Nike sent a pair of self-lacing sneakers to Michael J. Fox Wednesday to mark the day that Marty McFly and Doc Brown arrived in the future — October 21, 2015 — in “Back to the Future II.”
NEW YORK (CNNMoney) — Michael J. Fox wore a brand new pair of self-lacing “Back to the Future” sneakers to the “Jimmy Kimmel Live” show Wednesday.
He didn’t just show up in the futuristic shoes.
He arrived on stage as Marty McFly, a passenger in a DeLorean driven by Christopher Lloyd in full Doc Brown mode.
The spectacular arrival was the culmination of Back to the Future Day to mark the date Marty and Doc landed in the 1989 “Back to the Future II” film.
The possibility of Nike actually marketing the shoes had sneakerheads and “Back to the Future” fans full of anticipation.
Nike did produce one pair of the shoe and sent it to Fox Wednesday.
The shoe company said it was making additional pairs to be auctioned in 2016 with the money going to support of the Michael J. Fox Foundation. The foundation does research into Parkinson’s disease, which Fox was diagnosed with in 1991.
An auction of “Back to the Future” shoes in 2011 raised $9.4 million.
Word of the shoe got out when Fox tweeted, “The letter I received from Tinker today. Thanks @Nike.”
Tinker appears to be Tinker Hatfield, a Nike shoe designer.
In his note, “Tinker” writes, “As the first most celebrated wearer of the Nike Air Mag, we wanted you to be first to receive a ‘living pair.'”
The note, which includes a drawing of Fox holding the new sneaker, went on to say, “In addition to your personal pair we’re creating more pairs for support in aid of the Michael J. Fox Foundation.”
Nike president and CEO Mark Parker said in a statement, “We started creating something for fiction and we turned it into fact.”
In the film, McFly tries on a pair of grey Nike high-tops, known as “Nike MAGs,” that to McFly’s surprise self-lace.
“Power laces! Alright!” McFly says in the film.
Nike’s tweet had fans exclaiming “great Scott!” on social media over the possibility that the shoes are on the way.
Since the film’s 1989 release, the shoes have become a longed-for item for the movie’s fans and sneaker enthusiasts.
The company patented an “automatic lacing system” in 2008.
