Editing Rube Goldberg (section)

==Cultural legacy==
The popularity of Goldberg's cartoons was such that the term "Goldbergian" was in use in print by 1915,<ref>{{cite book|title=Oxford English Dictionary Online|publisher=Oxford University Press|quote=1915 ''Vanity Fair'' The Goldbergian answer would be ‘No, I paint my nose and eyes red every day to frighten the gypsy-moths away.'}}</ref> and "Rube Goldberg" by 1928.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Atkinson|first1=J. Brooks|title=THE PLAY; "Rain or Shine," Joe Cook|newspaper=The New York Times|date=10 February 1928|page=26|quote=He then introduces the Fuller Construction Orchestra, which is one of those Rube Goldberg crazy mechanical elaborations for passing a modest musical impulse from a buzz.}}</ref> "Rube Goldberg" appeared in the ''[[Random House Dictionary of the English Language]]'' in 1966 meaning "having a fantastically complicated improvised appearance", or "deviously complex and impractical."<ref name="marzio"/>{{rp|118}} The 1915 usage of "Goldbergian" was in reference to Goldberg's early comic strip ''Foolish Questions'', which he drew from 1909 to 1934, while later use of the terms "Goldbergian", "Rube Goldberg" and "Rube Goldberg machine" refer to the crazy inventions for which he is now best known from his strip ''The Inventions of Professor Lucifer Gorgonzola Butts'', drawn from 1914 to 1964.<ref name="marzio"/>{{rp|305}}

The corresponding term in the UK was, and still is, "[[W. Heath Robinson|Heath Robinson]]", after the English illustrator with an equal devotion to odd machinery, also portraying sequential or [[chain reaction]] elements. The Danish equivalent was the painter, author and cartoonist [[Robert Storm Petersen]], better known under his pen name Storm P. To this day, an overly complicated and/or useless object is known as a ''Storm P.-machine'' in Denmark.
[[Image:Rube Goldberg's "Self-Operating Napkin" (cropped).gif|right|thumb|428px|''Professor Butts and the Self-Operating Napkin'' (1931)]]
Goldberg's work was commemorated posthumously in 1995 with the inclusion of ''Rube Goldberg's Inventions'', depicting his 1931 "Self-Operating Napkin" in the [[Comic Strip Classics]] series of U.S. [[postage stamp]]s.<ref>{{cite news| title = American Topics: 20 Classic Comic Strips Get (Postage) Stamp of Approval| url = https://www.nytimes.com/1995/05/08/news/08iht-amtopics_14.html| work = The New York Times
|date = May 8, 1995| access-date = August 5, 2009}}</ref>

The [[Rube Goldberg Machine Contest]] originated in 1949 as a competition at [[Purdue University]] between two fraternities. It ran until 1956, and was revived in 1983 as a university-wide competition. In 1989 it became a national competition, with a high school division added in 1996. Devices must complete a simple task in a minimum of twenty steps and a maximum of seventy-five in the style of Goldberg. The contest is hosted nationwide by Rube Goldberg Inc., a not-for-profit 501(c)(3), founded by Rube's son [[George W. George]], and currently managed by Rube's granddaughter, Jennifer George.<ref name=oconner>{{cite journal |last=O'Connor |first=Brendan |date=2015-04-22 |journal=The Verge |title=A Simple Task: Inside the whimsical but surprisingly dark world of Rube Goldberg machines |url=https://www.theverge.com/2015/4/22/8381963/rube-goldberg-machine-contest-history-ideas |access-date=2015-04-23}}</ref>

In 1998, Justice Scalia remarked in a dissent in a habeas case that "Rube Goldberg would envy the scheme the Court has created."<ref>''Bousley v. United States'', 523 U.S. 614, 635 (1998).</ref>

===Film and television===
[[File:Goldberg Cartoons.jpg|thumb|Advertisement (1916)]]
[[File:Goldberg 1916.jpg|thumb|Advertisement (1916)]]
Rube Goldberg wrote the first feature film for the pre-[[Curly Howard]] version of [[The Three Stooges]] called ''[[Soup to Nuts]]'', which was released in 1930 and starred [[Ted Healy]]. The film featured his machines and included cameos of Rube himself.

In the 1962 [[John Wayne]] movie ''[[Hatari!]]'', an invention to catch monkeys by character Pockets, played by [[Red Buttons]], is described as a "Rube Goldberg."

In the late 1960s and early '70s, educational shows like ''[[Sesame Street]]'', ''[[Vision On]]'' and ''[[The Electric Company]]'' routinely showed bits that involved Rube Goldberg devices, including the ''Rube Goldberg Alphabet Contraption'', and the ''What Happens Next Machine''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cog2a3YeDMM | archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211118/cog2a3YeDMM| archive-date=2021-11-18 | url-status=live|title=Sesame Street: What Happens Next Machine|publisher=YouTube |date=August 6, 2010 |access-date=December 8, 2013}}{{cbignore}}<!-- official, not copyvio--></ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B17OvPYM040 | archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211118/B17OvPYM040| archive-date=2021-11-18 | url-status=live|title=Rube Goldberg alphabet contraption, Sesame Street | date=October 10, 2006|publisher=YouTube |access-date=December 8, 2013}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

Various other films and cartoons have included highly complicated machines that perform simple tasks. Among these are ''[[Flåklypa Grand Prix]]'', ''[[Looney Tunes]]'', ''[[Tom and Jerry]]'',<ref>["Designs on Jerry" September 2, 1955]</ref> ''[[Wallace and Gromit]]'', ''[[Pee-wee's Big Adventure]]'', ''[[The Way Things Go]]'', ''[[Edward Scissorhands]]'', ''[[Back to the Future]]'', ''[[Honey, I Shrunk the Kids]]'', ''[[The Goonies]]'', ''[[Gremlins]]'', the [[Saw (franchise)|''Saw'' film series]], ''[[Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (film)|Chitty Chitty Bang Bang]]'', ''[[The Cat from Outer Space]]'', ''[[Malcolm (film)|Malcolm]]'', ''[[Hotel for Dogs (film)|Hotel for Dogs]]'', the [[Home Alone (franchise)|''Home Alone'' film series]], ''[[Family Guy]]'', ''[[American Dad!]]'', ''[[Casper (film)|Casper]]'', and ''[[Waiting... (film)|Waiting...]]''

In the ''[[Final Destination]]'' film series the characters often die in Rube Goldberg-esque ways. In the film ''[[The Great Mouse Detective]]'', the villain Ratigan attempts to kill the film's heroes, Basil of Baker Street and David Q. Dawson, with a Rube Goldberg style device.
The classic video in this genre was done by the artist duo [[Peter Fischli & David Weiss]] in 1987 with their 30-minute video ''Der Lauf der Dinge'' or ''The Way Things Go.''

Honda produced a video in 2003 called "[[Cog (advertisement)|The Cog]]" using many of the same principles that Fischli and Weiss had done in 1987.

In 2005, the American alternative rock/indie band [[The Bravery]] released a video for their debut single, "An Honest Mistake," which features the band performing the song in the middle of a Rube Goldberg machine.

In 1999, an episode of ''[[The X-Files]]'' was titled "[[The Goldberg Variation (The X-Files)#ep6|The Goldberg Variation]]". The episode intertwined characters FBI agents Mulder and Scully, a simple apartment super, Henry Weems ([[Willie Garson]]) and an ailing young boy, Ritchie Lupone ([[Shia LaBeouf]]) in a real-life Goldberg device.

The iCarly (2007) episode iDon’t Want to Fight, Spencer built a Rube Goldberg Machine to feed his fish.

The Suite Life on Deck episode A London Carol, Cody built a Rube Goldberg Machine to help Zack wake up at six a.m.

The 2010 music video "This Too Shall Pass – RGM Version" by the rock band [[OK Go]] features a machine that, after four minutes of kinetic activity, shoots the band members in the face with paint. "RGM" presumably stands for Rube Goldberg Machine.<ref name="yt">{{cite web
  | title = OK Go – This Too Shall Pass – Rube Goldberg Machine version
  | publisher = [[YouTube]]
  | date = March 1, 2010
  | url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qybUFnY7Y8w
  | access-date = March 2, 2010}}<!-- official --></ref>

2012 The CBS show ''[[Elementary (TV series)|Elementary]]'' features a machine in its opening sequence.

The 2012 Discovery Channel show ''[[Unchained Reaction]]'' pitted two teams against each other to create an elaborate Rube Goldberg machine. It was judged and executive-produced by [[Adam Savage]] and [[Jamie Hyneman]], known for hosting the science entertainment series ''[[MythBusters]]''.

The 2014 web series ''Deadbeat'' on Hulu features an episode titled "The Ghost in the Machine," which features the protagonist Kevin helping the ghost of Rube Goldberg complete a contraption. It will bring his grandchildren together after they make a collection of random items into a machine that ends up systematically injuring two of his grandchildren so they end up in the same hospital and finally meet.

===Games===
Both board games and video games have been inspired by Goldberg's creations, such as the '60s board game ''[[Mouse Trap (board game)|Mouse Trap]]'',<ref>{{cite magazine | last=Kiniry | first=Laura | date=November 13, 2013 | title=7 Unbelievable Rube Goldberg Machines We Love | magazine=[[Popular Mechanics]] | url=https://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/g1348/7-unbelievable-rube-goldberg-machines-we-love/?slide=1 | access-date=April 10, 2018}}</ref> the 1990s series of ''[[The Incredible Machine (game)|The Incredible Machine]]'' games,<ref>{{cite magazine | last=Moore | first=Bo | date=May 13, 2013 | title=The Incredible Machine is Back, Spiritually | magazine=[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]] | url=https://www.wired.com/2013/05/contraption-maker/ | access-date=April 10, 2018}}</ref> and ''[[Crazy Machines]]''.<ref>{{cite web | last=Colayco | first=Bob | date=January 20, 2006 | title=Crazy Machines: The Wacky Contraptions Game Review | work=[[GameSpot]] | url=https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/crazy-machines-the-wacky-contraptions-game-review/1900-6142774/ | access-date=April 10, 2018}}</ref> The [[Humongous Entertainment]] game ''[[Freddi Fish 2: The Case of the Haunted Schoolhouse]]'' involves searching for the missing pieces to a Rube Goldberg machine to complete the game.

In 1909 Goldberg invented the "Foolish Questions" game based on his successful cartoon by the same name. The game was published in many versions from 1909 to 1934.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Wolfe|first1=Maynard Frank|title=Rube Goldberg Inventions|date=2000|publisher=Simon & Schuster|isbn=978-0-684-86724-3|page=25}}</ref>

''Rube Works: The Official Rube Goldberg Invention Game'', the first game authorized by The Heirs of Rube Goldberg, was published by Unity Games (the publishing arm of [[Unity Technologies]]) in November 2013.<ref>{{cite web|title=Rube-Goldberg Puzzler "Rube Works" Now Available for iPad and iPhone|url=http://www.gamasutra.com/view/pressreleases/204689/RubeGoldberg_Puzzler_ldquoRube_Works_Now_Available_foriPad_and_iPhone.php|archive-url=https://archive.today/20131227225801/http://www.gamasutra.com/view/pressreleases/204689/RubeGoldberg_Puzzler_ldquoRube_Works_Now_Available_foriPad_and_iPhone.php|url-status=dead|archive-date=December 27, 2013|work=[[Gamasutra]]|date= November 13, 2013|access-date=December 27, 2013}}</ref>