“Croc King” Doogie Sandtiger has the largest collection of iconic shoe with 3,569 pairs

18 years ago, Doogie Sandtiger (USA) was writing a bucket list for himself. Wedged up against references to trips to Paris or adopting a dog, were items #130: “Break or set a Guinness World Record”, and #532: “Have my picture in the Guinness World Records book.”

A few days ago, he officially was able to cross both of those dreams off his list – after he saw himself in the new 2026 edition of Guinness World Records.

Grinning from ear-to-ear, the Wethersfield, Connecticut native showed off his two-page spread on social media, awarded for the largest collection of Crocs shoes in the world. As of November 2024, when he initially submitted evidence, Doogie had 3,569 pairs – a number that has since swelled to over 3,800.

But the size of his colossal clog conglomeration isn’t the only thing that’s changed since he started collecting back in 2007 – so has Doogie, into a self-confident and considerate member of his community, who has turned his world record into a campaign to spread awareness about the foster system in the USA.

“To me, it's so healing,” Doogie said in an interview with NBC Connecticut. “I missed out on so much of my life and it's like I'm rewriting my life now as an adult, and reliving what kid me couldn’t.”

Doogie grew up in the foster care system, moving from family to family in Connecticut. Amidst the constant changes, he says that he never learned how to tie his shoes – a fact that made him self-conscious throughout early adulthood, and caused him to only wear shoe options like slip-ons, jelly shoes, and velcro straps.

“When you're going to different temporary placements, a lot gets lost along the way,” he said to Colorado Public Radio. “There's not a lot of continuity of care. Each placement [doesn’t know] what you learned at your last placement.”

As he entered high school, his velcro shoes began to make him a target for bullies – but Doogie was still determined not to ask adults for assistance, feeling insecure that he didn’t know how to tie his laces at his age.

“Nobody ever taught me. Everybody assumed I knew. I didn't,” he said. “I was very shy as a kid. I didn't like reaching out to people for help. I didn't ask for help on how to tie my shoes. I was too embarrassed.”

Everything changed when he went for a walk in his neighbourhood one day, and spotted a woman wearing lavender Crocs.

“I didn't really know anything about them other than that everyone thought they were ugly, but I saw art in them,” he said to NBC. “So, I went and got my first pair that day. It was just a pair of plain black Crocs.”

His collection began from that moment onwards – although he does admit his original goal was to acquire just 366 pairs, one for every day of the year, plus the leap year.

“You don't want to get to 29 February and not have a pair to wear!” he explained.

And as his collection grew larger and larger, Doogie knew that he might finally have a reason to get into the Guinness World Records books. 

Now an adult, and working for the Connecticut Department of Children and Families, he still felt a strong connection with the books he used to read when he was younger. Doogie says he was always a little behind in reading, but he was enthralled with the big, bright pages of people accomplishing incredible things.

“These people are like superheroes,” he said to CPR. “I remember saying, ‘I want to be a superhero.’” 

But he wanted to get in for something that was authentically him.

“I’m not good at anything. I’m an average human being," he continued. “Then a lightbulb went off – I’m pretty good at collecting Crocs.”

Still, he didn’t just want to scoop up a record title that would be easy to beat – so even though he had been collecting Crocs for over a decade, he waited until he had over 3,000 pairs in his collection to submit for the title.

“That, to me, was the icing on the cake because when you submit a record and you pass it, that doesn't automatically put you in the book,” he said. “That's actually two birds with one stone. I have two separate bucket list items. One is to set a record, and then one is to eventually make it in the book.

“And they picked me [for the book] the first year I set it. So I was like, 'That is insane. Of course I'm going to do it.'”

He also wanted to turn his accomplishment into an accomplishment for other kids like him – who grew up in the foster care system, and each found their unique reasons throughout life to challenge and better themselves.

So when he took photos of all his Crocs, he made sure to do it back in his hometown of  Wethersfield, Connecticut, at the Keeney Cultural Memorial Center – who graciously welcomed him and his shoes for a 13-hour counting session. He plans to donate his certificate to the Museum, for other kids to look up to.

And in celebration of his achievement, on 2 September, he was honoured by the Mayor of Wethersfield with his own annual holiday – “Croc King Doogie Day.”

He said the holiday isn’t just about the “weird dude collecting Crocs,” but also about bringing attention to the foster care system and how kids can go a long time without being taught basic skills.

Though of course, he’s going to need some more room if he wants to keep growing his collection!

“My ultimate endgame goal is, I want to purchase a warehouse and then build it into a museum that I’ve dubbed the CrocsZeum,” he said.

And with no plans to stop collecting soon, we don’t doubt for a second that Doogie will cross another one of his dreams off his bucket list.

Congratulations again, Doogie – you are Officially Amazing!

Do you want to read more about Doogie’s incredible shoe collection, and see some close-up pictures of his favourite Crocs? Check out the brand-new 2026 edition of Guinness World Records!