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Hoverboard

The Mattel hoverboard.

" Marty jumped the hedge. He reached out for one of the [two young girls'] scooters. / "Hey, kid, I need your —" / He stopped short when he realized the scooter had no wheels. / The girl took a step back as Marty picked up the scooter — or whatever it was. The handle was detachable. Marty took it off. He brought the plastic skateboard shape closer. It had a loop strap to put your foot in, and a brand name in large red letters: / MATTEL HOVERBOARD! / "Hoverboard?" he wondered aloud. / He dropped the hoverboard to the ground. It hummed softly, hovering a few inches above the grass. "
—From Back to the Future Part II by Craig Shaw Gardner (quote, pages 43 and 44)

The Mattel hoverboard was a brand of hoverboard by Mattel available in 2015.

History[]

Mattel sold a version for young children to ride with the assistance of a detachable handlebar and a foot strap. It was unable to cross large bodies of water before losing power. The board was available in lenticular blue or orange.

Marty McFly borrowed a Mattel hoverboard from a little girl riding one on Courthouse Square and used it to flee Griff Tannen and his gang. The little girl would eventually let Marty keep it, after she gained the Pit Bull hoverboard from Griff while he was being arrested.

Marty would then continue to use the hoverboard in 1955 to retrieve the Grays Sports Almanac and in 1885 to save Dr. Emmett Brown and Clara Clayton from falling off the locomotive pushing him in the DeLorean time machine back to the future. Doc caught the hoverboard's strap with his foot and caught Clara as her dress ripped. Doc and Clara hovered away from the tracks and the ravine to safety.

On December 24, Marty used the hoverboard to give off the illusion to Ebiffnezer Tannen that he was the Ghost of Christmas.

In an attempt to bring Edna Strickland back to 1931 from 1876, Doc gave Marty the hoverboard to use while hooking up the flux overrides to the flux emitter on the DeLorean.

Behind the scenes[]

  • In Back to the Future Part II, during the scene in the River Road Tunnel scene, when Biff attempts to run Marty down, Marty (on the hoverboard) pushes off with his right foot while his left foot is on the back of the board. In skateboarding, this stance is called 'goofy'. While in other shots, Marty's has his left foot in the board's foot strap and pushes off with his right foot, riding in a 'regular' stance.
  • Also, during the tunnel scene, in a wide-high shot, Marty is riding a skateboard, instead of the hoverboard.

Actuality[]

  • In the late fall of 2012, Mattel released a full-scale prop replica of the hoverboard as it largely appeared in Back to the Future Part II and Part III. While its appearance was close to being identical, it did not actually hover or work on water, but would glide on most carpeted surfaces.[1] Upon release, however, it was considered to have fallen short of the accuracy expected by fans and even Bob Gale,[2] lacking the lenticular surface, for example. Blue and red hoverboards were pictured on the back of the box, but were not in production.
  • In February 2014, the HalloweenCostumes.com website added their own exclusive and officially-licensed replica of the Mattel hoverboard, which they named Back to the Future Hoverboard. This version of the replica was essentially the same design as the previously-released Mattel hoverboard replica, except for there being no handlebar hole, no polarity reversing acceleration booster between the anti-gravity lift cushions (which was used as a battery cover for the Mattel replica), no sound effects, and no Mattel logos.[3]
  • A video commercial released by Universal Pictures Home Entertainment on October 12, 2015 to promote the 30th anniversary release of the trilogy featured orange, pink and blue hoverboards very similar in style to the Mattel hoverboard, reportedly manufactured by a fictitious company called Hover Master. In reality, the main pink hoverboard featured in the commercial was the product sold by HalloweenCostumes.com.[4]

Appearances[]

Other appearances[]

Gallery[]

See also[]

References[]

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