So wooden shoes ARE called sabots.
I remember hearing this story on Mysteries at The Museum.
“Sabots were associated with the lower classes in the 16th to 19th centuries. During this period, the years of the Industrial Revolution, the word sabotage gained currency. Allegedly derived from sabot, sabotage described the actions of disgruntled workers who willfully damaged workplace machinery by throwing their sabots into the works.”
“Elmer the Patchwork Elephant is the star of a series of popular children's books by David McKee.
First published in 1989, the books focus on how it's okay to be different. The Elmer books were turned into a series on British television.“
Never heard of this one, even during the get children's books stage i was in a few years later. Maybe for any future grandkids...! 😛