To cleanse the palate. The bad news? This isn’t remotely as cool as the hoverboard or even that jacket Marty had that would automatically adjust in size. The good news? They’ve got to start somewhere. Besides, it’s a nifty illustration of how modern pop culture cannibalizes itself. Today’s fashions are now being influenced by 20-year-old jokes about how goofy today’s fashions would be. Imagine all the awesome kitsch America circa 2035 will derive from the sadly inevitable remake of “Back to the Future” sometime this decade.

Nike is going back to the future.

The sneaker maker on Thursday said it has created a limited-edition shoe based on a glowing pair that appeared in the popular 1989 movie “Back to the Future II.” The 2011 Nike Mag is designed to be an exact replica of the fictional sneaker, including a glowing Nike name on the strap. But unlike the movie version, these shoes won’t lace themselves.

Nike will release 1,500 pairs of the 2011 Nike Mag sneaker for auction on eBay and donate all proceeds to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s disease research. Fox famously played Marty McFly in the “Back to the Future” time-travel trilogy, where he wore the shoes during a visit to the year 2015.

Apparently Nike decided to do this years ago but only recently had they worked out the kinks in how to light the sneakers. According to Cnet, they also patented a device last year that would fasten the laces automatically, which would have made these a true replica of the movie version. I don’t know why that got dropped. Maybe this is a limited run to see how heavy the demand is on eBay with a future national release that includes the laces gizmo to come if reaction is positive.

You can see close-up shots here; below you’ll find the movie scene plus two new ads. I think they’re hideously ugly but it’s all for a good cause, so hey. Just don’t forget to pull your pants pockets inside out when you wear them.