Analysts Name 11 Past Super Bowl Ads Still Funny

Super Bowl commercials are supposed to make you laugh out loud, not just nod politely. With ad slots now costing well into the multimillion-dollar range, brands that nail humor earn massive buzz, stronger recall, and real business impact. Drawing on industry rankings, creative reviews, and lasting cultural footprints, here are 11 past Super Bowl ads that were actually funny—and still work today.

Why These Super Bowl Ads Endure And Still Make Us Laugh

Comedy lands when it’s simple, surprising, and unmistakably tied to the brand. That’s not opinion; it’s borne out by measurement. USA Today’s Ad Meter has long rewarded funny spots, Nielsen has consistently shown the game delivers nine-figure audiences, and the Kellogg School of Management’s Super Bowl Advertising Review highlights “brand linkage” and “distinctiveness” as table stakes. Kantar and Ipsos tracking adds a final proof point: the funniest ads drive greater talk value and short-term sales lifts when viewers can retell the joke and remember who delivered it.

The 11 Actually Funny Super Bowl Ads That Still Work Today

1. Budweiser “Whassup?” — A simple phone greeting becomes a national catchphrase. The bit is pure repetition and escalation, with perfect brand linkage from the final pullback to the bottles. It scored sky-high on USA Today’s Ad Meter and was later canonized by Ad Age for changing how brands chase cultural currency.
2. Snickers “Betty White” — A backyard football tackle reintroduces a beloved star and births the “You’re Not You When You’re Hungry” platform. It topped consumer rankings, boosted immediate brand recall, and proved great comedy can also be great strategy.
3. Volkswagen “The Force” — A pint-sized Darth Vader tries to control the world with hand gestures, only to “start” dad’s Passat with remote start. It’s wordless, cinematic, and sticky. Pre-game buzz set viewing records, a case study in how early digital drops can compound in-game impact.
4. Reebok “Terry Tate Office Linebacker” — A linebacker enforcing office etiquette with bone-rattling hits is absurdist workplace wish fulfillment. The brand stretch is unexpected yet memorable, and the quotable lines kept water coolers busy long after kickoff.
5. Doritos “Crystal Ball” — A fan-made Crash the Super Bowl winner where a snow globe “predicts” free chips—through a window. It’s lo-fi, perfectly timed, and precisely on brand. The spot dominated viewer polls and cemented Doritos’ crowdsourced playbook.
6. Doritos “House Rules” — Another fan entry with a suitor learning hard “house rules” from a pint-sized enforcer. The slap heard round living rooms sparked instant chatter and, crucially, people remembered Doritos owned the joke.
7. Tide “It’s A Tide Ad” — David Harbour hijacks half the commercial breaks by spoofing every ad genre, then revealing every spotless shirt is a product shot. It’s meta, ruthlessly simple, and a masterclass in distinctive brand codes.
8. E*TRADE “Monkey” — Two guys, a dancing monkey, a bucket, and the killer line: “Well, we just wasted $2,000,000. What are you doing with your money?” It skewers Super Bowl excess while selling a smarter alternative—clean, confident, and unforgettable.
9. E*TRADE “Baby” — A talking baby deadpans about trading, undercutting Wall Street swagger with nursery-room wit. The contrast delivers immediate humor and crystal-clear product promise, spawning a streak of fan-favorite sequels.
10. GM “No Way Norway” — Will Ferrell turns an EV market share stat into a comedic mission, recruiting friends and crashing into the wrong countries. Star power supports, but the real win is the joke’s tight tie to electric performance and national pride.
11. FedEx “Caveman” — A prehistoric delivery pitch ends with a crushed customer and a list of “things you can’t control.” It’s economy-of-words comedy that lands a modern brand truth: reliability beats wishful thinking.

What The Funniest Super Bowl Ads Consistently Get Right

• One clear joke: Viewers have seconds to get it. Each of these spots builds a single premise and pays it off fast.
• Brand in the punchline: From Tide’s spotless shirts to Snickers’ hungry personalities, the humor and the brand are inseparable.
• Rewatch and retell: Nielsen and Kantar tracking show recall lifts when people can recount the spot in a sentence. These all pass the “tell a friend” test.
• Cultural fluency: Whether it’s a meme-able greeting or a sci-fi nod, the references feel shared, not forced—crucial for a telecast reaching well over 100 million viewers.

For all the tech flash and celebrity cameos, the enduring truth is simple: the funniest Super Bowl ads pick a lane, punch above their weight, and make the brand the hero of the laugh. These 11 did exactly that.