foot -- wearing a Heely with a wheel -- provides the push, The Dallas Morning News reported Thursday.
The Nano is expected to cost around $80. For Heelys, it is the first product it has offered that isn't a shoe.
Heelys has had a quick up-and-down ride since 2000, when the sneakers with wheels in the heel first appeared. It went public in 2006, when revenue peaked at $188.2 million. But revenue dropped 38 percent in 2009 to $43 million, making the company unprofitable for the year, the newspaper said.
Chief Executive Officer Tom Hansen said the Nano represents "a new philosophy -- around Heelys as a system, not just a shoe."
"The cool thing about this is there's nothing else like this out there," he said.
