Welcome to the Future! 5 Items That Would’ve Been Out of This World in 1989

It’s here! We’re not referring to our Fall, our latest product launch, or an unheard-of food holiday. October 21, 2015—the day that Marty McFly travels ahead to in a time machine in the iconic 1989 movie Back to the Future II—has finally arrived. In the film, a young Michael J. Fox time travels to 2015 to discover flying cars, self-lacing shoes, and hoverboards (flying skateboards).

 

While we might not have flying cars just yet, a number of the year 2015 concepts shown in the film—like videoconferencing and head-mounting computers—have actualized. Here are five other creations we bet Marty McFly and his crew would be beside themselves to discover today.

 

1. The Saeco GranBaristo Avanti 

At the time the film was shot, coffee makers looked like this and most Americans had never heard of Starbucks. Do you think Marty McFly could’ve envisioned the idea of sending a custom order (extra-strong, extra-frothy whole milk cappuccino, please) via bluetooth to his Saeco GranBaristo Avanti machine from the comfort of his bed?

 

2. The Zoku Quick Pop Maker

Back then, the Jell-O Pudding Pop was considered a big deal. There’s no way Marty McFly and his family could’ve conceived of an inexpensive frozen pop machine that could create frozen pops of any flavor (cream included) in seven minutes.

 

3. The Kenwood Cooking Chef

It’s hard to imagine a workhorse of a machine that acts as stand mixer, food processor, blender, and induction plate all in one, even in 2015. If the idea is hard to imagine now, then it was beyond possibility in 1989.

 

4. A PolyScience Sous Vide Machine

The term “thermal immersion circulator” would’ve made Marty McFly’s eyes glaze over. Especially if he learned that machines like the PolyScience Sous Vide Professional Creative Series gently cooks vacuum-sealed foods in a water bath, monitoring precise temperature and achieving incomparable texture.

 

5. The Philips Pasta Maker

Marty would have quite a story to tell his Italian nonna if he’d seen the Philips pasta maker that exists today. Simply pop in flour and eggs, hit a button, and out comes your choice of penne, fettuccine, spaghetti, or lasagna sheets. Buonissimo!