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INVENTION TRIGGER: A pair of Locals slippahs set upright against a wall, as shown in this photo, was the inspiration for the new Slippah Phones.
A couple of Maui locals helped influence the manufacturer of the island's favorite slippah to produce a new model specifically aimed at answering all the questions asked by tourists.
Locals USA hopes to release the Slippah Phone to stores before the busy summer season.
"The Slippah Phone meets two needs at once: getting the island's most-popular shoewear on your feet; and a convenient tool to ask popular questions about Maui," said Ichiro Kutsu, vice president of marketing for Locals USA.
The concept is something straight out of the old television show "Get Smart": a minute computer chip embedded into each Locals rubber slippah allows wearers to take them off and hold to their ear to make phone calls.
The Phone Slippahs are designed to also act similarly to Apple's Siri, where people can ask it questions asked most often by visitors to Maui.
"We were just at our Tacoma talking story one day when we saw these Locals slippahs standing on their heels upright against a wall," said Akamu Akamai, 54, of Kihei. "Right at that moment a tourist walked by and asked if there are any sharks in the ocean.
"Me and my friend Kai just looked at the slippahs, and at each other, and a light bulb just went off in our heads."
"We both watched 'Get Smart' a lot as kids," said his friend, Kai Aka, 54, of Haiku. "We figured, if we can get Locals slippahs to answer questions like 'Does the sun ever set in front of the clouds?', then it will save us more time to talk story."
"It's like an iWatch, only it won't fall off when you jump off rocks or cliffs into the water, which happens all the time around Maui," Kutsu said. "Everyone can keep their Slippah Phone onshore and safe, ready to answer whether or not the water goes all the way around the island."
