Another influence can be traced to South African gum-boot dancers.
From the philly.com
Guys in letter jackets lean their shoulders against lockers, chatting up gum-chewing girls in boot-cut pants.
From the jsonline.com
Spriggina looks like a grub wearing a helmet, Pteridinium like the tread of a bicycle tyre, and Dickinsonia has been described as a wad of gum squashed by a boot heel.