The Best Super Bowl Commercials of All Time

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 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. (And the advertisers know it, now dropping teasers weeks in advance of the big game to get people hyped for their spots. See all of the ads for the 2023 Super Bowl here!)

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 put 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, who is now 18 years old, 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 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 twenty-first century with an unforgettably eccentric scene made possible by a comically large budget. The 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.

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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 and splashes 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.

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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 female viewers to imagine that their own boyfriends could be more like him if only he smelled like them, 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."

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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.

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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 towards the Manhattan skyline.

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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 Nineteen Eighty-Four, 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.

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McDonald's "The Showdown" (1993)

This McDonald's ad featuring two NBA legends became an instant classic when it first aired during Super Bowl XXVII in 1993. Larry Bird offers to play Michael Jordan for the Big Mac and fries Jordan brought for lunch, and "first one to miss watches the winner eat."

With such high stakes on the line, the duo matches each other's every shot. Their talents are so well-matched that at one point, Jordan looks into the camera and tells viewers, "I think we're gonna be here a while. I suggest you go get a Big Mac."

As the shootout goes on, the players go to further extremes to get the coveted McDonald's meal — moving on from the court to the rafters to outside the stadium to the Hancock building, with the challenges getting tougher and tougher.

The ball continues to swish into the basket "nothin' but net" style, and the game is still going even after the McDonald's jingle plays. As the commercial ends, we see the two standing on the edge of Chicago's John Hancock Building as Jordan describes the next trick shot: "Off the expressway, over the river, off the billboard, through the window, off the wall, nothin' but net."

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Budweiser's "Frogs" (1995)

The world first met frogs "Bud," "Weis" and "Er" during a commercial break for 1995's Super Bowl XXIX. In the ad, the trio gathers in a swampy setting to croak out their names in succession, eventually stringing them together to make the beer company's full name. When the camera pans above the rocks and lily pads, a neon Budweiser sign appears and glows over the slimy spokesfrogs.

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Lay's "Golden Memories" (2022)

Longtime costars and friends Seth Rogen and Paul Rudd teamed up to tout Lay's potato chips in this 2022 Super Bowl spot. The tuxedo-clad twosome share a bag of the brand's classic flavor as they reminisce about some of their favorite memories, including their first road trip and "first heart-to-heart" during extreme plane turbulence. (Between hyperventilating breaths into an empty Lay's bag, Rudd admits he's never seen any of Rogen's movies.)

Their memories take a turn for the weird, as they look back on turf wars, a kidnapping by stalker and moving into Rogen's first (haunted) house — all with a bag of Lay's in tow.

Finally the friends wrap up their trip down memory lane, and we see that they were snacking before Rogen's own wedding (hence their black-tie apparel). As the Neighbors actor recesses down the aisle with his betrothed–who turns out to be the demon from his haunted first house–the guests shower them in potato chips.

Coca-Cola's "Hey Kid, Catch!" (1980)

Pittsburgh Steelers player "Mean" Joe Greene softens up a bit in the Coca-Cola commercial that aired during Super Bowl XIV in 1980. The acclaimed ad begins as Greene hobbles off the field towards the locker room, having just gotten injured during game play. He's stopped by a young kid sweetly asking if he needs any help, which Greene dismisses and keeps walking.

What does stop him in his tracks? "Want my Coke?" After some convincing, Greene takes the soda bottle with appreciation as the soundtrack croons: "A Coke and a smile makes me feel good!"

Now cheered up, Greene calls out the kid, who's leaving the tunnel: "Hey kid, catch!" The young fan receives the legendary player's jersey with a huge grin.

Squarespace's "Sally's Seashells" (2022)

In this seaside Squarespace spot, Zendaya–or "Sally" as she's called in the ad–becomes a beachy entrepreneur that takes her seashell selling business from an unfulfilled dream to a full-fledged empire.

After setting up a website for her inventory, the Euphoria star became "such a seaside sensation" and was able to integrate her shells into the worlds of fashion ("swanky seashell accessories"), wellness ("seashell serenity sessions"), food ("savory seaside snacks) and travel ("seashell excursion of the seashore").

The tongue-twister inspired commercial is full of fun and sun. Plus, Squarespace manages to fit four iconic Zendaya style moments into just 30 seconds of ad space.

Wendy's "Where's the Beef"

The mark of a truly iconic commercial is whether people use the catchphrase years later — even totally divorced from its original context. This 1984 ad, which portrayed three elderly women examining a competitor's burger critically for its too-big bun and too-paltry meat patty, ended up capturing the zeitgeist and making a star out of the actress that delivered the line, Clara Peller.