My friend Anne recently passed on the above Volkswagen video, created by Craig Melchiano and David Povill, which involves a kid dressed up as Darth Vader trying to use the force. It's pretty funny and it reminded me of this game we did two years ago at my son's 5th birthday party.
Specifically, it was a Star Wars themed birthday party, which we foolishly held in our house (also, if you can believe it, Kate made a Jedi robe for every kid!). What we did was modify the game, "pass the parcel." We had saw online that there were Star Wars versions of this, which primarily involved wrapping something up like a ball, and calling it a Death Star.
However, we thought that it would be way more fun if we could convince the kids that if they used the "force" they could get the stereo to stop the music (and therefore entitling them to the act of unwrapping). This, of course, is easy to do since pretty much every stereo these days comes with a remote. Note that, obviously, the Star Wars theme was the music being played during the game.
I tell you: it was one of the funniest things I've ever seen - here you have a group of 5 year olds "concentrating" so hard, and doing the classic Jedi hand gesture at the stereo trying to make the music stop. For a Star Wars fan like myself, it was a brilliant sight to see. And just so that everyone had a chance to do it, we would also consistently get them to use the "force" all together to start the music up again ("On the count of 3: one... two... three!!).
I should note that if you plan on doing this, be prepared to get a few phone calls from parents. After our party, we had quite a few of them calling, saying that their children were now trying to make their stereos, televisions, and other assorted appliances turn on by sheer will of thought. Anyway, it might be just me, but I thought this was both charming and hilarious.
David Ng likes to find funny things to show in your next science talk.
aahhhhh, i love this! put a smile on my face at 0814, on a gloomy snow day.
Anonymous
Yes, because what a kid who wants to be The Most Evil Man In The Galaxy needs, is ENCOURAGEMENT.
bloojax
My fave Force moment was when my two boys (ages 5 and 2) snuck around to the front of the house to ride their new PowerWheels quad while I made dinner. That’s a big no-no in our house, so as soon as I realize they’re gone, I head out front to read them the riot act: it’s unsafe, dad can’t see you, you know the rules, blah, blah, blah. Right as I’m mid-tirade, the older one looks me square in the eye, gives me the Obi-Wan wave-of-the-hand and says “These aren’t the boys you’re looking for. Move along.”
It worked. They two of them walked back around the house as I stood there absolutely speechless with amusement.
monstrinho_do_biscoito
i have to admit, whenever i go through those automatic doors at supermarkets and the like, i often do the ‘not the droids you are looking for’ hand movement as i walk up to them and try and time it right so it looks like i have jedi powers.
General Specific
I love this.
Anonymous
Mike Brown, the astronomer responsible for Pluto being demoted, taught his baby daughter to sign before she could talk. She would raise her fist and open it to sign “turn on the lights” and tap her heart to sign “Thank you.”
He took her out to observe the moon on a partially cloudy night. They’re soaking in the beauty of the scene when a cloud passes in front of the moon momentarily dimming it. She turns to her father and signs “turn on the lights” and looks at him expectantly just as the cloud moved on and thereby re-illuminating the scene.
She smiled at him and then tapped her heart.
ferrohorse
Great spot!
Our 3-yr old saw adults using black, boxy remote thingys to change channels on the TV, and decided to try it himself with a domino…it even had “buttons” on it. Luckily, we just happened to be standing there with the real remote the first time he dramatically pointed the domino at the screen and “clicked.” It made for a good few hours of fun, until he sort of caught on.
Anonymous
Doh! Can’t those trick on my kids. I screwed up and explained radio waves and infrared to my 3 and 4 year olds. Hey, they were asking! What’s a dad to do?
godfathersoul
This is also the beauty of the TV-B-Gone
Jack
What has two thumbs and tried to talk to a knock-off “Pet Rock†said person purchased from a capsule vending machine for 25 cents when he was 7 years old? THIS GUY!
Anonymous
The best thing about this commercial is the implication that the kid in the Vader suit is a girl.
KayakGrrl
I know! I was going to comment on this too!
edbh
Messing with kids’ heads is ALWAYS fun. Try acting like you’ve garroted yourself with your own tie.
Anonymous
Remarkably, this same technique works with religion, just substitute “force” for prayer. Kids are gullible.
This remote starting thing? Some how I just know this is going to end badly.
“I just wanted to tweak my kid, so I started the car up when he was in front of it like that cute kid in the Vader costume in the ad. I had no way of knowing that it would slip into drive and run him over! He lost both his arms and legs. Now he is a REAL Darth Vader, he’s even on life support breathing.
I wish I had never fallen for that cute commercial and went out an bought this stupid car with it’s worthless remote start up. What was the point? I live in LA, I don’t need the car warmed up before I get inside.
I had to have the latest gadget! I had to be a BIG MAN and show my kid I could start the car from out side the car. Woopie dee friking do. Now my kid is in a coma in a hospital and I’m going to sue those jerks for not making sure the car wouldn’t shift into gear after a remote start.
Oh and I think I’ll sue the commercial makers too! I can just imagine those buncha jerks sitting around taking about this ad, “How can we sell this useless feature to people? Let’s trick them into liking it by tying it to cute kids and Star Wars! Yeah those suckers will fall for anything, they are as dumb as the football fans who watch the ads.” Well guess what Mr. Don Draper? I’m coming for you and your stupid advertising agency, Sterling friking Cooper. I’m naming you in the lawsuit with Volkswagen! If it wasn’t for your charming commercial I would have never bought this stupid car! I hope your stupid new wife divorces you when I take all your money!”
bob cooley
Wow spocko, run out of puppies to kick this morning?
Berk
Jesus christ.
Your world must be a fucking terrifying place.
IWood
Thanks for the ride.
flosofl
And here come the concern trolls
Anonymous
This was brilliantly done.Clever, very clever congrats to all involved. Excellent work!
Anonymous
I’ve kind of managed to convince my Nephew that if he asks my car very nicely to open it does. But of course only when my car can see I am nearby to stop just anyone doing it. He’s almost managed to convince some of his friends & my friends love it and egg him on to get the car open if we all meet up. Normally they are trying to catch me out though. It is damned cute though when he runs up tot eh car wing mirror, looks into it and says “Doors please open”
It has got to the stage where I’m not sure which of us is humouring the other!
princessalex
My sons were convinced that they were using the force every time they opened automatic doors at stores! I think my younger one was about 7 when he finally stopped humouring me with that bit. ;-)
Jack
I actually saw a kid who was about 8 years old, in a cape and with a homemade magic wand at a supermarket door who figured out the boundary between where he had to stand to make the door open/close. He would say “I command you to open…†and then dramatically lean forward with his wand in hand to “open†said door.
Kids! The best.
greermahoney
When I was little, my older brother would bet me on whether the record on the turntable would repeat or end when over. I always lost. Took me years to realize his casual fiddling with the turntable arm was controlling it. I feel that slight embarrassment for this kid.
Course my story would be better if either one of us had been wearing a Darth Vader outfit at the time. Oh, well.
Anonymous
that makes for a great parable about the power of “miracles”…
Loafer
oooohhh, it’s a trick.
I’ve been outside all day trying to start my car like that
(and it’s bloody snowing)
cinemajay
This was brilliantly done. I’ve been laughing harder each time I watch it!
Boondocker
That’s an awesome story, David. It paints a priceless picture. :)
toyg
Thank you, BoingBoing and VW ad-agency; it’s great to start a new day with a laugh!
Anonymous
Good job Deutsch, LA
First Super Bowl worthy spot we’ve seen yet…
Anonymous
I actually prefer this version of Vader’s origins to Lucas’s.
We did something similar with our car remote. Our three-year-old godchild had recently watched “Chitty-Chitty Bang-Bang” and when we flashed the car lights she thought the car was talking to her! She rubbed the car and even gave it a kiss! Good thing the car was recently washed! She had a real conversation with the car every time she saw it, for a while.
Donald Petersen
I gotta admit, this might be the best licensed use of Lucasfilm properties… pretty much ever.
Beats the hell out of the Energizer ads.
JhmL
Though it does steal from the Sad Vader meme, it’s still hilarious, thanks :)
technogeek
Some years ago, someone dressed up a skin galvanometer with a low-cost “levitation” device (ball over a fan, or something like that) and sold it as a Force Trainer toy. Same thing could be done with a simple EEG, of course — old-style beta-wave toy, perhaps. Either way, that’s a semi-realistic model of (assisted) mind over matter, mental state causing a real-world response.
Kindle