What. Is. That. Smell?!

Earlier this year Grandma Mary gifted Urban with some silver Star Wars shoes that light up.  They are actually pretty great shoes.  They have elastics where the laces should be, so they are really easy to slip on and off.

They were, in fact, some of my favorite shoes he owned.  (This completely flies in the face of my aversion to licensed apparel – too many years working on licensing partnerships at Target, I suppose).  They were the only shoes that he owned that he did not insist he needed help putting on.  This alone made these my favorite shoes.  Ever.

You'll notice I talk about these beauties in the past tense.  No, nothing happened to them.  No nefarious criminals broke in and purloined said shoes.  It's really just one, albeit BIG, problem.  They STINK!

Urban has been wearing these little gems all summer long.  With no socks.  In record heat.  THEY WREAK!!!

Last night we were in the car and he started whimpering about how sweaty his feet were.  My very caring response was, "I'm sure they are.  I told you to wear sandals today.  But no matter what, you can not remove those shoes in my car."

He started whining.  Finally I acquiesced.  I'm not an ogre, after all.  He slipped off the shoes, and it immediately smelled like rotting asparagus.  Seriously.  It is very possibly that a small animal curled up int he toes of these shoes and died.

I rolled down the windows, but with a heat index of 111˚, it was kind of like rolling down a window to reveal a hot, sticky wall.  "Dear God child, put your shoes back on!"  I pleaded.

Urban giggled and said, "My feet smell like butt!  I need a bath!"

"Yes," I agreed, "perhaps in vinegar."

So, now I am faced with a problem.  What do I do with the shoes?  Do I try to de-stinkify them somehow?  Do I throw them out?  Do I replace them???  The idea of tossing his shoes sends Urban into hysterics.  I am at a loss.  Anybody out there have any advice for a smell-sensitive mama and an Anakin-loving 4 1/2-year-old shoe hoarder?

Your opinions are welcomed.