Thanks to a tip from M., I reached out to Pozzebon Backhoe, which was said to have something to do with the giant red stiletto visible from the northbound lanes of the 101 just above Ventura.
“We’ve been getting a kick out of all the news reports,” said Anthony Pozzebon. He explained that his dad, Dennis Pozzebon, saw the shoe by the side of Toro Canyon Road for a couple of days before deciding it was too good to pass up. Dennis spray-painted the shoe, which is made of foam, and installed it on the land where he dry farms. “It’s just for giggles,” said Anthony. “My dad is out there all the time and people who know him are always honking at him. There’s also a black cat that used to be gray—he spray-painted that, too.”
As for the semi-legible banner that was recently put up near the shoe, Anthony said he hasn’t seen it but his dad must’ve done it, because the two of them are the only folks on that land.
Thanks again to everyone who helped out!
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Wow, impressive! The power of crowd sourcing…what will you tackle next?
hehe. Love it!
It was found on Toro Canyon Road?
I’m thinking it may have its origin in the Santa Barbara Summer Solstice parade. An identical red pump was created by Moira Blazie and Hathor Hammett for a Wizard of Oz troupe, back in the mid-90s!
I love seeing it there now. Thank you for the great laugh!
I am thinking you might be correct!! I believe that parade was 1995.
So glad the mystery is solved. Saw it Tuesday afternoon along with a man in the field and wondered what’s that for. ??
The Red Stiletto is uber cool. Thank you for allowing our imaginations to frolic before revealing the reality of this fab Dennis Pozzebon repurposed beauty. Keep going with this. Why was the foam shoe created? Not your average Cinderella story.
Thank you.
Thank you! I love solving my own mysteries and just sat by and waited for this one. I’m sincerely jealous that anyone can wear ?. My boots ? are made for walking.
I first saw the Red Shoe on the Mesa on Shoreline Drive in front of a house on their lawn across from Shoreline Park it disappeared and then the next time we saw the shoe it was in the same
Field it is currently in next to the 101 hwy
Hello, thank you so much for all the work you put into discovering this mystery. I saw the shoe for the first time today, though I have been driving by there twice weekly for several months. Keeping my eyes on the road I guess! It is very fun to know it started as a discard on Toro Canyon!
My husband and I are visiting from Virginia and driving up the 101 today. I saw the shoe and was able to find out it’s short story in a couple of minutes. Humor is good!
Well, here’s the story behind the red shoe! 10 years ago August my best friend was celebrating a milestone bday. I had been with her somewhere and we had seen a giant red stiletto shoe. She got such a kick out of it / her husband had one made a surprise for her party. Sadly, he broke his hip the night before its debut so it went into storage and eventually on the street for disposal! I love seeing it every time I drive up or down the highway. Her big big birthday is this August so if you could connect me to its new owner I would love to borrow it/ restore it/ surprise my friend (again!) and then drop it back off on highway 101!
Sharon, I have the contact for the current shoe owner. It is of epic proportions how the story unfolds with the infamous red shoe.
Hi there. If you still have the owner/ contact name would be great . My daughter wants to do a photo shoot and we were just going to drive to the property but if u have a number that would be really helpful. Thank you
Tiffany! Hi, I would love to get your contact/ the shoe owner who owns the property. I am a photographer who would love to get access to shoot it.
I thought when I first saw the Red Shoe it was made by an artist similar to the rainbow arch in Cabrillo Blvd. Love seeing it on 101. It’s a marker. But where’s the black cat that was painted from gray?
Hi all! To give the full story… The giant stiletto was created by my friends husband to celebrate his wife’s birthday… Sadly, they had to miss it and then she was never used so about five years later, he put it on the side of the road to be picked up by the trash collectors! Thank God, it was resurrected, and now has become a Fun icon! FYI that she was going right now because she is going to be celebrating another birthday and we got permission to borrow it repainted and put it back in great condition to last many more years!
Love the Red Stiletto, the fantastic husband that thought outside the shoebox and the Save the Shoe story. When we travel to Ventura from Paradise (yes, that Paradise, our hometown!) to spend some time on our boat, I always take our lady guests to see the famous stiletto, just for grins.
As locals, we frequently drive from Ventura to Santa Barbara. She makes me feel elegant and always makes me smile which makes me feel great! I always blow her a kiss and miss her when she was gone. Thank you for sharing the story of The Red Stiletto.
We just passed the shoe and I was curious so thought I would google it. So glad I got my answer. Thank you for all your work.
Just saw the shoe for the first time!!! Headed home (Monterey county) from Vacation in San Diego.