Watch Ryan Thomas Andersen's original ad ↗

This creator upload is linked by the production contributor and contemporary coverage. It is the individual ad, not a longer contest promotion.

Language and version

English · 30 s · contest-winning ad cut

A child offers a cardboard time machine that supposedly runs on Doritos. The adult accepts the premise, and a different person's arrival turns that belief into the final joke. The contest-winning ad builds a whole story from a simple prop and a few lines.

Evidence of recognition and response

Winner of Doritos' 2014 Crash the Super Bowl audience vote and its $1 million grand prize, confirmed by PepsiCo. This was a branded advertising contest, not a festival award for an independent short.

What to learn from the expression

  • Give a prop a clear rule before the action begins. A fictional machine that needs one specific thing is a fast way to connect the character's goal with the story.
  • Track what each character believes. The audience can understand the trick while another character misreads the same event, making the ending easy to follow.
  • Plant the final misunderstanding in the initial promise. An ending feels complete when it pays off an idea the viewer already remembers.

Try it in your own work

Write an original 30-second comedy about a harmless homemade machine with one rule. Show why someone believes it, then introduce an event they misinterpret. Use three characters at most and your own prop and dialogue.

Sources and official posts

Sources checked: