1. Alka-Seltzer’s “Spicy Meatball”
This commercial starts off like a cooking show gone wrong, with a poor man taking bite after bite of an Italian meatball that’s clearly wreaking havoc on his stomach. He keeps messing up his lines, sweating and groaning while the crew tries not to laugh in the background. The whole gag ends with him groaning “Mama mia, that’s a spicy meatball!” and then an announcer swooping in to pitch Alka-Seltzer.
What makes it hilarious today is how long it drags on with the actor’s misery. The idea of promoting a stomach remedy by torturing a guy with meatballs almost feels cruel, but in that deadpan ’70s way, it’s comedy gold. The tagline became a catchphrase, but really, it’s the man’s exhausted face that sells it.
2. Life Cereal’s “Mikey Likes It”
This one is pure ’70s charm: two brothers sit at the table, eyeing a bowl of Life cereal like it might bite back. Neither wants to taste it, so they push it toward their little brother Mikey, who “hates everything.” When Mikey actually digs in and eats it, they shout, “He likes it!”
The bizarre part, in hindsight, is how the commercial makes it seem like giving cereal to a picky kid is some groundbreaking discovery. The over-the-top reaction of the brothers feels bigger than a Super Bowl touchdown. Watching it now, it’s so earnest it circles right back to being funny.
3. Keep America Beautiful’s Crying Indian PSA
A solemn Native American man paddles down a river filled with trash and pollution. The scene cuts to highways, littered streets, and careless people tossing garbage, until a single tear rolls down his cheek. It was meant to be powerful, and it was, but looking back, the melodrama is almost overwhelming.
The strange twist is that the actor wasn’t even Native American, but Italian-American, which makes the whole thing feel even more surreal in hindsight. The tear close-up became iconic, but the heavy-handed gloom now feels like parody material. It’s remembered for its sincerity, but today it lands somewhere between moving and unintentionally funny.
4. McDonald’s “Mac Tonight”
This ad features a crooner with a giant crescent-moon head, sunglasses, and a piano, singing about McDonald’s late-night menu. He looks like something out of a dream sequence in a B-movie, not a burger pitchman. The jazzy jingle and smooth voice only add to the oddness.
At the time, Mac Tonight was supposed to be hip and sophisticated, but now it comes across as hilariously creepy. Imagine pulling into a drive-thru and being greeted by a giant moon-headed lounge singer. It’s equal parts nightmare fuel and nostalgia.
5. Timex “It Takes a Licking”
Timex commercials in the ’70s loved to put their watches through bizarre torture tests. In one memorable ad, they strapped a Timex to a turtle, a washing machine, even the propeller of an outboard motor. The announcer would dramatically show it still ticking after each stunt.
The sheer absurdity of destroying household objects just to prove a point is hilarious now. It feels like a parody of endurance testing, especially when they pan to the announcer nodding seriously. If you ever wanted to see a watch treated like a superhero, this was it.
6. Dr. Pepper’s “Be a Pepper”
With colorful dancers twirling through city streets, everyone in the commercial declares themselves “a Pepper” for choosing Dr. Pepper. The jingle is impossibly upbeat, like a Broadway finale breaking out in the middle of the day. People in bell-bottoms suddenly spring into choreographed moves around soda cans.
It was meant to be infectious, but today it looks like the whole town was hypnotized by carbonation. The enthusiasm is so outsized, it’s almost impossible not to laugh. The idea that soda could unite the masses into a giant dance number is bizarrely wonderful.
7. Tootsie Pop’s “How Many Licks?”
This one burned itself into kids’ memories. A boy asks a wise old owl how many licks it takes to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop. The owl counts “one, two, three” before crunching down on it with his beak and declaring, “Three.”
The randomness of choosing an owl as the candy authority is already funny. Add in the abrupt ending, where the boy looks totally defeated, and it becomes absurdist comedy. The whole thing wraps in seconds but leaves you wondering why no one ever thought to just finish counting.
8. Coca-Cola’s “I’d Like to Buy the World a Coke”
Set on a hillside in Italy, dozens of young people in folk-inspired clothes hold Coke bottles and sing about world peace. It’s touching in concept, but oddly staged, like a soda-sponsored utopia. Everyone is smiling, swaying, and somehow perfectly harmonized.
Today it’s almost too sweet to take seriously. The earnestness is dialed up so high, you can’t help but laugh at the idea of global harmony coming from a soft drink. It’s still iconic, but with a layer of kitsch that makes it endearing and hilarious.
9. Ginsu Knives
Few commercials were more over-the-top than the Ginsu knife ads. A booming announcer demonstrated the knives slicing through tin cans, wood, and even a nail. Then, with no pause, they’d cut a delicate tomato in perfect slices.
The logic was bizarre: who was cutting nails in their kitchen? The sales pitch was so aggressive, it felt like a parody of itself. Today it’s hilarious to watch the overkill demonstrations, all to sell a set of kitchen knives.
10. Alka-Seltzer’s “Try It, You’ll Like It”
This ad shows a man reluctantly trying a strange dish at a dinner party after being coaxed with “try it, you’ll like it.” Predictably, it ends with him suffering stomach pains and reaching for Alka-Seltzer. The punchline is in the overacting, with him groaning dramatically.
What makes it funny now is how relatable it is in a completely exaggerated way. The idea of social pressure leading to indigestion is ridiculous but oddly true. Watching him writhe in regret makes the tagline unforgettable and absurd.
11. Folgers “Mrs. Olson”
Folgers commercials often featured Mrs. Olson, a kindly neighbor who always swooped in to fix bad coffee. In one version, she consoles a couple after the husband complains about his wife’s weak brew. She saves the day with Folgers, and suddenly everything is right again.
It’s unintentionally hilarious today because of the gender dynamics. The husband sulks over coffee, the wife looks ashamed, and Mrs. Olson beams like a caffeinated fairy godmother. The whole setup is so stiff, it plays like a sitcom sketch.
12. Burger King’s “Herb the Nerd”
In the late ’70s, Burger King ran a campaign about a mythical man named Herb who had never eaten a Whopper. Commercials urged people to spot him in restaurants, creating a weird national scavenger hunt. The ads showed Herb as a bumbling, out-of-place nerd.
Looking back, it’s absurd that a fast-food chain thought “Find Herb” would make people buy burgers. The whole character was awkward and never quite clicked with audiences. Today it feels like a cult prank more than an ad.
13. Charmin’s Mr. Whipple
“Don’t squeeze the Charmin!” became a household phrase thanks to Mr. Whipple, a store manager who scolded customers for fondling toilet paper. Every commercial followed the same odd rhythm: people couldn’t resist squeezing, and Mr. Whipple secretly did it himself.
The setup was strange even then, but now it feels flat-out bizarre. An entire ad campaign built around grown adults sneaking squeezes of bathroom tissue is comedy gold. It’s the kind of silliness that only the ’70s could pull off.
14. Coke’s Mean Joe Greene
This ad shows a young boy offering his Coke to the intimidating football star Mean Joe Greene. After downing it, Greene smiles and tosses the kid his jersey. It was touching at the time, but the exaggerated acting makes it oddly funny now.
Greene chugging the soda in one go is so unrealistic, it borders on slapstick. The kid’s star-struck reaction feels like a stage play rather than real life. Today it’s remembered fondly, but also as one of the strangest ways to bond over soda.
15. Oscar Mayer’s “My Bologna Has a First Name”
A little boy strums a song about his beloved bologna, spelling out “O-S-C-A-R” with wide-eyed sincerity. It’s charming, but also hilariously strange that a sandwich meat got its own sing-along anthem. The jingle became iconic, outshining the actual product.
Watching it today, it feels like a comedy sketch that went viral decades too early. The boy’s serious delivery makes the whole thing both sweet and ridiculous. Somehow, a catchy song about lunch meat became a cultural landmark.
