The Nike MAG is a limited-edition
shoe
A shoe is an item of footwear intended to protect and comfort the human foot. They are often worn with a sock. Shoes are also used as an item of decoration and fashion. The design of shoes has varied enormously through time and from culture t ...
created by
Nike Inc.
Nike, Inc. (stylized as NIKE) is an American multinational corporation that is engaged in the design, development, manufacturing, and worldwide marketing and sales of footwear, apparel, equipment, accessories, and services. The company is head ...
It is a replica of a shoe featured in the film ''
Back to the Future Part II
''Back to the Future Part II'' is a 1989 American science fiction film directed by Robert Zemeckis from a screenplay by Bob Gale and a story by both. It is the sequel to the 1985 film ''Back to the Future'' and the second installment in the ' ...
''. The Nike Mag was originally released for sale in 2011 and again in 2016. Both launches were in limited quantities. The 2011 release was limited to 1,510 pairs, while the 2016 release was limited to 89 pairs.
Nike has stated Mag is not meant for heavy activity and should not be worn for recreational purposes. They were produced mostly for display.
Background
''
Back to the Future
''Back to the Future'' is a 1985 American science fiction film directed by Robert Zemeckis, and written by Zemeckis and Bob Gale. It stars Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, Crispin Glover, and Thomas F. Wilson. Set in 1985, ...
'', the first in a
trilogy of films, was a box office success. In 1989,
Nike Inc.
Nike, Inc. (stylized as NIKE) is an American multinational corporation that is engaged in the design, development, manufacturing, and worldwide marketing and sales of footwear, apparel, equipment, accessories, and services. The company is head ...
designer
Tinker Hatfield
Tinker Linn Hatfield, Jr., (born April 30, 1952, Hillsboro, Oregon) is an American designer of numerous Nike athletic shoe models, including the Air Jordan 3 through Air Jordan 15, the twentieth-anniversary Air Jordan XX, the Air Jordan XXIII, ...
was asked to create a shoe for the second installment of the series, which was partly set in the then-futuristic year of 2015. The shoe had features that included light-up panels and self-fastening laces.
Redesign
Over 15 years later, an
online petition
An online petition (or Internet petition, or e-petition) is a form of petition which is signed online, usually through a form on a website. Visitors to the online petition sign the petition by adding their details such as name and email address. T ...
that asked for the return of the shoes caught the attention of Tinker Hatfield. He and footwear innovator Tiffany Beers (designer of the
Nike Kyrie sneaker line) worked on the redesign for approximately six years and had to restart about three times. After thousands of hours of work, the shoes were a replica of the 1989 Nike MAG worn by
Marty McFly
Martin Seamus "Marty" McFly is a fictional character and the protagonist of the ''Back to the Future'' franchise. He is portrayed by Canadian actor Michael J. Fox in all three films. McFly also appears in the animated series, where he was voiced ...
. The shoes feature an
electroluminescent
Electroluminescence (EL) is an optical and electrical phenomenon, in which a material emits light in response to the passage of an electric current or to a strong electric field. This is distinct from black body light emission resulting from h ...
outsole, space-age materials, and a rechargeable internal battery good for 3,000 hours. They are the first rechargeable pair of footwear made by
Nike
Nike often refers to:
* Nike (mythology), a Greek goddess who personifies victory
* Nike, Inc., a major American producer of athletic shoes, apparel, and sports equipment
Nike may also refer to:
People
* Nike (name), a surname and feminine give ...
. Power laces, a prominent feature of the shoe in the film, are not present, however Nike released a statement stating that they "Took inspiration from the film" to make the shoe.
2011 release
![Nike Mag](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/07/Nike_Mag.jpeg)
A limited quantity of 1,500 pairs were auctioned on
eBay
eBay Inc. ( ) is an American multinational e-commerce company based in San Jose, California, that facilitates consumer-to-consumer and business-to-consumer sales through its website. eBay was founded by Pierre Omidyar in 1995 and became a ...
on September 8, 2011, and all proceeds were being dedicated to
The Michael J. Fox Foundation
The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research is dedicated to finding a cure for Parkinson's disease (PD) established in 2000 by Michael J. Fox. It concentrates on funding research and ensuring the development of improved therapies for ...
for
Parkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a long-term degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that mainly affects the motor system. The symptoms usually emerge slowly, and as the disease worsens, non-motor symptoms becom ...
research. Online sales of the shoe ranged between US$10.600 and US$15.900 (latest Stock X sales from 2021). Ten additional pairs, packaged in presentation boxes, were sold exclusively by Nike at live auctions around the world, for a total of 1,510 pairs.
A total of US$4.7 million was raised from the online auctions.
Sergey Brin
Sergey Mikhailovich Brin (russian: link=no, Сергей Михайлович Брин; born August 21, 1973) is an American business magnate, computer scientist, and internet entrepreneur, who co-founded Google with Larry Page. Brin was the ...
, co-founder of
Google
Google LLC () is an American multinational technology company focusing on search engine technology, online advertising, cloud computing, computer software, quantum computing, e-commerce, artificial intelligence, and consumer electronics. ...
, and his wife
Anne Wojcicki
Anne E. Wojcicki ( ; born July 28, 1973) is an American entrepreneur who co-founded and serves as CEO of the personal genomics company 23andMe. She founded the company in 2006 with Linda Avey and Paul Cusenza to provide the general public access t ...
agreed to match all donations of the
Michael J. Fox
Michael Andrew Fox (born June 9, 1961), known professionally as Michael J. Fox, is a Canadian-American retired actor. Beginning his career in the 1970s, he rose to prominence portraying Alex P. Keaton on the NBC sitcom ''Family Ties'' (1 ...
Foundation, up to US$5 million up to the end of 2011. This brought the total proceeds from the online auctions to US$9.4 million.
2016 release
While Tinker Hatfield was working with Nike, according to his research, basketball athletes were hurting their feet by lacing their shoes too tight in their games on and off the court. He wondered if there was a way to eliminate that, make a shoe that would lace automatically to adjust to your foot specifically. That is when he started working on a self-lacing technology that was later on named, E.A.R.L. (Electro Adaptive Reactive Lacing). When the technology was developed, they were originally going to release it first on a basketball shoe. However, Tinker Hatfield ended up putting it in the Nike Mag to fulfill the public's wish. Then on October 21, 2015, which is the same date Marty McFly visited the future in ''
Back to the Future Part II
''Back to the Future Part II'' is a 1989 American science fiction film directed by Robert Zemeckis from a screenplay by Bob Gale and a story by both. It is the sequel to the 1985 film ''Back to the Future'' and the second installment in the ' ...
'', Nike unveiled a self-lacing version of the Nike Mag which was scheduled to go on sale March 20, 2016. The release was delayed to October 4, 2016. Michael J. Fox was the first to get the shoes from Nike in October 2015.
On October 4, 2016, Nike opened a raffle for the Nike Mag through the RallyUp fundraising platform, where anyone could purchase a ticket for $10 (unlimited entries), but the raffle was limited to 89 pairs. All proceeds would be donated to Parkinson's research. Nike raised an additional $6.75 million for the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research.
References
External links
Hobbyist project to make Nike Air Mags self-laceNike Mag sales statisticsHow to Get the 2016 Nike Mag
{{Authority control
Fictional elements introduced in 1989
Products introduced in 2011
Back to the Future (franchise) technology
Nike, Inc.
Replicas