"Nike plans Cheech & Chong shoe (don’t smoke the laces)"

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What do Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods and Serena Williams have in common with Cheech & Chong?

All have had the honor of having a shoe named after them by Nike, the athletic apparel giant.

That’s right. Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong, the pot-smoking comedy duo of the 1970s and '80s, will be paid homage with an eponymous sneaker due out April 20, the unofficial international holiday for marijuana tokers.

The skateboarding shoe, officially called the Nike SB Dunk High 420 Cheech & Chong, will feature a red heel panel, an icy translucent outsole and "marijuana-green" laces, according to the website sneakerobsession.com. Only 1,000 pairs will be made.

The left sneaker represents Chong with graphics resembling his signature red bandana, while the right sneaker honors Cheech, with a graphic representing his signature red skullcap, wrote Joseph Karlovich, owner and editor of sneakerobsession, a website that covers the sneaker subculture.

Cheech & Chong were cult favorites who starred in stoner movies including 1978's “Up in Smoke. ” Marin, 64, and Chong, 72, have made sporadic efforts to regain their former glory with reunion tours and recently appeared as voice actors playing themselves on an episode of "The Simpsons."

"It's funny. As far as I know, Cheech & Chong never once stepped foot on a skateboard. But a lot of boarders like to smoke pot. This seems like a natural fit to me," Karlovich says.

Last April 20, Bratrud and Nike produced the Nike Dunk High Skunk, another pot-influenced shoe.

Robert Passikoff, president of Brandkeys, a New York-based brand loyalty consultancy, says Nike's push to the niche demographic is a perfect fit for the global shoe company.

"This is a harmless brand promotion," Passikoff said. "And when you think about it, Cheech & Chong have to a large degree become part and parcel of mainstream American culture."

Nike goes to pot with Cheech & Chong shoe - Business - Consumer news - Retail - msnbc.com