You’d think that with all the money spent on commercials, someone would stop the weird ones before they aired. But for some reason, these ads made it through—onto national TV, no less. Most of them are funny, confusing, or just make you wonder if the whole thing was a prank.
These commercials really did air. They left viewers baffled and, in some cases, laughing for the wrong reasons.
Little Baby’s Ice Cream – “This Is a Special Time”
Credit: IMDb
This ad shows a person entirely made of ice cream, eating their own head with a spoon while staring blankly into the camera. A soft, unsettling voice narrates over eerie music. It was originally shown in Philadelphia and used as a local campaign, but later gained national attention for how deeply uncomfortable it was.
Quiznos – Spongmonkeys
Credit: Youtube
Quiznos introduced Spongmonkeys—wide-eyed, rodent-like creatures with human mouths who sang off-key about sandwiches. The animation looked cheap, the song was bizarre, and the entire vibe was chaotic. Somehow, this ran during prime time in 2003 and 2004. You either loved the weirdness or wanted it off your screen immediately, but there was no in-between.
Mountain Dew – “Puppy Monkey Baby”
Credit: IMDb
Mountain Dew created a creature with the head of a pug, the torso of a monkey, and the legs of a baby. It danced, handed out drinks, and repeated its name like a chant. It first streamed during the Super Bowl and confused millions. Some laughed nervously. Others were just grossed out.
GoDaddy – “Kiss”
Credit: Youtube
In this Super Bowl ad, a supermodel kisses a nerdy tech guy. Not a quick peck—this one was rather intense. The camera zooms in. You can hear every sound, which was meant to show “tech meets beauty.” Instead, it made people feel awkward, and that’s all that anyone remembered.
Skittles – “Milking the Giraffe”
Credit: Youtube
A man stands under a giraffe, pulls on its udder, and catches Skittles in a bucket. That’s the entire scene. No explanation, no context—just the tagline, “Touch the Rainbow.” It’s one of many surreal Skittles ads, but this one left watchers wondering what they had just seen.
Chevy – “Robot”
Credit: Youtube
This commercial features a factory robot that drops a screw, gets fired, becomes depressed, and jumps off a bridge. Then it wakes up—it was all a dream. It is safe to say that the car was wildly out of place and must have received multiple complaints for its tone.
PlayStation 3 – “Creepy Baby”
Credit: Youtube
To promote the PS3, Sony created a commercial where a plastic baby doll stares at the console. Its eyes move, it makes weird noises, and it randomly laughs. There’s no gameplay. No person. Just a floating console and a haunted-looking baby. Most observers thought it looked like a horror trailer.
Dr. Pepper – “Lil’ Sweet”
Credit: Youtube
A pint-sized man with a glitter jacket and a high-pitched voice pops out of nowhere to offer soda. He appears inside fridges, showers, and laundry rooms. This ran for years on cable and sports channels.
J.G. Wentworth – “Opera”
Credit: Youtube
An opera-style jingle blasts: “It’s my money, and I need it now!” People in everyday situations sing like they’re on stage. The costumes are ridiculous. The delivery is loud and dramatic. It annoyed some but got stuck in everyone’s heads.
Burger King – “Subservient Chicken”
Credit: Reddit
Burger King promoted a man in a chicken suit who performed commands sent by users online. The TV commercial directed the audience to the site. The ad didn’t explain much—just a man watching a chicken do tricks. It was strange, but it became one of the earliest viral ad campaigns.
Snickers – “Man Kiss”
Credit: Youtube
Two men accidentally kiss while eating the same Snickers bar, then do “manly” things to cancel it out. It was shown during the Super Bowl but was pulled quickly after backlash. Snickers claimed it was just a joke, but many didn’t find it funny.
HeadOn – “Apply Directly to the Forehead”
Credit: Youtube
This commercial repeated one sentence three times with no explanation: “HeadOn. Apply directly to the forehead.” The visuals were basic, and there was no voiceover beyond the looped phrase. It may have been irritating, but it made the product popular.
Charmin – “Bear Booty Shake”
Credit: Youtube
Charmin’s cartoon bear family has done some weird things, but one ad showed a bear cub dancing to show off how clean his behind was. The animation was awkward, and the target audience was unclear. It was supposed to be fun, but it made many cringe.
Apple – “Lemmings”
Credit: X
Apple created a dark ad showing blindfolded office workers walking off a cliff to promote Macintosh computers. It followed the famous “1984” ad but flopped hard. It felt gloomy, insulting, or just confusing.
Mentos – “The Freshmaker”
Credit: Youtube
These ads showed individuals solving everyday problems by popping Mentos. The acting was stiff, and the music sounded like a parody. One person lies across a wet bench, ruining their suit but grinning anyway. It ran globally for years, and everyone remembers it—even if nobody really liked it.
Haribo – “Kids’ Voices”
Credit: Youtube
Businessmen and women sit around a table, speaking in children’s voices about gummy bears. The concept is simple: adults talk like kids while eating candy. But something about the mix of suits and baby talk unsettled many of the people who saw it. The ad stayed on television for years and somehow worked despite the discomfort.
Pepsi – Kendall Jenner Protest Ad
Credit: Youtube
This ad showed Kendall Jenner leaving a photoshoot to join a protest, then calming things down by handing a cop a Pepsi. The response was swift and brutal. People called it tone-deaf and offensive. Pepsi pulled the ad within a day and issued a public apology.
Old Spice – “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like”
Credit: Youtube
A shirtless man moves through random scenes, holding products while delivering dry, strange monologues. He’s on a horse, then in a bathroom, then holding diamonds. When it aired, viewers weren’t sure what they were watching—but it became iconic. It helped rebrand Old Spice into something younger and more absurd.
Huggies – “Dad Test”
Credit: Youtube
In this ad, fathers are shown struggling to care for babies to prove how tough Huggies diapers are. It faced backlash for implying dads are clueless. The company responded to criticism by editing the campaign.
Cillit Bang – “Barry Scott”
Credit: Youtube
British ads featured Barry Scott yelling about cleaning power while slamming products on counters. His delivery was loud, stiff, and oddly robotic. No one was sure if it was satire. But it ran on TV for years. The fake intensity made it memorable, even if nobody asked for that much energy.
