Super Bowl Commercials: The Funniest & Most Family-Friendly
Bart Miller of Mercy Me tweeted after the Super Bowl: “After this game I think Colorado legalized sadness as well.”
That about says it all.
If you are a Broncos fan, the commercials were your only hope for any smiles and laughter during the debacle that was what some people are claiming was an actual NFL game between the two best teams in the league. I was very much cheering for Peyton, so frankly I’m still trying to process what on earth I witnessed. After watching one of the most dominating offenses in NFL history plow their way through the regular season, the utter collapse of the Broncos tonight was baffling. It’s going to take a long time for Broncos fans to heal from this one.
To help Broncos fans get their minds off the actual events that happened on the field, here are my personal picks for the funniest family-friendly Super Bowl commercials:
1. Tim Tebow. The T-Mobile commercial that showed us what Tebow has been up to was one of the funniest Super Bowl commercials I’ve ever seen. It’s odd that the best Super Bowl commercial this year featured a former Broncos QB. The Broncos should have hired Tebow to give them all a pep talk on the sidelines during the first half before the Seahawks ran up the score beyond hope in the second half. Such a disappointing game! But such a funny commercial!
2. Terry Crews & the Muppets. You can’t go wrong with the Muppets, and Toyota hit it out of the park with this one. Watching their shenanigans with the action star Terry Crews in tow was absolutely classic — especially when Animal says Toyota’s slogan at the end.
3. Kia’s Matrix commercial. Although this one might not have made everyone laugh, I could not resist a commercial featuring Morpheus from The Matrix blowing in a pitch pipe and then singing opera to the startled couple that he met at the valet stand where he apparently was working. I’m a big fan of The Matrix, so this one got high marks.
4. The Slow Bark. Car Max did a commercial where a guy gets a Car Max car and as he drives off, everyone he sees gives him a slow clap — including Sean Astin in his Rudy persona. They did another version of this commercial with puppies instead of humans, and the canines are giving the doggy driver a slow bark instead of a slow cap. Awesome.
5. The Prom Analogy. Someone finally did a commercial explaining what it’s like for a diehard NFL fan to watch the Super Bowl when their team is not playing in it. This one was not only funny but it was very creative and thoughtful. Nice job, Turbo Tax. (And, frankly, Broncos fans were probably convinced that their team was not playing in the Super Bowl either but was replaced with imposters.)
Honorable Mentions
U2 song “Invisible.” A RED commercial in partnership with Bank of America introduced a new U2 song to the world in a Super Bowl commercial. Although not funny, it was a highlight for me. The song is free to download the day of the Super Bowl, so if you act fast you can get it here. It’s not the single from U2’s new album, but it is indeed a track from the new album as Bono confirmed to the press recently. Hearing the new song and seeing U2 in a commercial was a big treat for devoted U2 fans everywhere — including me!
British Villains. Any commercial including three of the coolest actors in movies today — Tom Hiddleston, Ben Kingsley, Mark Strong — is a winner. Love the shot of Hiddleston channeling his Loki persona as he balances a cup of tea while taking off in a helicopter. Check it out here.
Ellen Degeneres and her silly dancing. This one takes Ellen’s classic goofiness and uses it to good effect as she tries out different styles of music and dances to each one. Watch the commercial along with an intro by Ellen here.
The Time Machine. Doritos earned a laugh when their commercial portrayed a kid tricking a grown-up into thinking he had created a time machine. The actor playing the grown-up did a hilarious job depicting the character’s giddy excitement about what he thinks is a real time machine. Check it out here.
