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Mattel Releasing 'Back to the Future' Hover Board

 & Chloe Albanesius Executive Editor, News

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Of the many gadgets featured in the Back to the Future trilogy, the hover board is probably one of the most memorable, second to the self-tying laces.

Now it seems we might not have to wait until 2015 to get our hands on our very own hover board - though the gadget Mattel plans to release will, in reality, glide more than it hovers.

"Finally! This totally awesome 1:1 replica of the hover board from the BTTF 2 and BTTF 3 films includes multiple whooshing sounds and will glide over most surfaces," Mattel said in a post on its collector blog.

For those hoping for a hover board jaunt around their own version of the Hill Valley town square, Mattel stressed that its gadget "does not actually 'hover' – check back in 2015 for that feature."

Mattel Hoverboard

"Because this is such a high-cost item, there will be a minimum number of orders required to go into production," Mattel said. "If we don't receive the minimum orders, won't go into production and customers will not be charged."

Pricing will be announced later this month.

The hoverboard made its debut in the movie's 1989 sequel, helping Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) escape from his nemesis Biff Tannen on multiple occasions. It showed up again in the third installment one year later as Marty and Doc Brown (Christopher Lloyd) tried to get an 1885 locomotive up to 88 mph.

Last year, Nike unveiled a version of the aforementioned self-tying shoes, dubbed the Nike Mag. Only 1,500 pairs of Nike Mags were released and sold on eBay, with proceeds going directly to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research. Bidding quickly climbed above $3,500 in the first night, with some models topping $4,000. Like the Mattel hover board, however, the Nike Mag shoes didn't actually tie themselves, but fans were apparently still willing to shell out big money for the BTTF-inspired kicks.

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About Our Expert

Chloe Albanesius

Chloe Albanesius

Executive Editor, News

My Experience

I started out covering tech policy in DC for The National Journal, where my beat included state-level tech news and all the congressional hearings and FCC meetings I could handle. I later covered Wall Street trading tech before switching gears to consumer tech. I now lead PCMag's news coverage.

My Areas of Expertise

Getting my start in DC means I still have a soft spot for tech policy; Congressional hearings can sometimes be as entertaining as a Bravo reality show, for better or worse. But PCMag is all about the technology we use every day, as well as keeping an eye out for the trends that will shape the industry in the years ahead (or flop on arrival). I've covered the rise of social media, the iOS vs. Android wars, the cord-cutting revolution that's now left us with hefty streaming bills, and the effort to stuff artificial intelligence into every product you could imagine. This job has taken me to CES in Vegas (one too many times), IFA in Berlin, and MWC in Barcelona. I also drove a Tesla 1,000 miles out west as part of our Best Mobile Networks project. Of late, my focus is on our hard-working team of reporters at PCMag, guiding and editing their robust coverage.

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