Steer
Move left and right across the boardwalk. The bike leans into every turn.
Free 3D browser game
Pelican riding a bicycle, and this time you steer
People ask AI models to draw a pelican riding a bicycle. We built one that actually pedals: a white pelican on a blue beach cruiser, rolling down a boardwalk at sunset. Catch fish in its pouch, dodge crabs and surfboards, and ring the bell before a gull steals your lunch.
The 3D engine loads only after you press play.
- Free
- No download
- Phone and desktop
- No sign-up
How to play
One ride lasts until the pelican runs out of hearts. The boardwalk gets faster the farther you go, and the sun slowly sets behind you. Chase view is the easiest to play; side, close-up, head-on and orbit views are there for the spectacle.
Catch fish
Ride through a fish and it flips straight into the pelican's pouch. The pouch visibly fills up.
Dodge
Crabs scuttle sideways and surfboards block half the boards. Each hit costs one of three hearts.
Ring the bell
A shadow on the boards means a gull is diving for your fish. Ring the bell in time to scare it off.
Controls
| Action | Keyboard | Touch screen |
|---|---|---|
| Steer left / right | ← → or A D | Drag the steering slider, or turn on tilt steering |
| Sprint | ↑ or W | Hold the sprint button |
| Brake | ↓ or S | Let go of sprint |
| Ring the bell | Space or B | Bell button |
| Switch camera | C | Camera buttons at the top |
| Pause and wardrobe | Esc or P | Pause button |
Fish, hats and scarves
Every point you catch adds to a lifetime total, and the total unlocks new hats and scarves. Progress is saved in this browser, no account needed.
What to catch
Sardine
The everyday catch. 1 point.
Mackerel
Bigger and bluer. 3 points.
Golden fish
Rare. 10 points, and the pouch pulls in nearby fish for 7 seconds.
What to avoid
Crabs
They scuttle sideways, so watch where they are heading. Minus one heart.
Surfboards
They block one side of the boardwalk. Go around. Minus one heart.
Seagulls
Ring the bell while the gull is diving for 5 bonus points. Miss it and the gull takes up to 5 fish.
Don't overheat
Sprinting heats the pelican up. Real pelicans cool off by rapidly fluttering their throat pouch, known as gular fluttering. Yours does the same, at a slower speed, when the heat bar fills.
Wardrobe
Hats
- Straw boater Starter
- Bucket hat 40 fish
- Sailor cap 120 fish
- Captain's hat 250 fish
- Top hat 500 fish
- Crown 1000 fish
Scarves
- Red knit Starter
- Navy stripes 60 fish
- Rainbow 200 fish
- Gold 400 fish
What is the pelican riding a bicycle benchmark?
Since 2024, developer Simon Willison has given new AI language models the same prompt: “Generate an SVG of a pelican riding a bicycle.” The drawings are a quick, funny way to compare models, and the phrase became a running test across the AI community.
The prompt is hard on purpose. Pelicans are the wrong shape for bicycles: short legs, a huge bill, and wings instead of hands. A model has to draw a bicycle frame that could work and a bird that looks right, then put one on the other.
This game takes the prompt literally, in 3D. The legs use two-bone inverse kinematics so the webbed feet stay on the pedals, the wings grip the handlebars, and the chain moves link by link at the real half-inch pitch.
prompt
› Generate an SVG of a pelican riding a bicycle
The pelican and the bike, by the numbers
American white pelican
- Wingspan
- 2.4 to 3 m
- Bill length
- 27 to 37 cm
- Weight
- 5 to 9 kg
- Breeding look
- A horn-like plate grows on the upper bill and a pale yellow crest appears
- Voice
- Adults are almost silent
Beach cruiser
- Tires
- 26 × 2.125 in balloon tires with whitewalls
- Drivetrain
- 44-tooth chainring, 18-tooth cog
- Hub
- 3-speed internal hub: 0.75, 1, 1.33
- Gear inches
- 47.7, 63.6, 84.7
- Chain
- 1/2 in pitch, animated link by link
Frequently asked questions
What is the Pelican Riding a bicycle benchmark?
It is an informal AI test started by Simon Willison: ask a language model to “Generate an SVG of a pelican riding a bicycle” and compare the drawings. The subject is awkward to draw, so the results show quickly how well a model handles shapes and structure.
How can I generate an SVG image of a pelican riding a bicycle?
Give an AI model the prompt “Generate an SVG of a pelican riding a bicycle”, save the code it returns as a .svg file and open it in a browser. This site takes a different route: the pelican and bike are a live 3D scene built with three.js.
Is the pelican bike game free?
Yes. There is no account, no ads and nothing to install. It runs in the browser.
Does it work on phones?
Yes. Touch screens get large steer, sprint and bell buttons, and you can also drag across the screen to steer. It works in portrait and landscape.
Can a pelican really ride a bicycle?
No. A pelican's legs are far too short to reach the pedals, which is the joke behind the benchmark. The pelican in this game has longer legs than a real one.
Where is my progress saved?
In your browser's local storage on this device. Clearing site data resets your fish total and wardrobe.
The boardwalk is open
Three hearts, one bell and a pouch with room for plenty of fish.