TORONTO — Super Bowl commercials are almost as popular as the game itself. Indeed, this year’s collection is getting lots of buzz ahead of Sunday’s game.
But there is a crowded graveyard of really bad Super Bowl commercials. These are ads that sent the wrong message, managed to offend groups of people, or simply left a bad taste in the mouths of viewers.
WATCH: 15 Super Bowl commercials you may have missed
Many Super Bowl advertisers fumbled with ads that relied on racial stereotypes, bladder relief, implied sodomy and suicide to make an impression.
Here’s a look at 10 of the worst offenders, in no particular order:
SalesGenie (2008)
Pandas speaking with (bad) Asian accents? What could possibly be wrong with that? Even pandas were like, “Whoa…”
Holiday Inn (1999)
Only 16 years ago, Holiday Inn figured the best way to promote a plan to revamp its hotel was to make a commercial featuring a transgender woman attending her class reunion. “It’s amazing the changes you can make for a few thousand dollars. Imagine what Holiday Inns will look like when we spend a billion.”
General Motors (2007)
This one-minute spot, set to Eric Carmen’s depressing “All By Myself,” stars an assembly line robot who dreams of jumping to its death. The commercial was designed to promote GM’s 100,000 mile warranty but was really nothing more than a super bummer.
Doritos (2010)
So many problems with this commercial: 1. What kind of person stands in the middle of a gym eating a giant bag of Doritos? 2. The Doritos eater admits to committing a criminal offence. 3. Who wants to see a man spit out a mouthful of Doritos? 4. Why did the company think it was a good idea to see someone killed after eating their product?
TaxACT (2012)
Nothing sells tax services like a little boy relieving himself in a pool and watching his sister dive right in.
Groupon (2011)
The people of Tibet face persecution, censorship and the erosion of their culture but, according to actor Timothy Hutton, “they still whip up an amazing fish curry.” There’s something distasteful about this commercial, which extols the virtues of Americans being able to get “$30 worth of Tibetan food for just $15.”
Bud Light (2007)
What appeals to beer-swilling Super Bowl fans more than a clown appearing to sodomize himself with a beer bottle? This commercial not only spooked coulrophobes but made a lot of football fans put down their hot dogs.
Chevy (2012)
The message of this big-budget commercial is that Ford drivers will not survive the apocalypse (but Twinkies, of course, will). Making this spot even more depressing is the implication that only four men and a dog remain on the planet. Things are going to get awkward.
Miller Lite (1998)
This epic commercial featured a man-sized “evil beaver” terrorizing a group of settlers — including taking down a man with a wooden limb — until he got his paws on a mug of beer. Kudos for the catchy jingle but everything else about this ad is just weird.
Lifeminders (2000)
The annoying piano music in this low-budget commercial was the best excuse for millions of Super Bowl viewers to take washroom breaks or go to the kitchen for more nachos. Wondering how effective this ad was? Um, what’s lifeminders.com?
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