The $18 Funky Monkey Shoes Did Not Live Up To The Hype

At the beginning of summer, I was in dire need of a new pair of sandals and as usual, I was not looking to spend a fortune. All I knew was that I wanted something similar to the lightweight, waterproof Birkenstock EVA sandals, but cheaper. So my search for the best Birkenstock dupes began, and it wasn’t long before I was buying a pair of Funky Monkey sandals off Amazon. Lots of people on TikTok swore by these sandals—some had even said they were better than their Birkenstocks! That, in addition, of course, to the 4-star rating and 42,000+ customer reviews on Amazon, gave me ample reason to buy a pair. Although these shoes come in 45 different colors, I decided to keep it simple and went with black. 

FUNKYMONKEY Women’s Comfort Slides, $17.99

I was so excited for my sandals to come in, which of course, took way longer than expected (smh, Amazon Prime). By the time they finally arrived, my expectations were so high that there was no doubt in my mind that these were going to be my new favorite summer sandals. The second I pulled the shoes out of the box, I was struck with utter disappointment: They looked way too big and had an unpleasant stench to them. The product description claims they are true to size, as do the majority of the reviews, so obviously I didn’t think twice about ordering my normal shoe size (which, by the way, is a women’s 6). Unfortunately, these fit more like a size 7. This wasn’t the end of the world, but it wasn’t what I was hoping for either. 

(Note: prior to purchasing these shoes, I knew that the EVA material fit differently, but I had tried on a pair of Birkenstock’s EVA sandals in my size before, which fit well, so I assumed these would be very similar.)

At the end of the day, I reluctantly decided to keep them because I knew I could make them work. The smell eventually faded and while I don’t wear them as much as I had originally planned, I figured they were better than nothing. That is, until they gave me blisters on both of my feet. This was frustrating to say the least, after I was already disappointed by them. Consequently, I now have a pair of clown shoes that give me blisters. Fortunately, they were only $18, so it’s not the biggest loss ever, but I most likely won’t be wearing these without socks anymore, and I certainly will not be purchasing a pair of these shoes again. 

All things considered, I’d give these shoes a disappointing 2-star rating. I won’t tell you not to buy them because my opinion and experience with these sandals are quite unpopular, but prepare yourself for disappointment. Honestly, if Birkenstock dupes are what you’re looking for, you might be better off spending the extra $27 on the real deal. 

Birkenstock Essentials Unisex Arizona EVA Sandal, $44.95