Debuts radical new styles this school year

Company Website: http://www.heelys.com
CARROLLTON, Texas -- (Business Wire)

With the new school year just around the corner, U.S.-based Heelys, Inc. (NASDAQ: HLYS) is ready to hit the ground rolling, offering back-to-school products with the perfect blend of function, form and fun. Heelys, best known for its popular “wheel-in-the-heel” shoes, will be introducing several new designs developed to help students get the most out of their Heelysat school and elsewhere.

Heelys Fall 2012 Swift (Photo: Business Wire)

“Some parents might have concerns about their kids not being allowed to wear Heelys to school, but the wheels are completely removable and can be popped out in a matter of seconds. Then you just pop in the sole plug and they become regular street shoes,” said Rick Groesch, Heelys chief commercial officer.

The fall 2012 line-up will include new styles that are drastically different from traditional Heelys.

“We’re going to be introducing new footwear styles in time for back-to-school that are ‘firsts’ for our company. We wanted to create new products that were true to the Heelys brand, but also more reflective of our customers’ individual lifestyles,” said Groesch.

The first – an athletic-style shoe – was designed with an EVA midsole, which makes the shoe ultra-lightweight while giving it the classic profile of a running shoe. It also includes strategically placed rubber tread to provide maximum grip.

“One of our new athletic designs that we’re really excited about is called ‘Swift.’ It’s got a really cool combination of materials, stitching and graphics that give it a really sleek look. Combine that with its ultra-light athletic outsole, and it makes Swift a big step forward for Heelys in both design and technology,” said Groesch.

Another new style features an outsole designed specifically for girls, a first for Heelys. These shoes provide a little extra height for the wearer, giving her a versatile look that goes great with skirts, shorts or jeans.

“One of our first shoes to use this new outsole is called the Socialite. Since it’s the first shoe by Heelys that’s designed to be exclusively for girls from the ground up, we gave it the iconic Mary Jane look, with straps, buckles and a rounded toe,” said Groesch. “We think it’s going to be a huge hit for the upcoming school year once girls see that it goes with pretty much anything they wear.”

The fall line will be available online and in stores July 31, 2012. To see Heelys’ full line of products, visit http://shop.heelys.com.

Heelys, Inc. is a company founded on innovation. It designs, markets and distributes its action sports-oriented products to the youth market under the Heelys (R) brand. The company's primary product, Heelys wheeled footwear, is a patented dual-purpose skate shoe that incorporates a stealth, removable wheel in the heel. The company also offers Heelys HX2, which uses two wheels for better balance and control, making it ideal for younger users. Heelys' third offering, Nano, ramps up the Heelys experience by giving skaters a board that links into the patented Heelys shoe bracket. This allows them to skate farther, faster and longer than ever before. Connect with Heelys on Facebook, www.facebook.com/Heelys; YouTube, www.youtube.com/Heelysworldwide; or Twitter, http://twitter.com/Heelysworldwide.

Note to Editors: High resolution photos are available upon request. Look Books are available: Fall/Winter 2012 and Spring/Summer 2012.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements in this press release and oral statements made from time to time by representatives of Heelys are "forward-looking statements" for purposes of the safe harbor provisions of The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including in particular, statements regarding our guidance, outlook for future events, financial performance, customer demand, growth and profitability. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as "subject to," "believes," "anticipates," "plans," "expects," "intends," "estimates," "may," "will," "should," "can," the negatives thereof, variations thereon, similar expressions, or discussions of strategy. All forward-looking statements are based upon management's current expectations and various assumptions, but they are inherently uncertain, and Heelys may not realize its expectations and the underlying assumptions may not prove correct. Heelys' actual results and the timing of events could differ materially from those described in or implied by the forward-looking statements as a result of risks and uncertainties, including, without limitation, the fact that substantially all of Heelys' net sales are generated by one product, Heelys' intellectual property may not restrict competing products that infringe on its patents from being sold, continued changes in fashion trends and consumer preferences and general economic conditions, Heelys' dependence on independent manufacturers, Heelys may not be able to successfully introduce new product categories, and additional factors which are detailed in Heelys' filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the Risk Factors contained in Heelys' Annual Report on Form 10-K. Investors, potential investors and other readers are urged to consider these factors carefully in evaluating the forward-looking statements and are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements made herein are only made as of the date of this press release and Heelys undertakes no obligation to publicly update such forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances.

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Contacts:

TrizCom Inc.
Jo Trizila, 972-247-1369
Cell: 214-232-0078
jo@TrizCom.com
www.TrizCom.com

Source: Heelys, Inc.