Commercials are usually forgettable. Most of them cost millions, air once, and disappear into the digital void of YouTube archives. But the Budweiser farting horse ad is different. It’s gross. It’s legendary. It’s arguably the peak of "low-brow" humor in Super Bowl history.
It was 2004. Super Bowl XXXVIII. People expected the Clydesdales to do something majestic or tear-jerking. Instead, a horse ripped one in a woman’s face.
Honestly, it’s a miracle it ever aired. You have this massive, global brand known for sophisticated Americana, and suddenly they’re leaning into gas jokes. It worked, though. It didn't just work—it dominated the conversation for years.
The Story Behind the Budweiser Farting Horse Ad
The ad, officially titled "Born a Donkey," wasn't the farting one. That’s a common mix-up. The actual "fart" spot was titled "Horse Feed" or sometimes just "The Sleigh Ride."
Here is the setup: A guy is taking his date on a romantic, snowy sleigh ride pulled by a massive Clydesdale. He’s trying to be suave. He brings a lighter to light a candle, or maybe a lantern, depending on how you remember the lighting. To impress her, he feeds the horse a litany of things—supposedly extra-strength feed.
The horse lifts its tail.
Boom.
A massive, fiery flatulence cloud erupts, singeing the woman’s hair and face. It’s quick. It’s violent. It’s hilarious if you’re ten years old, and apparently, it’s hilarious if you’re a marketing executive at Anheuser-Busch in the early 2000s.
Why did Budweiser take such a risk?
Advertising in the early 2000s was the Wild West. You had the Dot-Com bubble aftermath and brands were desperate to "go viral" before that term was even a thing. Anheuser-Busch was competing with Miller Lite’s "Catfight" ads and other raunchy campaigns. They needed to prove they weren't just your grandpa’s beer.
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They used DDB Chicago for this. DDB was the agency powerhouse behind "Whassup!" and the "Real Men of Genius" spots. They knew that if you want to win the USA Today Ad Meter—which was the only metric that mattered back then—you had to make people laugh hard and fast.
Subtlety doesn't win Super Bowls. Flatulence does.
The Backlash and the Ratings
Believe it or not, people were actually mad. Not everyone loves a horse with gastrointestinal distress.
When the Budweiser farting horse ad aired, it immediately spiked to the top of the charts. It won the 2004 USA Today Ad Meter. People loved it. But the "brand purists" were horrified. They felt the Clydesdales were sacred. These horses were symbols of American resilience and post-9/11 strength (remember the 2002 ad where they bowed to the NYC skyline?).
To go from bowing in reverence to flatulence in two years was a massive tonal shift. Some critics called it the "degradation of the brand."
The data, however, told a different story.
- It was the most-recalled ad of the game.
- It boosted "likability" scores among the core demographic of 21-to-34-year-old men.
- It proved that Budweiser could be edgy.
The Technical Side of the "Fire"
People always ask: was that a real horse? Yes. Was it a real fart? Obviously not.
The special effects were handled by a boutique VFX house. They had to match the lighting of the snowy evening with the "glow" of the explosion. If you watch it today, the CGI looks a little dated. It’s a bit "Late Night with Conan O’Brien" style. But in 2004, it was convincing enough to make people gasp.
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The actors were actually quite good at the physical comedy. The woman’s reaction—that stunned, soot-covered stare—is what actually sells the joke. Without her "deadpan" face, the ad fails.
Why We Don't See Ads Like This Anymore
The landscape has shifted. Brands are terrified of "low-brow" now.
In 2026, marketing is about purpose. It’s about sustainability. It’s about being "socially conscious." A beer company today would be worried about PETA complaining or a social media firestorm about "disrespecting the animals."
The Budweiser farting horse ad represents a specific window in time. It was the "Frat Boy" era of advertising. It was the same year as the Janet Jackson "wardrobe malfunction." Everything was louder, cruder, and less polished.
Also, the way we consume ads has changed. Back then, you had to wait for the Super Bowl to see the "big" ads. Now, they’re leaked on LinkedIn three weeks early. The shock value is gone. You can't surprise someone with a farting horse when they've already seen it on their TikTok feed while brushing their teeth on a Tuesday morning.
The Legacy of the Clydesdales
Despite the fart joke, the Clydesdales survived. They didn't lose their prestige.
Actually, the ad probably helped humanize the brand. It showed that Anheuser-Busch had a sense of humor about their own icons. They weren't stuck in a museum; they were part of the party.
If you look at the 2004 Super Bowl ad lineup, you’ll see stuff for Cedric the Entertainer and Shania Twain. It was a weird time. But the horse is what people remember.
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What You Can Learn from This Marketing Moment
If you’re a business owner or a creator, there’s a genuine lesson here. It’s not "use fart jokes." That’s bad advice.
The lesson is Pattern Interruption.
Everyone expected the Clydesdales to be majestic. By doing the opposite, Budweiser grabbed 100% of the audience's attention. They broke the expectation. When you break a pattern, you create a memory.
- Know your audience. Budweiser knew Super Bowl viewers were drinking and looking for a laugh.
- Protect the icons, but let them play. The horse was still a beautiful Clydesdale; it just had a human moment.
- Commit to the bit. They didn't half-ass the explosion. They went full fire-breathing-butt.
The Budweiser farting horse ad isn't sophisticated. It isn't high art. It’s exactly what it needs to be: a thirty-second distraction that makes you spit out your beer.
Sometimes, that's enough to build a billion-dollar legacy.
To really understand the impact, you have to look at the "Donkey" ad that followed. It showed a donkey who wanted to be a Clydesdale. It was heartwarming. By pairing the gross-out humor of the farting horse with the "dream big" sentiment of the donkey, Budweiser covered the entire emotional spectrum in one football game. That’s how you win the Super Bowl.
Actionable Steps for Exploring Ad History
If you want to dig deeper into why this specific era of advertising worked, you should look at the "Ad Meter" archives from 1999 to 2005.
Start by watching the 2004 Super Bowl commercial compilation on YouTube. Pay attention to how many ads used physical comedy compared to today’s "celebrity-heavy" spots. You'll notice that the humor was more about the situation than the person in the ad.
Next, compare the "Farting Horse" with the 2002 "Respect" ad. It’s a masterclass in how a brand can pivot between extreme reverence and extreme irreverence without losing its soul. It's a balance very few companies can pull off today without looking like they have a personality crisis.
Finally, check out the work of DDB Chicago from that era. They were the ones who really defined the "American Beer Humor" aesthetic. Studying their scripts will show you that even a fart joke has a specific structure: setup, subversion, and the "aftermath" shot. It’s more scientific than it looks.