Rewatch the Super Bowl commercials from years past that have attained legendary status, including ads from Budweiser, Old Spice and McDonald’s
As one of the most-watched televised events of the year, the Super Bowl has some highly visible moments of airtime in between plays. That means that advertisers outdo themselves every year in an effort to take advantage of all those eyeballs — and it also means that for many, the commercials are just as much of a must-watch moment as the game itself.
Over the years, some ad campaigns have attained legendary status, even becoming part of the cultural vocabulary. From the buzziest celebrity cameos to the heartstring-tugging commercials that made us cry, here are the ads that have stood the test of time.
Pepsi’s “The Joy of Pepsi” (2001)
Football hasn’t been the same since Britney Spears ripped off her Pepsi jumpsuit at the beginning of this iconic ad. For her debut commercial as a Pepsi spokesperson, Spears performed an original song that redefined the pop in soda pop. Backed by dancing Pepsi “employees,” the singer turned the beverage factory into a stage with her bubbly personality and showstopping choreography.
Between “The Joy of Pepsi” and her feature in the halftime performance, Britney clearly won Super Bowl XXXV.
[Editors’ note: Pepsi has had so many iconic spots, it was hard to choose just one! Other editor favorites included this Cindy Crawford roadside moment, the time Beyoncé, Britney Spears and Pink were gladiators in a stadium overseen by Emperor Enrique Iglesias, and this time-traveling Britney Spears spot.]
Volkswagen’s “The Force” (2011)
Super Bowl viewers first watched a miniature Darth Vader try to summon “The Force” in 2011, but its hold on our imaginations has been strong ever since. The adorable advertisement opens with the pint-sized Star Wars villain stalking around his home, trying (and failing) to make things happen with the force of his mind as “The Imperial March” plays in the background. When Dad pulls into the driveway in his Volkswagen Passat, the costumed kid tries his hand at commanding the car — and to his surprise, the effort works, thanks to a secret helping hand from his dad inside the house.
The boy behind the mask would end up staying in the public eye as a pediatric health advocate. Max Page was born with a congenital heart condition that has required several surgical procedures throughout his lifetime.
In 2018, Page spoke to PEOPLE about how he’s turned his own experience into a means to help other kids undergoing similar complications, and how his Super Bowl XLV ad changed his life forever.
“It was more than I could have ever imagined, especially at 7,” said Page. “I didn’t even know what a Super Bowl commercial meant, I didn’t understand the magnitude it would have. For it to become something of this caliber is just awesome.”
Budweiser’s “Whassup?” (2000)
In 1999, Budweiser asked one simple question that can still be heard today: “Whassup?” The iconic ad features five friends checking in on the phone, prompting each other with the exaggerated greeting that necessitates a floppy tongue and open mouth. Bookending the chorus of “whassup” are two friends having a simple exchange, both with one hand on the phone and another on their Budweiser beer bottles. Both friends ask each other what’s up and both answer, “Nothing. Just watching the game, having a Bud.”
The clip, which originally aired during Monday Night Football in December 1999, earned iconic status during the 2000 Super Bowl. And the ripple effect of “Whassup?” still shows in today’s pop culture. The commercial — which was based on a short film titled True — earned the Grand Prix award at the International Advertising Festival in Cannes, a Clio award and a place in the latter program’s hall of fame. It has been parodied in films like 2000’s Scary Movie and Adam Sandler’s That’s My Boy in 2012 and referenced in TV shows including The Simpsons, Friends and The Office.
E*Trade’s “Monkey” (2000)
E*Trade’s famous dancing monkey kicked off the 21st century with an unforgettably eccentric scene made possible by a comically large budget. The ad sees a monkey dancing next to two men in flannel shirts to the simple soundtrack of “La Cucaracha.” Standing on top of a bucket, the superstar primate flails about in his E*Trade branded T-shirt until the song finishes and text appears on the screen as a punchline.
“Well, we just wasted $2,000,000 … What are you doing with your money?” reads the company’s tagline.
Super Bowl Recipes that Will Score on the Big Day
Snickers’ “You’re Not You When You’re Hungry” (2010)
This Snickers ad takes their tagline, “You’re not you when you’re hungry,” to a new level. You’re more than just “not yourself.” You’re Betty White.
The clip sees a group of guys and the late Golden Girls star playing a game of football. When one player throws the ball to White, she’s brutally tackled by an opponent into a puddle of mud. Approaching the huddle, the other guys on her team critique her “sloppy” performance; one of them even complains, “You’re playing like Betty White out there,” to which the actress replies, bitingly, “That’s not what your girlfriend says!”
At that point, a woman jogs onto the field to encourage White to “eat a Snickers.” It takes only one bite for White to transform back into Mike, ready to get back into the game.
Old Spice’s “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like” (2010)
In 2010, Old Spice urged viewers to stop settling for men who smell like ordinary soap. The heartthrob spokesperson, Isaiah Mustafa, encourages viewers to imagine that their own boyfriends could be more like him if only they smelled like him, taking viewers on a romantic journey “with the man your man could smell like,” including tickets to “that thing you love,” a handful of diamonds and a beachside horseback ride. Seems unlikely? “Anything is possible when your man smells like Old Spice.”
E*Trade Baby (2008–Present)
In 2008, E*Trade introduced an unlikely spokesperson for a financial services corporation: a baby. But in the many advertisements that followed his on-air debut during Super Bowl XLII, the E*Trade baby, voiced by comedian Pete Holmes, proved he could handle his money and investments thanks to the company’s help. In this 2013 commercial shared by the Wall Street Journal, the econ genius infant describes how E*Trade can help manage your 401(k) (because who wouldn’t trust a baby with that?).
In 2022, the famed tot returned to Super Bowl screens in a commercial called “Off the Grid,” which sees E*Trade executives trying to convince the baby to come out of his peaceful retirement in the woods.
Budweiser’s “Respect” (2002)
Clydesdale horses first appeared in Budweiser Super Bowl ads in 1986, and since then, the graceful animals have been making football lovers smile, laugh and cry through game breaks. One of the most moving and memorable Budweiser commercials played nationwide in 2002, and then it never aired again.
The clip, titled “Respect,” was a tribute to the victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks just months prior. The emotional advertisement shows the horse trotting from the countryside to the city. The pack of Clydesdales pull the iconic red Budweiser carriage across the Brooklyn Bridge and then are seen collectively bowing their heads toward the Manhattan skyline.
Apple’s “1984” (1984)
The world met the Apple Macintosh computer during the third quarter of Super Bowl XVIII, when the Los Angeles Raiders were on their way to defeating the Washington Redskins (now called the Washington Commanders) in 1984.
The one-minute ad opens on the dystopian vision of technology and the future from George Orwell’s 1949 novel 1984, showing gray-suited drones walking through a tunnel as an unseen voice lauds the “glorious anniversary of the Information Purification Directives.” As the mindless figures stare at a projection of the person speaking, a woman wearing bright athletic shorts and a tank emblazoned with an illustration of the Macintosh hurls a sledgehammer into the screen, resulting in a blinding flash that washes over the crowd and presumably undoes the brainwashing.
The legendary commercial — which earned several accolades, including a Clio award — finishes with a narrated message of hope for the trailblazing tech: “On January 24th, Apple Computer will introduce Macintosh. And you’ll see why 1984 won’t be like 1984,” says a new voice.
