The rumors were true: Nike last night announced that it has created a limited-edition version of the famous glowing sneakers featured in the movie "Back to the Future II."
Nike is auctioning off 1,500 pairs of the 2011 Nike Mag sneakers on eBay, with all of the proceeds going to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's disease research. Fox, who has the neurodegenerative disease, wore the shoes in the time-travel movie as the character Marty McFly.
"Together, we're going to help erase Parkinson's Disease from the space-time continum," the eBay ad for the shoes read.
This week’s announcement follows closely on the heels of a patent of self-lacing shoes that the company filed last year.
The auto-lace feature is noticeably absent in the final version unveiled yesterday, but in all other respects, the shoe looks identical to the famous film version.
The retro-future high-tops are available in sizes 7 to 13 and bids are currently at about $4,000 per pair. Shipping is free.
A statement from Nike says that the "2011 NIKE MAG shoe was designed to be a precise replica of the original from Back to the Future II. The aesthetic is an exact match, down to the contours of the upper, the glowing LED panel and the electroluminescent NIKE in the strap."
The 2011 NIKE MAG illuminates with the pinch of the “ear” of the high-top, and each charge of the internal battery lasts for five hours.
According to the Associated Press, Nike debuted the sneakers at a 1980s-themed launch party in Los Angeles that included music from that decade and a time-traveling DeLorean parked outside.