Why Glue Pennies To Shoes? What Is The Purpose?

Ever seen a child walking around with normal-looking shoes that are making a tap tap sound on concreate? Well, if the sound caught your attention, you might have looked at their shoe to notice that there are pennies glued to the bottom. But what is the purpose?

Is it because they do not want to lose the penny? Or is it because they want to annoy the passerby with the tap-tap sound? Well, it is neither of the two!

When we did a little more digging into the topic of why glue pennies to shoes, we could found out the real reasons behind it, and we will describe all of them in this article.

Why Are Pennies Glued To The Shoes?

You might have noticed that we have mentioned a scenario where you might have noticed a “child” wearing a shoe with pennies glued on the bottom.

Well, it is true that usually, parents are going to do this act. And this segment will describe the actual reasons behind it:

Tap Dancer

The child that you might have noticed wearing a modified shoe might be a tap dancer. And tap dancing shoes can cost a lot.

The good ones can start from $50. And all they offer is the tapping sound. They are not good enough for being an everyday-wearing shoes.

Now, what would be the most cost-effective way to get a good pair of tap dancing shoes that does not cost that much? Yes, you have guessed it correctly! All it requires is some glue and pennies and whallah!

That is not only the good part about this hack. This affordable hack can not only make the shoe act as a tap-dancing shoe but also like a regular one.

Make the Children Aware

A lot of the children get distracted quite easily. And while traveling on the road, that little distraction can lead to severe accidents, which is why parents glue pennies to the bottom of the shoe.

That tap tap sound can make the child aware of the surroundings and not let the mind divert to something else while walking.

Backup Money

Consider a scenario where the child needs to buy something but does not really have the money in the pocket.

Well, if there are enough pennies stuck to the bottom of the shoe, the child can use it as backup money! Yes, the coins are going to be a bit scraped, but many of the vendors will not refuse to take them in.

Increase Traction

Over time, the bottom of the shoes can wear out to that amount that it will not provide any grip at all. In that case, zigzag patterns, which can be obtained by gluing pennies, can help.

However, the traction will not be as much as the original design. Also, the grip will be reasonably low on flat surfaces.

Fun

A lot of the kids like to make noises around the house. And this process of gluing coins to the shoe is the best way to ensure that the kids have their fun while staying active.

They will simply love the tapping sound that the pair makes and will jump and run from one place to another.

How To Glue Pennies To The Bottom Of The Shoe?

Now that you know why parents glue pennies to the bottom of the shoe, let us get to the process of gluing them, shall we? And for that, you would need to follow these steps:

Step 1: Get a Good Number of Pennies

Before you get into the process, make sure that you have a good number of pennies with you.

Two or four is not going to cut it; you would require at least eight to ten of them. If you do not have that amount of pennies with you, just go to a store and ask for changes.

Step 2: Apply Glue to the Bottom of the Shoe

After getting a good number of pennies, it will be time to apply glue to the bottom surface of the shoes.

Before applying glue, clean the surface properly. If possible, use soap and rigorously clean the bottom. The glue might not properly stick if there is too much dirt on the bottom.

Once the surface is clean, apply a dab of super glue to the bottom. We are recommending super glue because it will ensure that the pennies do not come off while the child is walking or dancing around.

Do make sure that you apply the glue proportionally. If the pennies are not glued proportionately, it will be hard to balance the legs while wearing the shoes.

Step 3: Stick the Pennies

The next step would be to stick the pennies to the locations where you have applied the glue. In this step, hold the shoe upside down and apply firm pressure while putting the pennies in place. If there is excess glue surrounding the coin, clean them with a cloth.

Once the pennies are in place, put the shoe down on the ground. The pressure exerted from the shoe to the floor should be enough to keep the pennies in place.

And after the glue cures, check whether the shoe is capable of balancing itself properly on the ground or not.

If you find that one of the sides is raised higher than the other, take the pennies out and glue them again in a proportionate style.

Tips And Tricks

There are a couple of tricks and tips that we would like to share regarding the process of gluing pennies to the shoe. Follow these to ensure that the child is capable of properly walking while wearing the shoe.

Change the Pennies from Time to Time

If your child is a tap dancer, the chances are that the coins are going to wear away exceptionally fast.

And over time, the proportionality of the shoe can diminish, which will be a bad thing for tap dancing shoes. The coins will also wear away even if the child wears them for walking.

For that reason, you would need to change the pennies from time to time. That will ensure that the child can walk or dance on surfaces properly.

Do Not Use Tape

Many of the parents tried to follow this exact technique using tapes and failed miserably. Yes, tapes are not going to work as well as the glues.

They simply do not have the same holding power that the goals require. So, do not use any sort of tape. Instead, use proper glue or super glue for carrying out this process.

Try Not to Overweight the Shoe

Pennies are made of metal. And if you stick enough of them on the bottom, they can overweigh the shoe. An overweight shoe can be tough to wear because it will drag the feet down. So, while sticking the coins, try not to weigh out the shoes.

Can I Attach Pennies To The Bottom Of Any Shoes?

Yes, it is possible to glue pennies to any shoe—all it needs is to have a flat enough surface to accommodate the coins.

Why is that, you ask? Well, coins are made of metal, and they are flat. And it is essential for the surface to be flat if you want to glue them to it.

Additionally, you can not easily deform a coin to make them achieve a shape where it will conform to the curvy surface properly.

And if you glue the coins to a pair that does not have a flat bottom, the chances of the child falling while walking will be exceptionally high.

How To Remove Super Glue?

While trying to change the pennies that are on the bottom of the shoes, you might find yourself in a tricky situation.

Super glues have a high binding power, which makes them an ideal choice for this process, but it is the thing that will make the replacement process hard at the same time.

Nonetheless, the task of removing super glue can become easy if you have suitable materials with you.

We are talking about rubbing alcohol and acetone. Dab the glue with one of these and rub the surface vigorously with a cloth. The glue should lose its bonding power and dissolve.

Once it reaches a state where the bonding power is totally gone, it will dissolve to the acetone or rubbing alcohol. And eventually, it should come right out of the surface.

Do not try to scrape the glue out of the surface. It will not only leave scratches to the surface but might also damage it.

Some bits of the shoe might come off, which will make the bottom wear out fast and lose balance at the same time. So, instead of scraping the glue off, opt for acetone and rubbing alcohol.

Final Words

So, now you know why glue pennies to shoes is a common thing. In short, it is done to convert a regular pair to a tap-dancing pair to increase traction, and for the sound it makes.