PASADENA
TOURNAMENT OF
ROSES PARADE
CHECK OUT OUR FLOATS!!!
From 1979 through 2018, Show Motion Engineering, Inc. has been a part of numerous extended builds for the Pasadena Tournament Of Roses Parade. Working with extended clientele such as Honda, Farmers Insurance, and Trader Joe's, amongst many others, Show Motion Engineering, Inc. goes above and beyond with quality assurance to create lively and memorable mechanically driven actuations, including Character Motions, Clock Mechanisms, Kinetic Sculptures, and Animated Vehicle drive systems
such as Trains, Roller Coasters, and Carousels. SME's floats are the recipient of such awards as the Showmanship Award, Best in Show, Queen's Award, Best Animation, and the esteemed President's Award, and many more. See below for info on some of SME's best work with the Pasadena Rose Parade.
HONDA - DANCING TRAIN!!!
Containing a mechanical system that gives this powered rail train vehicle an angulating dance-like motion that bobs and weaves left to right and back to forth, Show Motion Engineering, Inc. presents the design, engineering, and fabrication of the Honda-endorsed Dancing Train Float. The gyrating 4-car locomotive also has additional actuated features, including dual-side spinning train wheels and a custom-designed front catcher with a built-in crankshaft that creates a hypnotizing piano key effect.
TRADER JOES - HATS OFF!!!
With a complex triple-actuated tricycle design with a continuously spinning 12' front bicycle wheel, SME presents "Hats Off" by Trader Joe's. The float features actuated moving legs that pedal the bike wheel and a mechanical arm that repeatedly removes an enlarged top hat, revealing a mounted pyro effect. This magnificent float made its television debut at the 2018 Tournament of Roses Parade and won the Showmanship Trophy award for the most outstanding display of showmanship and entertainment.
TRADER JOES - TIME MACHINE!!!
Funded and brought to the Pasadena Tournament Of Roses Parade by Trader Joes in 2017, Show Motion Engineering, Inc. presents the three-piece Train-Based Time Machine Float. Complete with a middle-car passenger carriage float and an animated caboose float that features a spinning propeller on its top, the main float features five complex animated mechanical motions: spinning train wheels, a pendulating telescope prop, and a highlighted Clock Centerpiece with triple-action capabilities that
includes back-and-forth tilting, spinning clock hands, and synced decorative rotating gears.
FARMERS INSURANCE - CAROUSEL!
Powered by electric motors that gives motion to a chain-pulley and gear-based mechanical system, the Farmers Insurance-sponsored Carousel Float featured in the 2019 Pasadena Tournament Of Roses Parade is fully equipped with a rounded slot-shaped Carousel track; this unique dual-acting track mechanism moves in a counter-clockwise motion and is furnished with two static vehicles, and four Animal Characters that go up-and-down in the classic Carousel gesture, acting as a standout presentation and
cementing the Rose Parade aesthetic as a world-renowned attraction.
HONDA - KINETIC FLOWERS!!!
As the standout Animated Float of 2017 for its ingenuity and inclusion of eye-catching flower-based Kinetic Sculptures, Show Motion Engineering, Inc. presents the design, engineering, and fabrication of the Honda-sponsored Moving Flower Float, complete with synchronized kinetic sunflowers for all four corners of the float, and an enlarged dual-action centerpiece with a spinning purple rose, and tilting leaflets for added visuals seen from a long distance.
FARMERS INSURANCE - ALONG FOR THE RIDE!!!
Show Motion Engineering, Inc. presents "Along For The Ride", the Farmers Insurance Float sponsored by Farmers Insurance Group in 2016. This multi-faceted Recreational Vehicle Float features a fun array of animated vacation and leisure vehicles, each with their own custom-timed motors and motions, including a Sea-Doo watercraft, Golf Cart, and Motorcycle.
AMERICAN HONDA CO. - ROLLER COASTER!!!
Sponsored by American Honda Motor Co. in 1982, SME presents the design, engineering, and fabrication of the fully functional single-loop roller coaster. A Honda Accord engine powers the float and features a coaster-equipped hydraulic motor to raise the coaster cars to their highest point. Then, gravity takes over and enables the cars to go through a 14 ft. vertical loop for a smooth and exhilarating presentation. (In conjunction with and Dedicated To The Memory of Ralph Hudson.)
