Air Max 'Big Bubble' Drop Date Confirmed

We are absolutely over the moon here at Sneak Spply to share that the Nike 'Big Bubble' will be released this Sunday, on Air Max Day!

As we shared with you earlier this month, it was widely expected that March 26th would be the drop date. 

We've been waiting on these to drop since early 2022 and Nike have confirmed that these 86' originals will also be available in kids sizes.

The 'Big Bubble' or 'Big Window' was an idea / prototype that Tinker Hatfield produced and originally released on March 26, 1987, 36 years ago to the day!

This re-issue replicates the original construction and colour blocking from the original design. 

Nike have said on the release:

"The holy grail of sneaker lore returns along with the true story of visible Nike Air. Using CT scans (yes, really) to dissect 1 of maybe only 400,000 released pairs of the 'Big Bubble', we replicated the Nike Air unit and window used in the '86 original, so you can step on the bedrock of sneaker history. And don't worry, you still get the throwback colour-blocking.

Image via Nike

Hiding in the shadows of one of Nike's biggest stories (that of revealing Nike Air to the world) is the fact that for the first few months of its release, the Air Max 1 featured a noticeably bigger window. So, like, why did the window shrink? With a launch date in place and manufacturing already started, Nike engineers (to their dismay) discovered that an exposed Air unit had a tendency to crack in cold temperatures. Adjusting on the fly, engineers quietly "shrunk the window both in length and height" and began using a new Air unit to prevent the great cracking catastrophe.

Image via Nike

Released on 26 March 1987, the ultra-rare Air Max 'Big Bubble' hit the shelves and thankfully didn't burst (probably because of the rising spring temps). After the initial run, the Air Max 1 as we know it secretly replaced the original, taking hold as the leader of the Air Max pack. And the 'Big Bubble?' It faded away—until now. Welcome to the beginning."

Let us know and share your snaps if you add a pair of these to your collection & remember to tag us at @sneak_spply