# How to Make a Hop Hop Hop Video: With a Friend, Your Pet or for Free

> The Hop Hop Hop squash-and-swap gag step by step: which take to pick, which photo goes first, how to film it free with a friend, and the AI sites compared on 1 November 2026.

One of you stands right at the phone, the other hops three times far behind and gets squashed under a flat palm. Hard cut, and it happens the other way round. That 8-second gag took over TikTok in October 2026. Here is how to make yours from one or two photos, without filming twenty takes.

## Step 1: Pick a take

There are six versions, each following a clip people already know:

- **Squished**: a dim hallway, the take that made "squished or get squashed" famous.
- **Best friends**: a bedroom full of posters, pointing and squashing.
- **Hop Hop Hop**: the emo duo in a living room.
- **Night square**: puppet strings on a lit city square.
- **With my pet**: you squash your dog or cat, then it paws you back.
- **AI heroes**: a goblin and a giant warrior, for the funniest one-photo version.

Pick one at the top of the [home page](https://hophophopaivideo.com/).

## Step 2: Decide who hops first

Photo 1 starts in front at the lens. Photo 2 hops far behind and gets squashed first. After the cut you trade places. Swap the two photos to turn it around. With only one photo, you start in front and the clip's own friend stays in the video.

## Step 3: Use photos that work

- **One person per photo**, face to the camera, good even light.
- **Waist-up or full-length**: whoever is behind is seen head to toe while hopping.
- **No sunglasses or heavy filters**: each of you gets a close-up at the lens.
- **Only people who said yes.** Never a stranger or a public figure.

## Step 4: Pick the quality

Balanced is 10 credits at 480p and 20 at 720p. Premium is 20 credits at 480p, 40 at 720p and 70 at 1080p. Without an account you can buy a single video at checkout; the price is shown before you pay. No watermark, and a failed video is refunded automatically.

## Step 5: Wait a few minutes, then post

Most videos are ready in a few minutes; we email you the link and it stays in [My videos](https://hophophopaivideo.com/videos). The MP4 already has the hop hop hop sound. Tag the friend who got squashed, and add #hophophop or #squished when you post.

## Can you do it for free?

Yes, if you film it with a friend: no AI site we checked on 1 November 2026 gives the video away. You need a phone that stands on its own and about four metres of floor.

1. **Fix the phone.** Lean it on a shelf at chest height, vertical. It must not move between the two halves.
2. **Mark two spots.** One right at the lens, one three to four metres behind. The back spot should be in the middle of the frame.
3. **First half (about 4 s).** You stand at the lens, your friend at the back spot. On the "hop hop hop", raise a flat palm so it sits just above your friend's head in the frame. Your friend hops three times, then crouches as you push the palm down.
4. **Cut.** Stop recording, swap places, record the second half the same way.
5. **Join and add the sound.** Put the two clips together in the TikTok editor and add the original sound by @venadeaakira.

It usually takes a few takes to line the palm up with your friend's head. Keep your hand close to the lens and watch the screen, not your friend.

## Hop Hop Hop AI video generators compared

Four sites turn photos into the gag. They differ in who you can cast, whether the sound is in the file and what one video costs. Everything below is from each site's own page on 1 November 2026.

| | makememe.video | hophophopai.org | maketrendai.com | Hop Hop Hop AI Video |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Who can be in it | you twice, a friend, or your pet | two people, or a person and a pet | two people | two people, or you and your pet |
| Photos | 1 or 2 | 2, or 1 photo of both | 1 or 2 | 1 or 2 |
| Takes | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 (hallway, bedroom, living room, night square, pet, AI heroes) |
| Length | 8 s | 9 s | 8 s | 8 s (AI heroes 7 s) |
| Sound | in the video | silent, add it on TikTok | in the video | in the video |
| One 480p video | $1.99 | 100 credits ($9.90 in the smallest pack) | from 10 credits or $5.99 single | from 10 credits or a single video at checkout |
| Up to | 1080p | 720p | 1080p | 1080p |
| Watermark | none | none | none | none |

### Which one to pick

- **Cheapest single video:** makememe.video at $1.99 for 480p.
- **You want to add the TikTok sound yourself:** hophophopai.org hands you a silent file on purpose.
- **More than one look:** Hop Hop Hop AI Video follows six different viral clips, from the hallway "squished" take to a goblin and a giant warrior.
- **Your dog or cat:** makememe.video, hophophopai.org or [the pet take here](https://hophophopaivideo.com/?template=pet#make).

[Make your Hop Hop Hop video →](https://hophophopaivideo.com/#make)

## FAQ

### Do I need a photo of my friend?

No. With one photo you start in front and the friend from the clip does the hopping. Add a second photo to cast your own friend.

### Can my dog or cat be in it?

Yes. Pick With my pet: photo 1 is you, photo 2 your pet, and after the cut it squashes you back with a paw.

### Is the sound in the video?

Yes, the hop hop hop sound is in the MP4, with the hops on the beat.

### How does the squash trick work?

Forced perspective: the one in front holds a flat palm close to the lens, so the friend far behind looks small enough to fit under it. When the palm moves down, the friend crouches at the same moment.

### Which sound do I use?

The original sound by @venadeaakira on TikTok, a sped-up hook from the Russian song “Её парень”. Pick it with Add sound when you post.

### Do any AI sites have a free trial for it?

None of the sites we checked on 1 November 2026 had a free Hop Hop Hop video: every one charges per video.

Make it on Hop Hop Hop AI Video: https://hophophopaivideo.com/blog/how-to-make-a-hop-hop-hop-video