#FlashbackFriday to the Beer Ads That Time Forgot

February 4, 2017 at 1:00 AM

Super Bowl Sunday is synonymous with a few things: football (duh), nachos (yum), and flashy commercials — specifically, flashy beer commercials. What better reason do you need to take a nostalgic walk through our digital museum of these once-ubiquitous beer (and booze) campaigns? Enjoy.

Real Men of Genius for Budweiser (2003)

Originally launched as a Budweiser radio campaign, the beer giant later brought the concept of celebrating unlikely geniuses (like really, really, really bad dancers and way too much cologne wearer) to television for a series of ads. The real star of the campaign is Survivor frontman Dave Bickler, who salutes each “real man of genius” with vocal conviction. Being a silent killer gas passer never sounded so cool. — Ethan Alter

The Twins for Coors (2003)

A heavy metal guitar crunch powers a 30-second treatise on love — the love of sport, of food… and of the fantasy represented by two grinning blond sisters in cheerleader outfits. An ad man broke it down for USA Today at the height of the campaign: “Nobody would argue men love women, so why not two of them? That’s why ‘Twins’ rings so true.” Double-talk? Draw your own conclusions… — Steve Korn

“Wassup” Guys for Budweiser (1999)

One of the most enduring (and annoying) ad catchphrases of all time was born from this spot, with a group of football-watching, Bud-drinking dudes greeting each other with ridiculously drawn-out renditions of “Wassuuuuuuup?” The ensuing series of ads became an unavoidable pop-culture sensation, parodied everywhere from Scary Movie to The Simpsons. But when you think about it, didn’t it also keep the Budweiser brand relevant into the 21st century? True, true. — Dave Nemetz

Bob & Doug Mackenzie for Molson Golden (1997)

Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas created the suds-loving Canadian brothers Bob and Doug Mackenzie for SCTV’s “Great White North” segements in the late 1970s, and rode out their cult following through a feature film, 1983’s Strange Brew. This 1997 ad for Molson Golden captures their genial loutishness and everlasting fondness for the two key elements of beer commercials: women and hops, and not necessarily in that order. — Ken Tucker

Bud Ice’s Beware of the Penguins (1996)

Who knew those tuxedo-clad cold climate dwellers were so into beer? Launched as part of Bud’s then-new Bud Ice brand, these ads involved humans going to great lengths to keep their beers out of the flippers of thirsty penguins. We’d like to think that our favorite flightless penguins have better taste. — EA

Budweiser Frogs (1995)

Meet the Beavis & Butt-head of beer commercials, and we mean that in the best possible way. Like Mike Judge’s iconic ‘90s cartoon, these croaking, Bud obsessed amphibians are so stupid, they’re hilarious. — EA

Swedish Bikini Team for Old Milwaukee (1991)

Fans of the ads said the bikini-clad squad — made up of American actresses playing jiggling “Swedish” characters who showed up with trucks of ale and somehow improved everything around them — was a spoof of old-fashioned beer ads. But others, including the National Organization of Women and the lawsuit-filing female employees of Old Milwaukee’s parent company, said it was just old-fashioned misogyny. After a few months — and a Playboy pictorial and a pair of Married… With Children appearances — Old Milwaukee agreed and dropped the faux Swedes as their mascots. — Kimberly Potts

The Bud Bowl (1989)

All hail the greatest beer-versus-beer contest ever committed to film. In an era of lopsided Super Bowl blowouts (sorry, Buffalo Bills fans), the Bud Bowl — which pitted animated bottles of Budweiser and Bud Light against each other on the gridiron — was sometimes the only reason to stay tuned to the big game. Future installments featured celebrity cameos from the likes of Mike Ditka and Joe Namath, but this is the first… and best. — DN

Spuds MacKenzie for Bud Light (1987)

Dubbed “the original party animal,” white English bull terrier Spuds debuted during the ’87 Super Bowl as a skateboarding, pool-diving, cool canine who was loved by the ladies and envied by the dudes. Ad voiceover artist Robin Leach called him the “parched pooch of pup culture,” and he became so popular that parental concern groups deemed him a potential danger who might entice the young’uns to imbibe. The big secret behind Spuds’s black-spotted eye: He was really a female doggie, named Honey Tree Evil Eye. — KP

Bruce Willis for Seagram’s (1986)

If you only know Bruce Willis as a butt-kicking action movie star, you might be surprised — and delighted! — to see him shilling for wine coolers in these totally ’80s ads. Here, Willis (in his Moonlighting prime) sings with his bros on a country porch, seduces a lady with his wine cooler knowledge, and hits on a young Sharon Stone (!). We still can’t make sense of the tagline “It’s wet and it’s dry,” but who cares? It’s Bruno, baby! — DN

Bartles & Jaymes Wine Coolers (1985)

The delightfully down home Frank Bartles and his silent partner Ed Jaymes not only made their fruit-flavored alternative to beer sound delicious, but they were unfailingly polite in their pitches, ending every one with their catchphrase, “We thank you for your support.” The characters, played by cattle rancher and Air Force vet David Rufkahr as Bartles and contractor Dick Maugg as Jaymes, were inspired by a set of brothers who were successful wine entrepreneurs themselves: Ernest and Julio Gallo. — KP

John Madden for Miller Lite (1980)

Bob Uecker for Miller Lite (1984)

If you devote hours to Madden NFL16 — or all four seasons of Bob Uecker in Mr. Belvedere on DVD — raise a toast to these ads, which in the 1980s defined the bankable personas of the blustery NFL coach, hapless ex-big leaguer, and other sports figures. These long-running, consistently funny spots earned their place in the upper tier — uh, make that the front row! — of TV fan favorites. — SK

Super Bowl LI airs Sunday, Feb. 5 at 6:30 p.m. ET on Fox.

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