Steve's Magic gadget skates? Real thing?

About 20 years ago, there were kids shoes that had wheels that folded flat into the soles like that, but all the boys designs I remember seeing were ugly dress-casual shoes, usually brown in color (and I don't remember them being made in adult sizes, though I didn't really have any reason to care at the time). I believe the girls versions were more varied and interesting...if you were into pink. The problem with the design was that you needed to have a stiff sole so your feet wouldn't sag in the middle (and probably also so they wouldn't wear away as fast as gym shoe soles tend to), but the concept was something that would have been much more appropriate in something more sport-oriented. Also, in order to have room for the wheels to fold under like that, the soles had to be extremely thick.

Nowadays they've got Heelies, where all you have is a single rolling barrel in each heel. Lean back on your heels a little bit (and tuck one toe up onto the heel of the other shoe), and you can coast very easily as long as you have a bit of a running start. Braking works a lot easier with those than with the older style as well, since all you have to do is stand flat on both feet. The downside with these, however, is that an accidental loss of footing is a much bigger likelihood than when you have to consciously engage the wheels.