Our idols in the film, sports, and music industry set societal trends. Many of us aspire to be like them, if only in our daydreams. As such, it shouldn’t be surprising that thousands emulate their heroes.
If someone sees their favorite singer, actor, or media personality riding a StreetSaw hoverboard, they’re likely to follow suit. Back in 2015, celebs adopted this tech toy en masse, causing its profile to surge – just in time for the holiday season.
Don’t believe us? Below, we’ve put together a partial list of celebrities who have been spotted riding a hoverboard. When we say partial, we mean it. The number of celebs using hoverboards is quite long. We’ve done our best to select a real cross section of people to illustrate just how hot this new trends is in celebrity culture.
1. Mike Tyson
On Christmas morning, millions of people had a hoverboard waiting for them under their trees. Iron Mike Tyson’s daughter was one of them. While his daughter was excited, Mike was too. Later that day, he decided to shoot a video of himself riding her self-balancing scooter.
Shortly after, the man who made a career of dishing out knockout punches took a vicious one himself. After doing a few 360 spins, he moved forward just a bit too quickly – and took a nasty spill. Oops!
This should be a subtle reminder that although they are fun, you shouldn’t get carried away until you build your skill up. Mike might have been a professional boxer but clearly a rookie with the hoverboard.
2. Martha Stewart
Hoverboards have a hip, street-wise image. So, when we heard Martha Stewart had ridden a self-balancing scooter, it surprised us. She did do time in West Virginia, though, so perhaps we shouldn’t be.
She had her first encounter with a hoverboard in March 2016. At that time, she was meeting with a UN diplomat in Qatar. After a round of champagne, she took notice of the hoverboard that the Ambassador’s son was riding.
Intrigued, she asked if she could take it for a ride. At that moment, she set the internet ablaze. Imagine America’s Ms. Manners riding a glowing LED hoverboard. Well, it happened – arguably, it was a moment that solidified the hoverboard as a cultural phenomenon.
3. Wiz Khalifa
Wiz Khalifa is more in line with the hoverboard’s demographic – young and urban. Back in 2015, he saw the future – he foresaw that many in his generation would adopt the self-balancing scooter.
Sadly, Customs and Border Protection didn’t share his perspective. In August 2015, he rode his golden steed into LAX. When told to dismount by CBP officers, he refused. After rebuking a second time, they forcefully arrested Wiz. Shortly after, he uploaded the details of his arrest to social media, further propelling hoverboards into the public consciousness.
4. Justin Bieber
In the pop music world, few have the clout that Justin Bieber does. So, when he posted a YouTube video of him and his mates fooling around on hoverboards – it probably made hover company owners very happy. In fact, it definitely did – that’s the kind of free advertising that every industry in the world would like. Justin is one of the most followed celebrities on the internet.
In the video, Biebs and his crew speed around his mansion, all while shooting each other with Nerf guns. Shortly after, a dance troupe posted a cover of Sorry, performed entirely on hoverboards. With that level of earned media, who needs to buys ads?
5. Skrillex
Sometimes, celebs influence each other. In past years, Skrillex has collab-ed with Justin Bieber, working on hits like Sorry and Where Are Ü Now. In doing so, they became friends. So, when they weren’t working together, they hung out.
While doing so, it appears Justin’s love of self-balancing scooter rubbed off on Skrill. In numerous public appearances, fans have spotted him riding a powder blue hoverboard. Conveniently enough, that’s the same color as one of Bieber’s boards – how bromantic! Another reason is just that powder blue is simply one of the most popular colours with guys, friends with Justin Bieber or not.
6. Usain Bolt
The fastest human alive rides hoverboards? It’s true – the champion sprinter has been sighted around London riding his self-balancing scooter. It may seem puzzling that an elite track athlete would use one – but we guess you’ve got rest those legs sometimes!
7. Jamie Foxx
When Jamie Foxx does something unexpected, people notice. During a 2015 appearance on the Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon, Jamie rode a lemon yellow hoverboard onto the stage.
At this time, the general public wasn’t fully aware of the self-balancing scooter trend. In one segment, an entire nation was exposed to a new tech toy – and was buzzing about it for weeks afterwards.
8. Matthew Bellamy
Staying on the cutting edge of coolness comes with being a rock star. As such, it shouldn’t shock anyone that Matthew Bellamy, frontman for rock band Muse, is a hoverboard fan.
One day in 2015, the vocalist/guitarist released a soundcheck on their Instagram account. However, it wasn’t your typical rehearsal – while his bandmates jammed normally, he played his guitar part atop a hoverboard.
Throughout the clip, he does laps around his friends, all while busting out a solo. If that doesn’t scream rock and roll, we don’t know what to tell you.
Hoverboards: So Hot Right Now
In our society, celebrities drive trends. If they value a clothing line or a tech toy, it quickly becomes the “in” thing. In the end, you should always draw your own conclusions. However, it doesn’t hurt to draw inspiration from those we admire.
When it comes to the hoverboard, we can’t say we’re surprised considering it combines a lot of favourites. For starters, it’s a mode of transportation in today’s lazy world. Secondly it’s a technology innovation and tech is popular, that’s not changing anytime soon. Finally, it’s somewhat space age so it should be no surprise that celebrities are taking to to them.
