The 35 Best Super Bowl Commercials of All Time

Coca-Cola's sing-along ad is so famous that Mad Men slotted it into its series finale. It may be less famous today, but the hippie-inspired spot helped define the transition from the 1960s to the '70s. It helps that the jingle is a certified hit you can't get out of your head.

One of the first Super Bowl ads to really catch fire in pre-viral pop culture, this Coca-Cola spot starring "Mean" Joe Greene was as elemental as it was charming and effective. Greene guzzles that Coke like his life depends on it, and the kid is all too happy to be gifted the player's sweaty towel.

Apple has long made bold, splashy statements with its advertising that outshines computer rivals. Its biggest and boldest was the 1984 Super Bowl ad introducing the Macintosh, a cinematic play on the George Orwell novel 1984, directed by Ridley Scott. Yes, that Ridley Scott.

The slogan that wouldn’t die originated in this delightful spot featuring three no-nonsense elderly women, including the actress who would go down in history books for demanding. in her throaty voice, to know where that cow product was hiding. It was a good year for Super Bowl ads...and elderly ladies in advertising.

It's too bad this wasn’t extended into a full concert, because Ray Charles and his dancers are magnetic...even if he is singing about artificially sweetened soda.

Cindy Crawford was already a bombshell for the ages by the time Pepsi unveiled its 1992 Super Bowl spot (which also humorously unveiled its new can design), but the model proved she could more than hold her own in a timeless ad broadcast to the whole country.

Does anyone really believe that Michael Jordan and Larry Bird would have a court showdown over a McDonald's meal? No. But the mix of tension, camaraderie, and respect in their chemistry is what makes this such a great rewatch. (And MJ's insanely '90s sweater.)

Budweiser has been perhaps the most consistent brand when it comes to Super Bowl spots, but the beer's most memorable ad didn't involve any Clydesdales. No less than future maximalist Hollywood blockbuster director Gore Verbinski (The Ring, Pirates of the Caribbean) helmed the 1995 clip in which three inventively designed bullfrogs make their way through each syllable in the brand name. There's nothing more to it, and there doesn't need to be.

While E-Trade's conceit that it "wasted $2 million bucks" is more than a little disingenuous since it clearly did its intended job of attracting eyeballs, we have to admit the clip is clever and funny. And that monkey's manic dance is oddly irresistible.

Is there really much else to say about this one other than...whassuuuup? So simple, so silly, so effective.

Sorry, but Britney Spears, Beyoncé, and Pink in one commercial? Singing "We Will Rock You"? With Enrique Iglesias playing a disgruntled emperor? Iconic. And quintessential 2004!

Call it ridiculous or a gamble for E-Trade to use a baby to tout stock investing, but the gimmick was so popular, several more commercial iterations came out between 2008 and 2014. In 2022, the company even teased a comeback with an ingenious ad featuring two executives urging a former employee to return...via a baby monitor.

Google need not a single ad to advertise itself, but who can argue with an international love story? The "long distance relationships" search being erased and replaced by a "jobs in Paris" one? Amazing. We won't spoil the end, but someone get us tissues.

Doritos has successfully (and sometimes not so successfully) mined wacky humor in its Super Bowl ads, but this is one of the funniest spots the game has ever seen. A potential new boyfriend shows up at a woman's house, and her son is having none of his lascivious looks or snack-grabbing hands. The kid is pitch-perfect as he lays down two simple ground rules: "Keep your hands off my momma, keep your hands off my Doritos."

If you haven't yet seen this Old Spice ad, it's possible you were living under a rock around 2010, since it kept making the rounds for at least the next year. The slyly clever editing sells the absurdist gag: The Old Spice man rattling off all the ways the brand can improve a man, ending with: "I'm on a horse." Why not?

Betty White had already earned the status of national treasure, but watching her take a tackle in the mud and trash talk a competitor during a football game really makes you appreciate her work ethic that much more.

Sentimentality can easily curdle in the multimillionaire spectacle that is Super Bowl advertising, but this sweet Volkswagen tugs on the heartstrings without going over the line. The brand ingeniously connects its car technology with a kid's desire to will the world around him like Darth Vader.

Using Clint Eastwood's voice makes any commercial instantly powerful, but this "It's Halftime in America" ad was especially so, because the renowned actor and director was speaking to a struggling nation. Though it's from 11 years ago, the message is arguably just as poignant today.

Who could forget this moment in history when Sir Elton John, dressed as a king, played the keeper of Pepsi? Stunned by the voice of the first The X Factor USA winner, Melanie Amaro, and her rendition of "Respect," Elton is left with no choice but to grant her a can, only to be overthrown and then greeted by...Flavor Flav? We can't stop watching.

The most popular of all Super Bowl ads according to one study, Budweiser's puppy-horse meet-cute proves that, yes, everyone loves these animals. But even by those standards, the framing of these two talented pet actors is infectious.