Aliens: The Mythical Reebok Shoes Scene

The Original Magazine Ad

Over the years, I've heard of many mythical scenes that have supposedly been filmed, lost, seen exclusively at crew/press screenings and even released on VHS or 8mm film in a different country somewhere.  You've probably heard them yourself. Of course, I'm referring to scenes from the Alien Trilogy.

There is one mythical scene that's still circulating today, which has been around for years. You may have heard of it. It's a scene involving Ripley and her Reebok shoes inside the med-lab Of course, hearing this from so many people all those years ago I believed this to be true and set about learning what I could about the sequence and why it was removed.

Apparently, as Ripley realizes Newt is sleeping under the bed, she removes her Shoes. When she wakes up, seeing they are in danger, goes to feel for her pulse rifle only to discover it's no longer there. Coming from under the bed she put's the shoes back on, giving us a clear viewing of the Reebok logo, before the facehugger leaps out at her. There are many variations of how this scene goes. The one above is the version that I remember the most.

The reason why it was supposedly cut was before its theatrical release FOX lost it's licensing contract with Reebok and so the scene had to be removed because the Reebok logo is clearly seen on the screen. However, on its opening night in Cinemas across America, the scene was intact and so was seen only during that time. That's when I began to question the scene's authenticity. Firstly, why would Ripley remove her shoes before going under the bed? Second, why would you take the time to put them back on knowing there are facehuggers lose inside the med-lab? And if the scene was removed due to the Reebok logo then why didn't previous and later scenes featuring Ripley's shoes removed?

The Reebok Logo Clearly Visible

In most, if not all, of those scenes, you can clearly see the logo! So, something is definitely wrong there. I put these questions to those who were adamant the scene existed; they held their ground. I've even spoken to individuals who claim they were present in the films opening night and saw the scene. Still in doubt I kept on looking for proof. I found nothing of its existence anywhere.

Original Promotional Shot

For some reason, the picture used for the Reebok shoes ad is associated with the scene by many. Why, I have no idea. Admittedly, I've used the image myself when referring to it.

To be Frank the scene isn't real. It does not exist. Yes, as mentioned earlier, I did at one time believe the rumours and in the few years past have discussed and tried to locate some shred of evidence in the hopes of solving the mystery of where this mythical scene stemmed from. Having a lengthy and interesting chat today with someone online gave me the idea of this little article. He too believed the rumours as I did all that time ago.