Doogie Lish Sandtiger of Connecticut predicts he will be first in line Tuesday to buy the 2025 Guinness World Records Book.
It’s because he’s featured as the person with the most pairs of Crocs in the world.
For Sandtiger, who now owns 3,796 plus pairs of the trendy, rubber-like shoes in thousands of designs, setting the record has been a long time goal.
He had no competition and there is no pre-existing record, but still his collection is impressive.
He knew about a year ago that he had accomplished the feat and he received a plaque, but the book makes it “real,” Sandtiger said.
“I’m considered the No. 1 Croc collector on the planet. The universe when you think about it,” Sandtiger said. “I think it will hit me when I have the book in my hands Tuesday (August 26). I feel great. I’ll feel greater on Tuesday.”
At the official count he had 3,569 pairs, but since then he has surpassed the ever changing number to 3,796 pairs as of late last week, with 12 more pairs on the way.
Doogie Lish Sandtiger with his Croc collection as it was being verified for a world record at Keeney Memorial Cultural Center/Museum in Wethersfield. (Contributed)
It took 13 hours over two days in November 2024 for a team of friends and volunteers to do the count and photograph the collection, he said.
Although he lives in West Hartford now, Wethersfield is where he has roots so the count was done at the Keeney Memorial Cultural Center/Museum in Wethersfield.
The whole process, including transporting them from West Hartford took 11 days.
Sandtiger, 34, who works for the state’s Department of Children and Families, had to sign non-disclosure agreement until now.
“It was a very long process, tiring,” he said. “It wore me down in the moment.”
When Crocs came out about 20 years ago, Sandtiger remembers “hating” them at first.
“I thought, ‘Why would anybody wear them? They’re so silly looking,” he once told the Courant.
But then, for practical and somewhat poignant reasons he converted. Sandtiger said he was raised in the foster care system, going from house to house, and he said learning some of the basics in life “slipped through the cracks,” including how to tie shoes.
He got along as a youngster by wearing Velcro clasp sneakers, then in high school improvised by stuffing his laces in his shoes.
“By 16, I thought, ‘I can’t keep doing this,’ but I was too embarrassed to reach out,” to learn how to tie, Sandtiger said.
Then one day he saw a woman wearing Crocs and noticed they had no shoelaces.
He thought, “They may be ugly, but maybe it will be an acquired taste like coffee.”
Well, the taste took hold.
Now he only wears Crocs, sometimes several different styles in a day. Known on social media as the Croc King, Sandtiger has Crocs in all colors, themes and styles.
Hartford mom brings bling, style to the comfort of Crocs
He said the open back shoes often embellished with jibbitz are great conversation starters and he’s even incorporated the shoes into his daily language.
When asked how he’s doing on a given day, Sandtiger may say, “Croc-tastic” instead of “fantastic.”
When asked what he’s been up to Sandtiger says, “Still crocing and rock’in.”
The first time he put on that first basic black pair, he fell in love and soon made it a goal to acquire 366 pairs of Crocs, one for each day of the year, including leap years.
Doogie Lish Sandtiger with his Croc collection as it was being verified for a world record at Keeney Memorial Cultural Center/Museum in Wethersfield. (Contributed)
Then the goal became loftier: to have the world’s largest collection.
Sandtiger said he hopes to hold his record for a long time and, “Maybe forever.”
But he adds: “Unless some billionaire buys out the warehouse.”
He estimates his collection, displayed throughout the house as decoration, is worth a quarter of a million dollars, including the jibbitz and Croc accessories.
“Im the old man who lives in a Croc,” he quipped.
The world of Crocs is much wider than it appears in mainstream stores, with many name-brand product collaborations.
A recently acquired Juicy Couture-themed pair of Crocs are shimmery pink decorated with cosmetics and glam items, Sanstiger said.
“They have fun colors and a fun vibe,” he said of the pair.
Sandtiger added, “Crocs have blown up to a completely new echelon of footwear greatness.”
One of his new faves are a pair of crock knee-high boots depicting Pringles that came with a tactical belt holding a can if croctail-flavored Pringles.
He also has a pair by Swarovski Croc platforms embellished with real crystals.
He describes them as “beautiful, shimmering, glistening.”
“You can’t not appreciate the art that is sitting in front of you when you see that, ” he said, noting he spent about $1,200 on them including the jibbitz.
“I don’t Crocsiminate. I get them all,” Sandtiger said.
Doogie Lish Sandtiger with his Croc collection as it was being verified for a world record at Keeney Memorial Cultural Center/Museum in Wethersfield. (Contributed)
After all these years of wearing nothing but Crocs, Sandtiger says his feet are in great shape. In 2018 he tried to wear a pair of Nike and got blisters.
“My feet are fantastically normal,” he said. Sandtiger noted he wears socks with his Crocs.
Among one of the most quirky in the collection is a Kentucky Fried Chicken limited edition, with color on the base with the classic KFC red and white stripes and topped with fake chicken pieces that actually smell like chicken. The box came with a warning not to eat them.
Another pair features Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal that looks and smells good enough to get a craving going.
He has four Chihuahuas and they each have two pair of Crocs for dogs.
Sandtiger said part of why he’s so excited about the book is because, rather than being a blip on a list, he’ll be among a few people featured in articles because his story is so unique.
He’ll start his quest for the book Tuesday at Target because they open at 7 a.m. He expects to find the copies in back, still packaged for shipping.
If that doesn’t work out he’ll go later to Barnes & Noble. Find Santiger on Instagram at @DoogieLish.
