What do baby astronauts, chip-loving goats, heart-tugging horses and the rampaging elderly have in common? They all appear in the 2013 Super Bowl commercials.
Each year, these ads seem to get crazier and crazier, so how does 2013’s crop hold up? Let's start with an old favorite.
Budweiser: "Brotherhood"
The same brand that gave us "Whassuppp?!" and the Budweiser frogs—and cozy vignettes about Clydesdales—goes for the heartstrings again with horses in this Super Bowl ad.Toyoto RAV4: "Wish Granted"
In this spot, The Big Bang Theory’s Kaley Cuoco plays a wish-granting genie who lives inside a new Toyota RAV4.Coke: "Chase"
It’s your typical cowboys vs. showgirls vs. badlanders story. The three groups are seen racing through the desert to get to a giant bottle of refreshing Coke, and it's up to the public to decide who wins.GoDaddy: "Your Big Idea.co"
You know that amazing new invention idea you have? GoDaddy wants you to claim it before anyone else does by registering a domain and putting it online. Because we all know that doing that instantly leads to you sipping champage on a private jet.Doritos: "Crash the Super Bowl"
Even though the time to vote is up, you can still watch all five finalists from Doritos’ “Crash the Super Bowl” fan-made commercial contest. You’ll have to wait until Sunday's big game to see which one was picked to air.Kia Sorento: "Space Babies"
If you’ve ever thought ‘this commercial would be great, if it only had more parachuting baby animals,’ then this Kia Sorento ad is right up your alley. It also offers a creative “birds and the bees” alternative to tell your kids.Audi: "Prom Tradition"
In this Audi Super Bowl spot, a high schooler goes “stag” to the prom, only to learn the valuable lesson that all it takes to win the love of your life is to drive a sleek car. If only we’d all had nice new Audis back then.Hyundai Sonata: "Stuck"
When you’re driving it’s best to be in front, especially when stuck behind the manner of things featured in this Hyundai commercial. Leave the toxic sludge-spewing trucks for all the schmucks who don’t have Hyundais, right?Wheat Thins: "Night Vision"
Wheat Thins ups the weird with this pregame Super Bowl ad, featuring a paranoid man guarding his precious crackers with night-vision goggles.Fiat: "Sisters"
An attractive family of Italians exits a Fiat 500L to meet and greet their American hosts—relationship unknown. The 500L is large and, to the delightful surprise of the American father, full of beautiful women. It's like that old VW Beetle full-of-clowns gag, only with sex appeal.Hyundai: "Excited"
Hyundai's really made a name for itself in the past few years. This ad compares the relatively-affordable Genesis luxury sedan to its more expensive competitors: more horsepower than a BMW 550i, 0-60 mph faster than a Porsche Panamera S. Yup, and the design of a 12-year old Mercedes. That's where the money is, Lebowski.Hyundai: "Team"
A kid is denied a spot in a pickup football game, and told to "come back when you've got a team." So with his mom behind the wheel of a new Santa Fe. the kid runs around town recruiting a pack of rugged, heroic, work-hardened teammates.Pepsi: "Party"
Pepsi keeps coming out with new concoctions of water and sugar that promise to taste more and more like regular Pepsi, without the need for exercise. Lump in a house party and voila!Taco Bell: "Grandpa Goes Wild"
An old man, energized by what we can only assume is a potent cocktail of Doritos Locos tacos and Mountain Dew, bursts to life driving a blazing mobility scooter. He runs amuck on a football field.Beck's Sapphire
Fish love beer, especially serenading a bottle with smooth 90s Rn'B music. It's a known fact. This ad feels odd—like some marketing mastermind figured that kids who were 11 at the time the movie Finding Nemo came out are now old enough to drink.Speed Stick: "Unattended Laundry"
This spot features an awkward laundromat situation with a dash of sexy edge. Apparently Speed Stick will keep you cool in these hot situations.Volkswagen: "Get in. Get Happy."
You be the judge if this ad from Volkswagen is mildly racist toward Jamaicans (apparently everyone except Caribbeans think so). It features an office worker from Minnesota speaking in a Jamaican accent, telling coworkers to turn their frowns the “other way ‘round.” All thanks to the good vibes his shiny new VW Beetle provides, of course.Teasers: See the full ad during the Super Bowl
Even commercials need their own commercials these days. Here are a few teasers we like. Let's start with a good one:Iron Man 3
Robert Downey Jr. and explosions!Samsung
Seth Rogan and Paul Rudd make an appearance in this teaser for Samsung's Super Bowl spot.Mercedes
Something sinister is causing things to go haywire in this old New Orleans diner.Gildan
Did his Gildan shirt help get this man in this situation? Only time will tell.MiO Fit
30 Rock's Tracy Jordan lives on in this teaser.Sketchers
Our money's on the cheetah.Calvin Klein
What all Super Bowl fans look like in their own minds.Lincoln
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