Robert Zemeckis is a bit of a prankster. In 1989, during a behind-the-scenes interview for Back to the Future Part II, he told the world that the back to the future hover board was actually real. He looked straight into the camera and claimed Mattel had produced them, but "parents' groups" kept them off the market because they were too dangerous. People believed him. Thousands of kids called toy stores. They called Mattel. They waited by their mailboxes for a piece of technology that didn't exist. It was a brilliant, cruel bit of marketing that cemented the pink Mattel board as the most lusted-after prop in cinematic history.
We’re still obsessed with it. It’s been decades, yet whenever a tech startup claims to have "solved" gravity, the first thing we do is compare their clunky prototype to Marty McFly’s sleek, magnetic cruiser. The board represents more than just a cool toy; it’s the ultimate symbol of a future that never quite arrived.
The Prop That Fooled a Generation
The original back to the future hover board wasn't a piece of high-tech engineering. It was basically a slab of wood and plastic. For the filming of the 1989 sequel, the production team, led by legendary production designer Rick Carter and concept artist John Bell, had to figure out how to make a teenager look like he was surfing on air. This was before the digital revolution had fully taken hold of Hollywood. They couldn't just "CGI it" and call it a day.
They used wires. Lots of them.
Michael J. Fox was often suspended by a harness, with the board physically bolted to his feet. In other scenes, the crew used "shaker boards" or mounted the board on a transparent acrylic stand that was hidden from the camera's perspective. If you watch the Hill Valley chase scene closely today—on a 4K screen—you can actually spot the wires in a few frames. But in 1989? On a grainy VHS tape? It looked like magic.
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The design itself was a masterclass in 80s aesthetics. The neon pink, the yellow grip tape, and the green "footpad" circle weren't chosen because they looked futuristic in a "NASA" way. They were chosen because they looked like a toy a kid would actually want. Mattel’s logo was slapped on the front as part of a product placement deal, which only added to the illusion that you could buy one at Toys "R" Us.
What happened to the real props?
Most of them are in the hands of private collectors now. One of the "hero" boards (the high-quality ones used for close-ups) sold at auction a few years ago for over $500,000. Bob Gale, the writer and producer of the trilogy, has joked that the boards are the only thing from the set that people still ask him about every single day. There were several versions made:
- Lightweight Styrofoam versions for stunts.
- Solid wood "hero" boards for close-up shots.
- The "Pit Bull" board used by Griff Tannen, which was much larger and featured "jet" engines.
Why We Don't Have a Real Hover Board Yet
Physics is a buzzkill. Truly. To get a back to the future hover board to work like it does in the movie—meaning, it floats over any surface, including water (if you have "power")—you'd need to bypass the laws of gravity as we currently understand them.
Most "real" hoverboards we see today rely on one of two things: magnets or air.
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The MagLev Problem
Companies like Hendo and Lexus have actually built functional hoverboards. The Lexus version, revealed in 2015, looked incredible. It even had "smoke" (liquid nitrogen) pouring out of the sides to cool its superconductors. But there’s a massive catch. These boards only work over a very specific type of surface, usually copper or aluminum. They use Lenz’s Law. Basically, as the magnets in the board move over the conductive floor, they create a counter-magnetic field that pushes the board up.
It’s cool. It’s also useless for going to the grocery store. Unless your town decides to pave every street with billions of dollars worth of copper, you aren't gliding anywhere.
The Leaf Blower Approach
Then you have the "jet" boards or multi-rotor boards. These are basically giant drones you stand on. They’re loud. They’re terrifying. They can cut your legs off if you fall. They don't capture the spirit of Marty McFly’s board because they feel like heavy machinery, not a skateboard.
The real back to the future hover board didn't have fans. It used "repulsor" technology, which, in the internal logic of the movie, was just an evolution of the flux capacitor's energy-manipulation tech. We’re still waiting on that breakthrough.
The Cultural Weight of the Pink Board
There’s a reason people still buy replicas. Visit any "Comic-Con" or fan convention and you’ll see dozens of them. It represents a specific brand of optimism. In the 80s, we thought 2015 would be a playground. Instead of the back to the future hover board, we got "hoverboards" that were just two-wheeled self-balancing scooters that had a nasty habit of catching fire in people's living rooms.
The disappointment was real.
When 2015 actually rolled around, the internet went into a frenzy. Brands like Nike released the "Mag" sneakers with power laces, and Pepsi put out "Pepsi Perfect." But the board remained the white whale. Even Tony Hawk got in on the action, appearing in a funny (but fake) video for a company called HUVr that claimed to have solved the technology. People wanted to believe it so badly that they ignored the obvious wires.
Real-World Tech Inspired by the Movie
Believe it or not, the pursuit of the back to the future hover board has actually led to some interesting engineering.
- ArkaUp: A company that created a "hover" experience using high-powered fans.
- Maglev Trains: While not a skateboard, the same magnetic levitation principles are being used to transport people at 300+ mph in Japan and China.
- Superconductors: Research into "room-temperature" superconductors is the holy grail. If we ever find a material that can superconduct at normal temperatures without needing liquid nitrogen, a real hoverboard becomes much more plausible.
Honestly, we might be looking at it the wrong way. We want the board to be a toy. But the technology required to make it work would be one of the greatest scientific achievements in human history. It would mean we’ve mastered gravity. If we can make a skateboard float, we can make cars float. We can make ships float. We can change how we move everything on the planet.
How to Get Your Hands on a Piece of History
If you're a fan who just wants the aesthetic, you have a few options that don't involve breaking the laws of physics.
Official Replicas
Mattel actually released a "prop replica" back in 2012. It was... controversial. Fans complained that it felt "cheap" for the price point and that the "whooshing" sound effects were a bit tacky. However, on the secondary market, these are now highly sought after. They look the part, even if they stay firmly on the ground.
DIY and Etsy
The pro-replica community is huge. You can find "stunt" boards made of high-density foam that are screen-accurate down to the last scratch. Many fans prefer these because they can actually carry them at conventions without getting tired.
The Digital Route
In the gaming world, the back to the future hover board has appeared in everything from Fortnite to Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater. It’s probably the closest most of us will ever get to actually "riding" one.
What You Should Do Next
If you are genuinely interested in the history or the tech of the hoverboard, don't just settle for the movies.
- Check out the "Back to the Future" Exhibits: The Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles often hosts movie props. Seeing the board in person, even behind glass, is a trip.
- Research Quantum Locking: Look up videos of "Quantum Locking" on YouTube. It's a real physical phenomenon where a superconductor "locks" into a magnetic field. It looks exactly like the movie, just on a tiny scale.
- Support Superconductor Research: It sounds nerdy, but the materials science happening right now is the only path to a world where "hover" isn't just a marketing buzzword.
The back to the future hover board taught us to look at the ground and imagine what it would be like to never touch it again. We aren't there yet, but the dream is far from dead. Just remember: if you ever do find a real one, stay away from the water. Unless you have power, of course.