Shoeshine Boy was the alter ego of Underdog, one my favorite cartoon characters as a child. I conjured his image recently as I sat peacefully on our Ephtée polishing seat shining up our display shoes.

I enjoy polishing shoes it’s relaxing. I enjoy working with my hands, as well as the turpentine smell of Saphir, and admiring the fruits of my labor. I couldn’t help notice that passersby stopped to watch me as I worked. I’m not sure what the fascination is, perhaps the primordial use of ones hands performing manual labor is enough to provide a moment of reflection and respite in a busy world.

The Ephtée Figaro polishing seat is extremely comfortable and perfectly designed for its purpose. You are welcome to stop by and try it out for yourself. If a polishing seat is not your style you may want to consider a leather-polishing map. These two maps keep your work area neat and clean and roll up for easy storage.

Whether on a seat or not I strongly encourage you to take an interest and polish your own shoes; I think you’ll find the results very satisfying. For you newbie’s be brave, be adventurous you’re not alone, and if you find yourself in a jam, “Have no fear Underdog is here.”

Narrator: One of the city’s most humble and lovable characters was… Shoeshine Boy.
Shoeshine Boy: [finishes shining a man's shoes] All finished, sir.
Man: [gives Shoeshine Boy a silver coin] Thanks, Shoeshine Boy, you’re humble and lovable.
Shoeshine Boy: Bless you, sir.
[bites coin]
Narrator: Little did anyone know that whenever there was a call for help…
Woman: Help! Help-Help!
[Shoeshine Boy's ears perk up in surprise]
Narrator: Shoeshine Boy became, in real life…
[Shoeshine Boy runs into a telephone booth, which explodes, and he emerges as... ]
Narrator: Underdog!

This entry was posted on Monday, October 5th, 2009 at 6:17 pm and is filed under Shoe Care. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.