'Back to the Future' shoes to fight Parkinson's disease

Each limited edition pair of Nike's new 'Air Mag' will benefit the Michael J. Fox Foundation.

Fri, Sep 09 2011 at 1:56 PM EST

Photo courtesy Nike

We may be yet to have flying cars, but thanks to Nike, we can at least pretend that 2011 is kicking it like it's 2015.

That's the date remembered by most all "Back to the Future II" fans as the moment Marty McFly, his girlfriend, and quirky scientist Doc Brown traveled forward in time to during the 1989 sequel. Along with all the other wonderful futuristic gadgets on display, McFly (played by actor Michael J. Fox) received a pair of self-lacing light-up Nike "Air Mag" shoes.

Last year's celebration of the 25th anniversary of the original film's release sparked a wave of nostalgia that seems to have inspired Nike to finally release a real-life version of the Air Mag. The shoe company made it official yesterday, saying that 1,500 pairs of the limited edition shoes will be made available on eBay. From Gizmodo:

The upper of the shoe is made of reinforced mesh. The outer sole is lined with LED panels that'll light up just like all futuristic shoes imagined in the 80's should (we're not talking corny LA Gear shoes here, people). The Air Mag is rechargeable and will stay lit for 5 hours. There's also a electroluminescent Nike logo in the strap. It's pretty much the exact replica of the pair of shoes Marty McFly famously wore with a few slight tweaks to add more support and comfort.

One caveat: Unlike the movie, these don't self-lace — even though Nike amusingly patented the idea back in 2009. I guess we'll have to wait until 2015 for that option.

The absolute greatest thing about these shoes, however, is that each pair will fund research to help find a cure to Parkinson's disease. Fox, 50, was diagnosed with the degenerati disorder back in 1991 and has become a leading activist in the fight against it. In honor of the actor, Nike will donate all proceeds to the Michael J. Fox Foundation.

The first pair, auctioned off in L.A. last night, went for $37,500!

But it gets better! According to Fox, Google co-founder Sergey Brin and his wife Anne Wojcicki, (founder of genetics company 23andMe), have pledged to match the money collected from the auctions with donations up to $50 million.

You can check out a series of videos of the shoes below — including a personal message from Fox and an appearance by the actor on Letterman last night. Nike will release 150 pairs of the shoes for bidding each day for the next 10 days. You can find out more about scoring your own here.

Anyone else think these would go perfect with an all-electric DeLorean?