If you’re old enough to remember the days before much of television was provided by ad-free streaming services or your DVR/Tivo could zip right through them, you’re old enough to remember commercials.

With commercial-free programming becoming the standard for television audiences, many people see those advertisements as nothing more than a nuisance to skip. But others still enjoy watching them – the funny ones especially. Maybe you couldn’t care less about football or movies, but you still watch the Super Bowl and the slowly dying Academy Awards because those live events often feature cutting-edge, highly-anticipated promotions that can set the tone for the rest of the year in advertising.

It’s like fashion week for commercials

Aside from showing off their products, many brands try to stand out so even if you don’t remember what they’re selling, you remember the commercial. In an effort to be memorable, some commercials push the boundaries of what’s acceptable, in terms of broadcast standards, current events, and public taste. Here are 10 commercials you won’t see on television anymore:

10 The Flintstones Light One Up

Cigarette ads weren’t always controversial and were a common fixture in the early days of television. Of course, this was before they were banned from TV and radio airwaves in 1970. There have also been cigarette spokespeople and mascots aimed at kids, most notably Joe Camel. But actual cartoon characters hacking it for cigarettes?

That happened back in the 1960s when The Flintstones would shill for Winston Tobacco, which sponsored the prime-time animated show. Now, who thought that a children’s caveman cartoon would be a great cigarette gimmick? Imagine Bart Simpson extolling the virtues of Marlboro instead of Butterfinger back in the 1990s. Yabba Dabba don’t.

9 Gillette Sells a Corporate Conscience

In 2019, the razor company Gillette made a commercial that waded into the #MeToo movement, imploring men to be “The Best That Man Can Be.” People often say they want to see companies with influence take a stand on important social problems. Silence on an issue can be interpreted as acceptance or tacit endorsement. But if a brand is going to take a stand on an issue, it has to thread the needle or it’ll backfire.

With an almost two-minute-long commercial, Gillette struggled to find a clear message. In the end, the ad didn’t really please anyone on either side of the debate (and down-right angered huge swathes of their client-base).

They fielded hecklers from #MeToo proponents, questioning the company’s commitment to the cause. And then there were questions as to why the company was taking a stand at all. If a business is going to stake a position on a controversial issue, it can’t just be to boost sales.

8 Pepsi Leaves Bad Aftertaste

A soft drink commercial starring a member of America’s royal familydoesn’t sound all that controversial. But it’s another case of corporate interests appearing tone-deaf while wading into political waters.

The 2017 ad, starring Kendall Jenner, features several images of people marching against injustice. She models for photographers while a banner-filled protest walks past her. Thirty seconds in and there are already so many things to shake your head at — and we’re not even talking about the ad’s random cellist or the spliced scenes of a frustrated scrapbooker. (Yeah, we’re confused too).

Ultimately, the crowd stands opposite police officers in the street. Ever the reality TV hero, Jenner walks through the crowd, grabs a can of Pepsi, and hands it to one of the officers. The cop takes a sip, and the crowd erupts in joy. It took only one day for Pepsi to pull the ad after it was accused of trivializing the growing Black Lives Matter movement that protested police brutality.

This looks even worse almost four years later after seeing cops showing signs of solidarity with protesters in the summer of 2020, taking part in the Jan. 6 riot in Washington.

7 Wait For the Beep

With all the hoopla surrounding Super Bowl commercials, the NFL and the network broadcasting the game usually have plenty of commercials to choose from. Many ads do push the envelope, but others are nixed before they make it to your tv.

This commercial, which was made for Super Bowl XXXIII in 1999, starts out harmless enough with the beginning of a blind date. As a man walks a woman to his car, she gets in before him. Thinking she’s alone, she rips a loud one. The clueless guy gets in the car and introduces his date to an unseen couple in the backseat, making it the worst blind date ever.

It was too crude for the NFL and Fox at the time. Looking at it now, the craziest thing about the commercial is that it promotes a cheap beeper service. What does trusting a fart have to do with beepers? Maybe they’re both a bad idea. We have to wonder if a “memorable” ad like this could have saved the beeper market or if, like that date, it was just too far gone.

6 Who Would Jesus Hate?

Some ads really do deserve to be censored. This was another case of a small company taking a shot with a commercial during the big game, this time in 2011. The ad for JesusHatesObama.com (yes, that was the name) features a Jesus bobblehead glaring at a Barack Obama bobblehead, until Obama falls into a fishbowl, making Jesus smile.

While this ad may have been popular with some viewers, executives and the regular Fox Network knew the mass audience for Super Bowl XLV wouldn’t be so forgiving.

5 Sex Doesn’t Always Sell

You’ve probably never heard of National Airlines. The company was once one of America’s top airlines but was acquired in 1980 by Pan-Am, which has also gone the way of the dodo. The most memorable aspect of National Airlines was their ads in the 1970s, both on the airwaves and in print. It featured young, attractive women suggesting something that starts with the letter F in a not-so-subtle tone.

“I’m Judy. Fly me.” The burgeoning women’s liberation movement wasn’t too keen on the airline so overtly pushing the envelope. And it wouldn’t fare much better today with the #Metoo movement either.

4 Tibet isn’t Free, But You’ll Save Money

It’s safe to say that Groupon biffed it on all fronts in their Super Bowl commercial from 2011. Most Super Bowl commercials aim for a laugh, but others try to pull at the heartstrings. Both ways have produced memorable and well-received ads, but sticking to one tone is key, especially when important issues are involved. 30 Seconds of air time just isn’t long enough to jump from drama to comedy.

Actor Timothy Hutton opens the ad with a somber intro, reminding us that the way of life for Tibetan people is in critical danger. And he wasn’t wrong since well over 250,000 of them have died in prison camps since the 1950s.

But the tone quickly changes, encouraging people to save money on fish curry in a Tibetan restaurant located in Chicago. Co-opting the plight of the Tibetan people for a “humorous” attempt to promote cheaper dining and activities didn’t sit well with anyone. 

3 Beware the Bandito 

It wasn’t all that long ago that racial stereotypes were woven into the media landscape. Commercials were no different, using over-the-top caricatures as part of their campaigns. The Frito Bandito was an animated character in the 1960s and 1970s. It was a walking, talking Mexican stereotype that promoted corn chips.

If it reminds you of Speedy Gonzalez, that’s because the Frito Bandito was voiced by Mel Blanc, who voiced Speedy Gonzalez for Looney Tunes. Seen in a woke light, this chip-loving bandit looked more like something from a Three Amigos spin-off than a time-tested brand.  

2 Big Mac Gets Big Cut

A commercial doesn’t have to cross boundaries or cause offense to get yanked off the airwaves. McDonald’s ran a campaign in the mid-1980s around the character Mac Tonight, a piano player dressed in black with a crescent moon face and sunglasses.

They were trying to make the fast-food chain hipper (think Poochie from The Simpsons). It seems harmless enough, right? Not to the estate of singer Bobby Darin, which accused McDonald’s of ripping off the song “Mac The Knife.” As an added bonus, the character inspired an parody called Moon Man years later that would anger even the mildest cancel-culturist.

1 The Pizza Did It

One of the biggest tropes of classic film noir is a scene where some no-nonsense fella encounters a dizzy dame in the midst of having a break-down. Like it or not, the image of this trench-coat-clad detective slapping the woman until she “gets a hold of herself” is engrained in our brains. Images like that helped normalize violence against women for a long time. It was even used to sell pizza in this ad for Jeno’s Frozen Pizza.

The man kicks down the door and the woman screams until she realizes he’s here for dinner. While the man explains why the frozen pizza will be easy to make, he hits her arm with the box. Twice — just to make sure he got his point across. This was definitely not the beginning of a beautiful friendship. 

Bad advertising are annoying, repetitive, try too hard to be funny, don’t try hard enough to be interesting, and get in the way of whatever movie you’re watching. But some bad ads go well below and beyond even that dismal expectations most people have for commercials, and get pulled from websites and airwaves. These ads are so offensive that they make you wonder how they got made in the first place. 

10. Kylie Jenner Pepsi Ad

To all ad creatives, ad executives, CMOs, and in-house marketing teams: we understand you believe in your product and want to share the good news with the world. But let’s be realistic here – new deodorant isn’t going to have women chasing after dorks like a pack of wolves, and a can of soda isn’t going to patch over centuries or historical pain and racial violence. At least the deodorant ads are in on the joke. We can’t say the same for Pepsi. 

In 2017, the soda company released an ad in which self made but not actually self made billionaire Kylie Jenner, of Kardashian-Jenner fame, instantly solved racial tensions by inviting both riot police and Black Lives Matter protesters to share a can of Pepsi. This led to peace and understanding in the world of the spot and the exact opposite of that in the actual world. Many felt the ad insultingly trivialized serious social justice movements and protests, particularly those advocating against police violence. In response to the criticism, Pepsi apologized and removed the advertisement, admitting that they missed the mark. Yeah, you think? 

9. McDonald’s Filet-O-Fish Ad

Pop quiz. An ad begins with a grieving boy asking his mom for stories about his dead father – specifically things they had in common – as a way of holding onto something, anything, that can serve as a connection to the most important man he’ll never meet. Powerful stuff. What’s it an ad for? Life insurance? Grief therapy? Some kind of charity? 

Nope! It’s a real ad for a Filet-O-Fish at McDonald’s. We’re not kidding. Learning that he shared the same dollar menu preferences as his dead dad was apparently enough to warm the kid’s heart even though his father won’t be around to see him grow up. If only it were that easy. Unsurprisingly, McDonalds UK yanked the spot after much public outrage, and admitted they had dropped the ball by using such a serious topic to sell fish sandwiches.

It’s one of those moments that makes you think, “how did nobody involved in this recognize how bad it was until it was too late?”

8. Hyundai’s Pipe-Job Ad

Selling cars with 100% hydro emissions is arguably a net positive for the environment and therefore humanity. Selling cars with 100% hydro emissions by making a crass suicide joke is most certainly not good for anyone. But that’s what Hyundai did in 2013, with a commercial in which a man tries to pump car exhaust into his parked vehicle with him inside only to wake up alive and well hydrated. 

Think of all the better ways they could’ve done this ad. Think of the comedy of errors that led to multiple people greenlighting this idea. Think of the outrage of people who’ve lost loved ones to suicide. Think of the embarrassment of all the higher ups when they had to pull the ad, apologizing for its outrageous and irresponsible story. Lastly, think of how unbelievable it is that Hyundai tried to wash their hands clean of the spot and dump all the blame on the ad agency that made it. Sure, there’s blame to go around. But commercials don’t get produced unless the client signs off on it, so nice try. 

7. Miracle Mattress 9/11 Ad

Think up some mattress commercial ideas. A couple waking up next to each other, smiling? Testimonials from folks who no longer have back pain? Comparisons with other competitors, highlighting the benefits of your product? Talking about unmissable upcoming deals? Nothing too revolutionary so far, but also nothing nearly as bad or offensive as a 2016 commercial from Texas based mattress retailer Miracle Mattress, which features someone diving into two upright mattresses in a way deliberately designed to evoke images of the September 11 terrorist attacks. It was all to promote the “Twin Towers Sale” and at the end, featured a cast member joking to the camera that “we’ll never forget.” 

Come. On. This is the kind of idea junior ad agency creatives would throw around as a joke during brain storming sessions before, you know, not actually pitching it to their creative director because they would get fired. And yet it actually got made, caused predictable outrage after going viral, and forced Miracle Mattress to pull the spot and issue an apology.  We hope they’re making more responsible ads now – is what we would’ve said if the controversy hadn’t forced them to close their doors. 

6. Dove’s Real Beauty Ad

Dove gained a lot of capital and good will with their long-running “Real Beauty” ad campaign, which promoted realistic beauty standards, told women to be proud of themselves, and celebrated women of all sizes, races, ages, and degrees of health. It’s a wholesome, inspiring message – that was all but undone in 3 seconds with a social media spot in which a Black woman transforms into a white one as a way of promoting cleansers and body wash. 

Oof. Unlike other hideously offensive ads, this one doesn’t appear to have been made in bad faith. But it’s all too easy to interpret it as saying that “our products can wash your ugly Black skin away until you’re nice and white.” It’s a great time to remind everyone that details and presentation matter, even when you had no nefarious intentions. Unsurprisingly, Dove was forced to retract the ad and issue an apology. 

5. WWF’s 9/11 Ad

What is it about commercials trivializing the September 11 terrorist attacks to promote products or services? It’s a great way to get attention, but never listen to people who tell you that “there’s no such thing as bad publicity.” Unless you’re some kind of extremist troll who loves hurting and provoking people, there absolutely is such a thing as bad publicity. 

That’s what the World Wildlife Fund learned the hard way when they tried to drum up donations for the terrible 2004 tsunami that killed hundreds of thousands of people in Southeast Asia, by comparing its death toll to the admittedly much less deadly 9/11 attacks. But… why, though? Just because people were grief stricken and traumatized by the twin towers going down on national TV doesn’t mean they didn’t care about the tsunami victims, so choosing to guilt them over it or to even accidentally imply that you’re only allowed to care about the deadlier disaster is a strange and unwelcome strategy. Both the WWF and responsible ad agency DDB Brasil intended to submit the spot to award shows before public outrage had both scrambling to downplay their involvement. 

4. Sprite’s “Brutally Refreshing” Ad

Promoting Sprite as being “brutally refreshing” is a pretty funny concept. The campaign started off on a good note, with “brutally refreshing truths” like “We all have one tight friend,” “one dip is never enough,” and “If you have to give your taxi driver directions, you’re better off walking.” But the campaign hit a penny on the rails and led to huge amounts of online criticism when it took over website JOE.ie and included the “brutally refreshing” line “she’s seen more ceilings than Michelangelo.” 

Putting aside the poor logic here (isn’t Michelangelo famous for his association with one specific ceiling instead of many ceilings?) this is just an inexcusably sexist line that seemed to come entirely out of left field. It’s not even “brutally refreshing.” It’s just regular old brutal, which is probably not a word Coke-Sprite wants anyone to associate with any of their products. After causing an uproar on Twitter, the offending ad was removed and apologies were fired out. Along with, we presume, several employees. 

3. Dacia’s “Most Offensive Car Commercial Ever”

Not all offensive statements have malicious motivations behind them. Sometimes good people say dumb things and are immediately remorseful in a “I am so sorry, that just slipped out!” kind of way. Or, sometimes they really did mean to say it but didn’t understand it was offensive until it was interpreted in a way that didn’t at all like up with their intentions. Or, you know, sometimes they really meant it and wanted it to anger everyone. 

Such is the case with a Dacia ad that’s been described by some as “the most offensive car commercial ever.” Featuring toilet humor, sex jokes, and offensive stereotypes galore at the expense of the Roma people (of all the targets, we had to punch down at one of the most historically oppressed minorities ever?), the ad went viral and prompted huge amounts of discussion and outrage. 

2. XLS Diet Pills Ad

We’re not saying diet pills and appetite suppressants are inherently bad. They have real medical value if their use is properly prescribed and overseen by medical professionals. But they’re definitely a tricky thing to market, because so many people want them for unhealthy reasons. 

It goes without saying that ad creatives should drive around the “I want to be skinny and hot” approach like the plague and instead stick to approved talking points. There is, after all, a good reason that pharmaceutical advertising is so samey and boring. There just isn’t that much you’re actually allowed to say. 

But apparently XLS Medical didn’t get the memo, after releasing an ad in which two young and visibly not overweight women said they wanted to use the pills to squeeze into holiday clothes. Yikes. The resulting outrage from the public and health groups alike was more predictable than the sunrise. There are too many ways this irresponsible ad falls creatively and ethically short to list. 

1. 888 Online Betting Ad

Gambling is controversial for a lot of reasons. So advertising gambling services like betting website 888.com is a minefield. There’s just such a fine line between promoting fun and the possibility of winning big, and accidentally pushing reckless and  irresponsible financial behavior.

But it’s not that hard to avoid some of the more obvious potential problems that nobody should even need to articulate. You know,  like an ad in which a depressed man turns to online gambling as a way to cover his dying wife’s medical bills. But that’s exactly what 888.com did in 2017 – leading to an uproar, a record fine from the Gambling Commission for irresponsible advertising, and being forced to pull the spot after the Advertising Standards Authority banned it for being “socially irresponsible” and “targeting vulnerable people.” Yikes. 

The world of advertising is wildly competitive for your attention. Most people despise ads and prefer to skip or mute them if they can (thank goodness for ad-free streaming TV!).

The first thing a commercial has to do is grab your attention, and advertisers will do nearly anything to do so. Sometimes these stunts go a little too far, and the commercials only air for a short time in the public eye before they are removed for one reason or another. But hey, by the time they’re banned, they’ve already snagged enough attention to see a rise in sales, so making the most effective ad you can is always worth it.

Here are just ten (or more?) examples of hilarious ads that went out in a blaze of glory.

[WARNING: Some of these commercials were banned for a good reason, as they are NSFW!]

10 Darts Athlete

Give this poor guy a break! Of course, darts is a real sport with real teams and sponsors… it’s just too bad this “athlete” with the weird warmup ritual is no good at it.

I imagine this one was banned for slandering the grand sport of dart throwing. Either that or depicting violence on an innocent bystander—that dart to the chest can’t have felt good, and it was probably too shocking for TV.

By the way, I have never heard of Zoosk before. In a world before smartphone apps, they must have gone under pretty quickly.

9 Poor Dog

This is one of those ads where it’s impossible to guess the product they’re selling until the very end. Dog treats? Flea treatment? Therapy for dogs? Even when the car stopped, I assumed it was selling its automatic braking safety system, but I should have known better—this ad is way older than any modern car braking system these days.

This ad was probably banned for its dark depiction of attempted suicide. We don’t want to give people going through similar tragedies any ideas. And we get enough dead dogs from sad movies; we don’t need that in our commercials too!

8 Cheating Death

I don’t know how much sense it makes to sell a car with only one door on the driver’s side, but this ad makes a compelling case. On the other hand, it also makes it much easier to trap people inside the car in the event of other much more dangerous situations, like, I don’t know… any car accident. Maybe it would be easier just to teach people to watch where they’re going.

Like the commercial with the dart thrower, this ad was probably banned for its violent, pedestrian-smashing content, even if one of them was a CGI Grim Reaper (who apparently likes to stalk Uber rides?)

7 Best Method for Shortening Labor

After this ad began to air, I wonder how many times Scotland’s OBGYNs heard jokes about trying to lure the baby out with IRN-BRU.

“I’m afraid there have been some complications with the delivery; we may have to consider a cesarean section.”

“Aye, I’m sure it’s fine, doc—maybe we should try a bit o’ that IRN-BRU like in the commercial, eh? Hehe”

“Sir, this is very serious.”

It probably got old pretty fast. Also, there’s a joke somewhere about Macbeth versus Macduff, but I lost the thread.

Anyway, this ad was either banned for cutting it very close with baby-birthing nudity or stopping giving ideas to new parents—do NOT give your newborn (or fetus, for that matter) a can of IRN-BRU!

6 Pepsi or Coke?

Coca-Cola vs. Pepsi is a classic rivalry, and this ad really heightened the tension. But is Pepsi so much better than Coke that you’d pay for three cans of soda and leave two behind? That was an outlandish stretch, but Pepsi’s marketing team was bold enough to reach for it. Ultimately, it doesn’t matter, as both colas taste like expired battery acid, in my opinion.

The reasons behind this commercial’s ban are troublesome. Some vocal critics pointed out that the ad is an unfavorable depiction of poverty in some less fortunate countries, and the boy’s questionable spending habits only reinforce it.

5 In the Can

You can always rely on beer commercials to be crass. In this case, it was too crass for most television audiences. But if I were a kid and I saw this ad, I probably wouldn’t get it. I would have immediately thought of the intended meaning: the metal can that most drinks come in. Duh! Also, beer is gross. Especially lime-flavored beer. Yech!

That’s why I prefer the much funnier, way smarter, and not banned K-Mart ad, where they talk about how they shipped their pants. I would have laughed my “can” off at this ad as a child, did laugh as a teen, and still do today.

4 Doritos Are Sexy, I Guess?

When you hear “banned commercial,” the first one in this video is likely the one that most think of. It seemed to be everywhere on TV while it aired. This ad and thousands of others use a classic advertising technique called “sex appeal”—throw attractive women (sometimes men) on the screen to draw attention, then convey the idea that using/consuming this product makes you the most attractive being on the planet—which apparently includes having gross Doritos dust all over your fingers, face, and clothes. Sex appeal doesn’t make any sense, but it’s proven so effective that it doesn’t have to!

As for why this particular ad that used sex appeal was banned, we can probably blame the Dorito crumbs poured all over the man’s crotch and the implications of such. Good grief, she licked a complete stranger’s face the first time they met, and he wanted to skip to… well, you know. It was a bit extreme. At least take her to dinner first!

3 The Presidential Voodoo Doll

This ad uses some simple comedy to hook its audience. Getting former President Clinton to spin around and raise his arms into the air isn’t the highest form of art, but it grabbed your attention long enough to sell insurance. Although, I’m not sure how much of their audience needed this specific kind of insurance. How many people own museums with priceless artifacts? Whoever they are, I’m sure they know better than to leave stuff like that out in the open rather than protect them behind a glass case.

This ad was probably banned for its less-than-favorable depiction of old tribal artifacts and what they’re used for, as well as implied violence against the president of the United States. Say what you want about Clinton, but no one deserves a metal spike up their… saxophone.

2 Learn English (NSFW: Bad Language!)

What a happy family, bobbing their heads to the beat of one of those popular American pop songs! There’s no way such an upbeat tempo and rhythm could accompany such awful lyrics, right? I especially like the two kids in the back, innocently smiling at each other as they listen to the song.

The clear language gap is the crux of this ad’s effect, as well as why it was banned. It must have left non-English speakers scratching their heads—what did a family getting into a car have to do with learning a new language? (And what was that fun song?)

As for English speakers, well… it’s shocking content, to say the least. These lyrics would push a movie into an R rating, let alone get a commercial kicked off public broadcasting.

1 Zazoo One for Two

Talk about effective! This ad uses the spectacle of a kid throwing a tantrum in a grocery store, a very real situation many of us have witnessed—either secondhand or with our own kids. The melodrama draws us in, and then BAM hits us with the product that would most effectively prevent this embarrassing situation. Not a pacifier, toy, or even whatever the sweets the kid wanted, the thing that would prevent the kid in the first place!

As for why this ad was banned, I’m not sure. It could be because some prudent critics out there wanted the ad removed. That would certainly be a dramatic reason, but I think there’s an easier answer. We like this ad decades after it aired because we only need to watch and hear it once, but could you imagine it coming on the air every ten minutes or so? A screaming kid is not something we want to hear that often.

+Honorable Mention: Japanese Tea Ad

I’ll admit it; this ad wasn’t banned—as long as it aired for Japanese audiences, anyway. Censorship is a little different over there, so they’re okay with a little (or a LOT) of blood. Anyway, I wanted to share this ad because it is peak comedy, and I love it. The fire, the practical effects, the unusual situation, the tea kettle sound, the clever payoff, and even the last little squeeze at the end—it’s all gold.