Honda - The Cog

This WebRidesTV video is a commercial made by Honda to showcase the Honda Accord. It is a two minute video that shows Honda Accord parts interacting with each other similar to a Rube Goldberg machine.

[@strayster2]

"Isn't it nice when things just... work?" Seriously. One of the best commercials ever made.

[@cromagprophet]

The New 2008 Honda Accord Is Here.

[@indiomoustafa2047]

Except this is CGI and most of this wouldnt work. Lol even the car is CGI, this commerical is fucking stupid tbh.

[@Bleach_needs]

Amazing

[@theoelijahsargento8044]

Yea

[@OgJusttrippin]

Never saw a wheel go uphill like that before

[@axt114130]

People are saying its pointless, but I think the whole point of the ad is to draw your attention. I mean you watched the whole thing didn't you?

[@vihreaihme1508]

axt114130 yep

[@ThomasFarquhar2]

axt114130 yes

[@joshbryer]

The point is crystal clear: all the parts of a Honda work in perfect sync.

[@MrWolfSnack]

The point of a Rube Goldberg contraption is to have a giant methodical process for a simple action. It's physics.

[@jefersonabello66]

Aussie Grant j. 👒👝👒

[@michaelboyd365]

To all the people saying the tires were fake its actually a really simple trick! They stuck a weight on the edge of the wheel and balanced so the weight was on top, making it top heavy. So when something bumped it, it went off balance and rolled til the weight was on the bottom. They fought gravity with gravity. I believe everything in this video was real, but it probably took close to a hundred tries to get it right.

[@mooneyes2k478]

606, to be exact. And, while everything is REAL...there is one piece of 'movie magic', patching two separate, 1-minute-long takes together into one 2-minute-long commercial. But everything you see is really happening, no effects or cheats.

[@SuperSucc69]

I have the promotional DVD. The making of is really interesting. they did try it until it worked, and about 4 days to set up

[@Kodobrr]

Looks like these people dont know what animation software is

[@chris07]

@@Kodobrr this is in 2002 or 2003 when animation was still not too good. The only powerhouse was Pixar and even they couldn't animate a car like that at that time. It's not CGI either. They cant make these sort of reflections

[@graceb5779]

Omg that’s exactly what I said

[@au1317]

This is a distant memory from when I was a kid. Thank you so much for keeping this up long enough for me to rediscover it

[@CalpolMeister]

Worddd

[@billwakefield5005]

This never ceases to amaze me ! I never tire of watching it.

[@miguelbaltazar7606]

budum ching

[@joebattle143]

You actually watched it more than once? Good grief!

[@3_knights382]

Lmao tire

[@hashbrown777]

@@joebattle143 it was an ad on tv all the time

[@kryse4806]

its a wheely great video

[@jonjl96]

This commercial is seriously impressive. The amount of effort they put into making the machine work is amazing, especially as this isn't CGI. For that, I give this two thumbs up.

[@theoblanks8364]

pretty sure its CGI wheels dont roll up hills

[@moesherman]

9th grade physics

[@christiandarrall2869]

there is clearly a man in the driver's seat pushing the break at the end, that's for sure

[@chrisarun5140]

@@theoblanks8364 It's stop motion.

[@thetrickster400]

Its cgi

[@masonking4885]

I was showed this in 4th grade. With this commercial in mind, I am concluding my first degree in physics and am now studying electrical engineering at Georgia Tech. Most influential commercial to me.

[@gergoantal1066]

Congratulations

[@FutureStyles]

How's your degree going?

[@Goon_Lagoon69420]

Anything new today?

[@lukaszpilat2670]

This is so true, I own this car for 15 years now and it just won't break. Never let me down. Pity they stopped selling them for Europe

[@jamjam-1418]

Fun fact: They had to add music at the end because everyone on the set cheered when it finally completed.

[@WhiteSlift]

Did anyone else find the moving wipers a bit creepy? It's like a human heart outside of the body activated by electric shocks or something like that.

[@ariztrad4386]

WhiteSlift Wow, yes

[@michaelparker2449]

Reminded me of the movie The Ring where she crawls out through the TV.

[@graciewilliams989]

I see everything wierd.😕

[@patrikmichalu8637]

+WhiteSlift Oh yes, so much i remembered it even though i haven't seen this commercial for years. I think its an evolution's ingrained reaction in us to thinks that pulsate with live, like some cocoon, or "crawl" around with simple repeated motions, like a worm, or a bug. Looks organic and alive, but not thinking, not motivated, not getting tired any time soon, or anything. What is even making it move? What it's gonna do to me? That's why it's creepy. :-)

[@graciewilliams989]

I like it a little bit. 😎👼😆😇😕💚💜💙❤👎👍👈

[@TheIdiotNebula]

The sound made by that first cog rolling agaisnt the wood. That is such a wonderful noise...

[@amc2004uk]

Not seen this ad in ages, forgot how great it was. Love it.

[@poo48]

U good?

[@amc2004uk]

@@poo48 It's 2022, nobody is good, I miss 10 years ago when I was so full of hope and optimism.

[@M084MM3D]

@@amc2004uk damn that's sad as fuck

[@techspeak5801]

​@@amc2004ukthings are getting better

[@yobasux]

I got a dvd on how they made this. They put weights in the wheels, so that once they were nudged, the weights went from the stationary at the top of the wheel ,just enough to the side that it caused the wheel to rotate and the weight was sufficient enough for it to go uphill for a half turn (at which point it would have gone to the other side of the tire and slowed it down really fast)

[@lucylocket4740]

Superb, well crafted advert, an amazing cross of science and technology, in one advert! 😊 I actually remember this being played in the cinema before Freaky Friday started, in 2003. 🙂

[@okjeffy6581]

I first saw it in 2016.

[@stanmil5495]

I think it premiered in an ad break for f1

[@lucylocket4740]

@@stanmil5495 It was first shown circa April 2003 too! 😊

[@GentlemanQuentin]

“Isn’t it nice when things just… work?” *Well, it would have been nice if the wagon version was sold in the US…*

[@bmci007]

The US doesn't work anymore, they don't deserve it

[@okjeffy6581]

That’s what confused me. Until I realized that it was from the land down under

[@mescko]

I'm pretty sure it was sold in the US (briefly) as an Acura. I saw one for sale on my local CL awhile back, but they were (and are) rare here.

[@Zither66]

one of the most intelligent and well planned ads for a car ever as they can generally be daft with no meaning. It is certainly in my all time top 10 list of ads.

[@dmull837]

I've read someplace that it took the Honda enginers thousands of times to get this right! It was worth it!

[@DanielSadjadian]

All these years later and it's still such a great advert 👍

[@emilie131]

To this day, I still adore this commercial! :-)

[@shivamarya5225]

7 years later and Its still my favourite commercial

[@northseawolf]

This is still one of the best adverts of all time in my opinion and definitely the best car ad.

[@FTBLETSAS]

This is one of the best ads I have ever seen. It is also one of the most precise and detailed video of this kind i have ever watched. Creativity and mechanical genius.

[@deangordonguitars2544]

Gonna break your heart , this is alllll CGI .

[@FTBLETSAS]

Dean Gordon No way! if it is I would call it CGI genius!

[@deangordonguitars2544]

Ευτύχης Μπλέτσας You think this is easier to do in real life? This has to be CGI , I cant find any proof on this video being real. Honda has claimed its real but showing no behind the scenes footage or anything hard to believe.

[@FTBLETSAS]

Dean Gordon if you would ask me I would say its real. They are mechanical engineers not CGI designers. I think any company with this level of mechanic engineers can do this if they spend the necessary time and effort.

[@jonathonhollis7080]

You can't be serious...creativity? This is just a Rube Goldberg gimmick. You want to see an actually good car commerical, one that lets the car speak for itself, look at the Audi R8 V10 commercial or the SRT Body and Soul commercials. Those are actually good. They let the car be the star of the show, rather than some gimmick or famous voice actor/song.

[@AdamGYodaWars]

Fun fact: this took 606 tries and it’s 100% real

[@sheldonlopes4423]

I agree 👍

[@AdamGYodaWars]

@@sheldonlopes4423 um that wasn’t supposed anti be opinionated

[@HydraSpectre1138]

@@AdamGYodaWars I think they agree that this fact is fun.

[@davidaugustofc2574]

Fun not fact, it took a little over a 100 tries

[@abath3493]

Is this the best advert ever

[@BLTKing1]

took over 600 tries. And tires are legit we used the tires on an incline for our Physic for Tech class project. All about the traction.

[@scooterinnc84]

I believe they did put a weight in the wheels. Just saw this earlier tonight on MSNBC's, Caught on Camera, and they explained the concept. You nailed it pretty much.

[@MusicalJourneysThruCinema]

I still remember watching when we had dial-up internet. Took forever to load

[@justinthawsetmyo4173]

I remember my uncle had this video downloaded on a memory stick for some reason. My brother and I just watched it over and over again because it's so satisfying

[@oalnplayer5395]

I thought it was an animation, but goddammn, the precision and dedication of this build

[@Pet_Hedgehog]

its not an animation

[@oalnplayer5395]

@@Pet_Hedgehog yeah, i said I thought it was an animation

[@ladambell]

When the guy who owns those two Hondas they disassembled to make this contraption finds out about this, he's going to be PISSED.

[@ri0t.]

Why

[@LukeLovesMc]

+Snake it took sooooo long lmao

[@hairypooter4110]

Interestingly enough, they actually disassembled two prototype Accords to make this video. Two of only six initial HAND BUILT cars. The engineers that put them together were informed and apparently very unhappy.

[@clgn50li47]

and this video suddenly comes to my homepage after 12 years

[@sanveerkhanuja3249]

one of the best commercial I've ever seen, thanks faisal for recommending

[@WeMuckAround]

guys my uncle worked on this project, lol not a producer or anything just helped with setting it up, i don't know the details but apparently the tyres are weighted inside. imagine like a brick inside the tubing. thats how they move up hill. if you look closely you can see the tyres roll back once they stop. thumbs up so people can see!

[@human_bing]

WeMuckAround wow

[@synexiasaturnds727yearsago7]

@FLORAL CASH alright then man

[@enzog9624]

​@FLORAL CASH I found the stupid one

[@sabersz]

@FLORAL CASH you're a fucking brainlet

[@txtabby]

It took something like 600 takes because the outside temp changed, causing the building to expand or contract, and made the components miss each other by fractions of an inch. But the result was well worth it!

[@sabiantheomnivore5592]

Possibly the best ad ever made..As a declaration of interest, i bought a Honda Accord 2.8ie in 1998...

[@NorthernLaw_]

Honda has the best commercials. All of the commercials that aren’t about sales events or specific car models, I stick around and watch because they are all just perfect

[@Goodvibrationsagency]

Still love the beauty of this ad all these years on.

[@jaidenglass4421]

Fun fact: there is no cgi here.

[@kingbob8596]

Nice.

[@minhngoc10a67]

@@kingbob8596 k

[@poke-dude2401]

Yes there is

[@syawalhamidi]

Are you sure?

[@lazii5289]

@@poke-dude2401 Wrong

[@NewbinatorsRecycleBin]

showing off what the car has in store for you in a rube Goldberg machine? absolute top tier.

[@GTInai]

0:50... VTEC KICKED IN YO!

[@nickz4993]

NaiSai Yang Indeed

[@aarayskirata3420]

lol yes

[@DD-cj6px]

Im still trying to get over the fact that this first came out in 2003, now its 2014, i still find this shocking, amazing and surreal. This must have taken years to get this right.

[@Ruby-pl7sj]

It’s 2021 now dude

[@DarkPuIse]

@@Ruby-pl7sj That comment is also over six years old.

[@xuhnenfels0935]

@@Ruby-pl7sj and 2022

[@davidaugustofc2574]

7 months

[@VANHELSING433]

It must have took some very serious hardcore planning to do. Still technically impressive and I have a lot of respect for rhe people who set the entire thing up,

[@Someone-ky2vk]

I remember seeing this years ago. For some reason my dad it downloaded and it disappeared. For once I'm happy the algorithm showed this to me.

[@panDA-jn3nn]

Song The Sugarhill Gang - Rapper’s Delight(1979)

[@simpleastrophotography1301]

You are a hero

[@wweman2000]

To this day, this commercial remains my all time favorite. It makes me smile everytime I see it. :-D

[@alphazilla3168]

yeah

[@quartzking3997]

It’s CGI

[@That1Guy112]

POV: You’re here 12 years late

[@LizardVideoDude]

I remember when this commercial originally came out on TV. Pure genius!

[@quartzking3997]

It’s CGI

[@shridhar2598]

@@quartzking3997 no it isn't. The wheels could roll up because they were counterweighted at the top

[@Qaor]

So many years later, and still one of if not the best commercial I've seen. 👌

[@therat_mafia]

I can remember this advert so vividly, but I remember it airing for the first time just as much. I was in a noisy pool room in a pub when this came on a tiny TV in the corner, which no one was even particularly watching. Over about 30 seconds the din died down to complete silence as all eyes were transfixed on the screen. When it ended there was an outpouring of excited whoops and chatter that lasted far longer than the commercial. I even recall the next day there were whole newspaper pages discussing this advert, like how it was made and the reception had received. It was that profound. I do remember that they said the tyres were weighted in some manner, which is hardly a cheat but everything else is 100% real.

[@peteroreilly9321]

Best car ad of all time ever !

[@TR1PLE_6]

The greatest TV advert ever made! Nothing will beat it!

[@WeatherSTARJr163]

the nostalgia is coming back boys..

[@InfernotheFox]

It's amazing how much work they put into one advert for a Honda Accord. These adverts showed that Honda had pride in the cars they were making.

[@AlyMewGaming]

A really good creative ad commercial.

[@wildgoosespeeder]

I remember seeing this several years ago! It's just too awesome!

[@masterbondofox8982]

I am so in love with this commercial and it's so GOOD to see it again!

[@AlphaAussie95]

Thank you so much for uploading this ad, it brings back so many good memories of my childhood seeing it again

[@meyeresp]

There were weights in the wheels to make them go up the ramp.. the weights were at 2 o'clock on the insides of the rims, making them roll uphill :)

[@afranca1825]

I love Honda. What a great company :)

[@lucylocket4740]

This fantastic advert has just been voted Best Advert of All Time, well deserved! 👌

[@SilverStar555]

duuude I watched this like 10 years ago!!! This was one of the first KZbin videos I ever watched. So cool that it showed up in my recommended again

[@danielwang5467]

They didn't use any computer animation-the work was done in 4 days in a studio in Paris

[@pewq4691]

I like how everything sounds exactly what you’d expect it to, implicating that they might’ve actually built this in real life and then recorded it perfectly.

[@bmci007]

They did...

[@troev]

in some places physic are strange for examples wheels moment

[@valkyr7791]

@@troev Step 1- put weight inside the tire Step 2- position tire so that weight is at the top of the wheel, directly above center of gravity Step 3- bump object into tire, shifting weight past center of gravity Step 4- weight 'falls' down, causing the tire to rotate Step 5- tire moves up an incline despite it seeming impossible

[@LaurensHouweling]

they really built this contraption. I’m willing to bet the sound is foley tho

[@pewq4691]

@@LaurensHouweling 👍

[@SakaraCoyfox]

I had to look it up to believe this was life action! The entire video is only two camera shots covering the entire sequence in the same take, the seamless transition being during the muffler roll.

[@Laughter413]

Randomly thought of this whilst taking a piss... A 20 year old advert. One of my absolute faves.

[@gregseckinger1652]

Awesome rube goldberg. I read there used more that 400 engineers and over 600 takes to get this too work

[@NotAJollyPotato]

606 goes

[@quas392]

I remember watching this as a kid, I loved it!

[@Synky]

Omg sameee

[@Null42x86]

one of the few commercials that i enjoyed watching

[@jfidel3943]

Love this video! watched it every day with my dad back when it came out.

[@truthnproof]

When this 1st played, I heard that the ad agency showed the finished product to Honda execs & they went "so? cute, but computer generated". Then they were amazed to find out that it was real. I wonder how long it took to come up with the idea, then get everything _just_ right? So many of those things are spot-on, no more, no less than is needed to make the next step happen.

[@Bakamoichigei]

I love how everyone points out the rolling tires as a reason the video's fake when that's one of the most straightforward and repeatable segments of the whole spiel. :)

[@spikes_johnson]

The song at the end though. Absolute banger

[@shagirani5518]

KZbin recommended this again, a masterpiece.

[@Ericwvb2]

Look at the 1:00 mark when the muffler rolls on the floor. Watch the texture of the floor and you can see they dissolved two takes together. This was done because they didn't have enough space for one continuous take.

[@TadishiAsianBoi]

This was all CGI

[@aroze14]

Tadashi Sensei According to Snopes, its was all live action. They only used CGI to splice the two parts together. www.snopes.com/photos/advertisements/hondacog.asp

[@mooneyes2k478]

Not only that, but making two separate takes cuts the number of things that can go wrong severely.

[@Zepherus]

It WAS real, I'm not sure why u think it's not!

[@nofckyou4564]

Didn't know tires roll against beauty and wood passes through glass

[@burnoutlegend0185]

@@nofckyou4564 the wood did not go through the glass look closer there was a gap between the wood.

[@jaidenglass4421]

@@burnoutlegend0185 guess what I actually just noticed that

[@KyleLi]

This was absolutely beautiful when I analyzed it for a marketing course, also did not expect to see you here... lol

[@nani8836]

Beacuse wheels dont function like in games

[@royalhighforlife]

Bring school memories, omg 🥺, we watched it :)

[@aliabdallah102]

I remember watching this when I was 12.

[@wigg1yscott554]

And the thing is... it does "just work". It's been an absolutely great car to me.

[@Michael-jw6et]

Yeah. I thought it was a great car too, until I got my BMW.

[@gergoantal1066]

@@Michael-jw6et Sadly, the BMW is very likely to suddenly stop "just working" and lead you to a slippery slope of ridiculous repair prices. Speaking from experience, there were several BMWs in my family, until we switched to Honda.

[@Michael-jw6et]

@@gergoantal1066 You aren't the first person that has told me that. I have a 2011, and my particular BMW was in the top 3 cars of 2011, and so far, it has given me no problems. One of my friend's is up to 150,000 Miles on his BMW, and he has not had to repair anything yet. but I was told a few times that repairs are expensive, but the car runs so beautifully and is so fun to drive that it seems worth it. I did have a mechanic say I wouldn't love the car for long. Lol!! But, so far do good. Oh, and I was just kidding about the Hondas. I know they are great cars.

[@gergoantal1066]

@@Michael-jw6et Well in that case I'm glad your car is great, enjoy it! I can definitely also say from experience that BMWs really do offer a great driving experience.I like both Honda and BMW, we just had some bad experiences with the latter but that's all.

[@TheGamingGlitcherHD]

The song is Good Times - Chic. Also did you hear of Typhoon Haiyan? My dad took a trip to Samar and while he's there, the hurricane hit. I hope he comes back :(

[@channel5980]

That's not the song. The song is Rapper's Delight by The Suharhill Gang. Don't mislead people.

[@bobbob_21]

Memories of this video as a kid now i've unlocked my nostalgia this day Happy New Year!!

[@DaCouchWarrior]

Amazing job.One of the best commercials

[@Zepherus]

Yeah that's awsome as well

[@kaitlandoneill5512]

@@marceline3986 maybe he or she quit yt

[@muhmeedgamdigamdi5013]

@@marceline3986 ١خ

[@aghashafeeq1072]

@@marceline3986 \

[@nguyenlong-fu1zq]

1:11 magic

[@LDTV22OfficialChannel]

I wish advertising returned to good things like this

[@juanpablocorreiaecheverria2857]

The most satisfying advertisement ever made!

[@Tigerlady248]

Bit weird for a car commercial, but PROPS for getting that many things to work! Setting that up must have been a nightmare- one puff of wind, and you have to start alllll over again.

[@JackFoxtrotEDM]

I'm sure it was easy to set up. It's a CGI thing. I could tell right from the start but a dead giveaway is how those tires roll UP the ramp lmao.

[@AriesUmbra]

@@JackFoxtrotEDM it’s not cgi lmao

[@scrambledmandible]

@@JackFoxtrotEDM bro where the hell you gonna get something that can CGI that today, much less 2004?

[@shridhar2598]

@@JackFoxtrotEDM the wheels were counterweighted at the top making them roll 180° when knocked or hit by any other object. You can search up "Making of the cog" where all the behind the scenes are shown. Also, just like the above reply, lmao no way could they cgi that while making it look real in 2004

[@FionnMarr]

Not surprisingly there is a lot of discussion on whether or not this is fake. It isn't. It was split into two shots and took a lot of planning and work to achieve. Here's a fairly comprehensive report on the whole thing: snopes.com/photos/advertisements/hondacog.asp

[@jayjazz3766]

They lied! This is all CGI. Look at 0:24 there is no way that tyre hit the other one hard enough to send it up that ramp!!

[@FionnMarr]

The tyre was weighted at the top. And balanced so that even the slightest of touches would trigger a forward motion.

[@shanemize481]

Jay Smith yea dumbass the tire was weighted

[@jayjazz3766]

How could the tyre be waited to go against gravity? Fucknugget!

[@FionnMarr]

Can you see the far side of the tyre? You must lack some very basic abilities to think in three dimensions. (That's a skill that most human beings have by the way. Who knows? Perhaps you'll develop them by the time you reach puberty.) Normally I wouldn't resort to name calling in the face of unadulterated stupidity but in your case Jay I shall make an exception. Fucknugget.

[@omdevs]

Hands down one of the best commercials!

[@Landontheengineer]

He should have said “isn’t it nice when things just, fall into place?”

[@ok-597yearsago9]

1:18 electric stuff starts here

[@nez5221]

0:25, nice...

[@harikrishnanpa8491]

KZbin has blessed me with this advertisement after 12 years of its release.

[@Kerleem]

one of the best car commercials ever

[@rarinth]

Tires: *goes up* Me: wait, that's illegal

[@tatarqa]

this is like programming.. with things :D

[@Chickensea10]

for anybody who was trying to figure out the song at the end its by: The Sugarhill Gang - rapper's delight! this was a pretty cool video!

[@gamerxxgamer6723]

This is why Im saying the old times are the best!

[@user-ct4vh6od1u]

0:37 engine

[@halcyonparade]

They should've put the radio at the beginning of the machine so we could've been listening to cool music allthroughout

[@kaiser2519]

The funny thing is that the electronic hatch closed right before the guy talked about how nice it is when things just work. Ironically that hatch had some very complicated wirering which was prone to breaking and if it did you could only open that hatch from the inside by exposing the mechanism. Repairing the electronic system was also very expensive. Trust me, i know.

[@TorinCooperBennun]

For those who don't know, the music at the end is the opening of Rapper's Delight by The Sugarhill Gang.