As the big glittery float made its way through the parade route, Alicia Mora looked over the crowds surrounding her at the Krewe of Nyx parade and saw a little girl crying. Her reaction was predictable as she tossed her a purse. The little girl, however, had a different reaction.

“She caught it, smiled and then turned around and tossed it to her father who had a stockpile of purses and good throws in a wagon. She then turned back around and the waterfall of tears started to flow again for the next float,” Mora said.

While almost every Mardi Gras parade showers their crowds with colorful beads and doubloons, a few of them throw something a little extra.

Zulu has their coconuts, Muses their shoes, and Nyx their purses.

Mora was one of the first 100 women to join Nyx. Over the past four years, she has watched the crowds grow, along with their hunger for the Krewe’s signature throw, she said.

Nyx and Muses are two of New Orleans’ all-women Mardi Gras krewes, and have quickly become some of the most popular parades, thanks to their unique throws, according to Tracy Dodd, a Muses float lieutenant since 2004.

Muses has been parading since 2001, and began throwing a few custom shoes shortly after. Dodd said the shoes were such a hit that the tradition grew and stuck. When Nyx began in 2011, they decided to throw purses in order to compliment the Muses shoes, Mora said.

It is hard not to get caught up in the Mardi Gras madness, said James Lane, 22, a former exchange student from England. Lane did not catch a shoe, or a purse or a coconut, but not for lack of trying.

“I really wanted a shoe. Nothing even close to Mardi Gras ever happens in Birmingham, and what’s a better souvenir from my year in New Orleans than a crazy shoe that I caught in a parade,” Lane said.

Even though he did not get any of the extra special throws, Lane was happy with his beads.

“I really just wanted to catch all the throws,” he said.

According to Mora, many people are not so easygoing.

“People are ruthless on that parade route. They will steal throws out of the hands of children, reach up and steal them right off your float,” Mora said. “It’s ridiculous really, what people will do for treasures that have no monetary value or value at all outside New Orleans,” she said.

Dodd said she has also seen dramatic increases in the crowd’s desire for specific throws.

“The people in the crowd didn’t used to ask specifically for shoes initially, but as they became more popular and well designed, everyone started asking for one,” Dodd said. “People scream and beg for shoes, trade items for the shoes and generally do everything they can to be available to get one.”

Dodd added that the shoes are one of the most coveted throws of the season.

“We have to be very careful as to how we pass out our shoes to the crowd, as people clamor for them and try to snatch them away from the intended recipient,” she said.

Sometimes these situations are unavoidable, Mora said.

Last year, her friend made custom purses for specific people throughout the parade route. As Mora’s friend reached out to give it to her, a man snatched it out of her grasp.

“People were screaming and yelling at him -‘hey that was for her’- he didn’t care. He just smiled and walked away, only to come back a few minutes later after our float had passed and offer to sell her the purse for $20,” Mora said.

Despite the scramble for throws and aggression of some of the parade- goers, Dodd said they love the crowds’ enthusiasm, and their riders do what they can to make them happy.

“The crowds are amazing! They are the reason we ride year after year, and our creative team works to please the crowd, raising the bar with our theme and throws each year,” Dodd said.

When her float turns onto St. Charles Avenue and she sees the depth of the crowds, she said it makes riding all the more worthwhile