I've never experienced the original Crocs myself but I believe they're known for comfort rather than looks.  These are perhaps the opposite.  Not to say that they're not comfortable.  The "incline" was a bit steeper than I would have liked, but other than that I really loved these.  They looked to be very good quality for a decent price.  The only reason I returned them was because I don't want to deal with suede in the winter.