Super Bowl Sunday is one of the greatest days of the year — and not just because of football.
It also serves as one of the best days for food and all-around entertainment. With well over a hundred million people watching the Super Bowl each year, companies have tried to bring their A-game for commercials throughout the last few decades.
Many of those ads have delivered moments that are remembered as much as the games themselves. Ahead of Super Bowl LIX (Sunday, 6:30 p.m. ET on FOX), here are the 10 greatest Super Bowl commercials of all time.
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10 best Super Bowl commercials of all time
10. Wendy’s: “Where’s the Beef” (1984)
Have you ever gotten a burger and noticed the size paled in comparison to the size of the buns? Well, Wendy’s made a commercial that spoke directly to you during Super Bowl XVIII.
Three elderly ladies appeared to order a burger at a fast food joint, with two being in awe over the size of the bun. Then they lifted the top bun, leading to an iconic commercial quote.
“Where’s the beef?” one of the ladies continually asked after seeing a small patty between the gigantic buns.
9. E*Trade: “Talking Babies” (2008)
E*Trade launched one of the most memorable marketing campaigns in recent years during Super Bowl XLII. It used babies to help explain some of the complexities of buying and trading stocks, with the ads instantly becoming a hit online. The campaign was so successful that E*Trade still uses talking baby commercials.
8. Volkswagen: “The Force” (2011)
Many Star Wars fans have pretended to have the Force when they were kids. Volkswagen tapped into those childhood memories during Super Bowl XLV. In its ad, a kid was dressed up as Darth Vader and tried to see if the Force within him would move any objects while the villain’s instantly recognizable theme music played.
After failing with several objects (and the family dog), the kid’s father decided to play along. While the kid was trying to channel the Force on the Volkswagen, the dad used the remote for his car to turn it on. Once the engine started, the kid jumped up in excitement, giving Darth Vader a happy ending.
7. Pepsi: “New Can (Two Kids)” (1992)
Cindy Crawford caught the eyes of many in the 1990s, but she didn’t capture the attention of a pair of boys in Pepsi’s commercial for Super Bowl XXVI. The supermodel pulled into a gas station, and the two boys perked their heads up as she got out of her sports car and walked to a vending machine. But while watching her drink a Pepsi, they were amazed … by the can.
“Is that a great new Pepsi can or what?” one of them asked.
6. Amazon: “Alexa Loses Her Voice” (2018)
One of Amazon’s biggest nightmares came to reality in its commercial for Super Bowl LII. Alexa lost her voice on all Amazon products throughout the world, causing the company to call in celebrities to become live Alexa replacements. One Alexa user was berated by Gordon Ramsay for asking for the recipe for a grilled cheese sandwich. Another got a confused Cardi B when he asked how far away Mars was. Rebel Wilson and Anthony Hopkins also appeared in the commercial, scaring a couple of Alexa users.
5. McDonald’s: “The Showdown” (1993)
Larry Bird and Michael Jordan had a few legendary matchups in the 1980s, but their biggest head-to-head duel came after the Boston Celtics great retired. In a McDonald’s ad for Super Bowl XXVII, the two basketball superstars met up at a gym to shoot hoops. As Jordan arrived with a bag of McDonald’s for lunch, Bird wanted to play him for his Big Mac. The first one to miss an attempt would have to watch the winner eat the burger.
Initially, the two traded some ordinary baskets, like a 3-pointer and a skyhook, before challenging the other to make increasingly difficult trick shots. Eventually, Bird and Jordan were trying from the rafters of the gymnasium before going outside to attempt a “nothing but net” shot from the top of a skyscraper.
4. Budweiser: “Frogs” (1995)
Budweiser has been a staple of Super Bowl commercials over the years, so it makes sense that the company would appear twice in the top five of this list. First was its commercial from Super Bowl XXIX. Using the ribbit sound that frogs make, Budweiser had two of them in a swamp croaking, “Bud” and “Weis” back and forth. Soon the frog that said “Er” joined the duo to say “Bud … Weis … Er” in the ribbit rhythm.
3. Budweiser: “Whassup?” (2000)
One of Budweiser’s other memorable Super Bowl commercials was the start of a catchphrase. As two friends spoke over the phone while drinking a Budweiser, one of the caller’s roommates barged into the room to yell, “Whassup?” Eventually, more members of the friend group continued to call each other while yelling, “Whassup!” with all of them getting a kick out of it.
2. Coca-Cola: “Hey Kid, Catch” (1980)
Coca-Cola’s top Super Bowl ad might be the best commercial ever to feature an athlete. As Steelers icon “Mean” Joe Greene walked back to the locker room in pain, a young kid drinking a Coke stopped him. The kid told an annoyed Greene that he thought he’s “the best ever.” Still annoyed, Greene initially rebuked the kid’s offer to take his bottle of Coke. He then relented and chugged down the beverage. That brightened Greene’s spirits, and as the boy started to walk away, Greene called out to him, “Hey kid, catch” and he tossed him his jersey. The kid thanked Greene while “Have a Coke and smile” appeared on the screen.
The commercial became an instant classic and has been parodied on numerous occasions over the years.
1. Apple: “1984” (1984)
Apple wanted to let the world know that 1984 wouldn’t be like George Orwell’s famous book as it promoted the upcoming release of the Macintosh computer. In Apple’s Super Bowl commercial that year, English athlete Anya Major played a heroine who saved the world from “Big Brother.” The ad, which was directed by the acclaimed Ridley Scott, won awards after its first airing and has been called the greatest commercial of all time by multiple outlets.
HONORABLE MENTION
- Nike: “Hare Jordan” (1992)
- Pepsi: “The Joy of Pepsi” (2001)
- Snickers: “You’re Not You When You’re Hungry” (2010)
- Old Spice: “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like” (2010)
- Esurance: “Sorta Pharmacy” (2015)
- Dunkin’: “Drive-Thru” (2023)
- Snickers: “Betty White for Snickers” (2010)
- FedEx: “Cast Away (2006)”
- Reebok: “Terry Tate: Office Linebacker” (2003)
- Budweiser: “Old School Delivery” (2024)
- Electronic Data Systems: “Herding Cats” (2000)
- Pepsi: “Dancing Bears” (1997)
- Google: “Parisian Love” (2010)
- Taco Bell: “Viva Young” (2013)
- Tide: “It’s a Tide Ad” (2018)
- E*Trade: “Money” (2000)
- Squarespace: “Sally’s Seashells” (2022)
- Uber Eats: “The Beckhams” (2024)
- Pepsi: “Apartment 10G” (1987)
- Pepsi: “Diner” (1995)
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