18 Commercials from the ’80s That Would Never Air Today
These 18 commercials from the 1980s reveal how advertising once embraced sexism, cultural insensitivity, risky behavior, and controversial figures — messages that would never make it to air today.
- Alyana Aguja
- 5 min read
Advertising in the 1980s reflected the culture of its time, but many commercials pushed boundaries that would not hold up under modern scrutiny. From sexualizing teens in Calvin Klein jeans to using cartoon mascots for cigarettes and beer, these ads reveal how differently corporations once approached audiences. Looking back, they highlight how much public expectations, ethics, and advertising regulations have evolved.
1. Flintstones Cigarettes Commercials
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Even though the Flintstones were popular in the 1960s, their Winston cigarette ads continued to circulate into the ’80s in some regions. The sight of beloved cartoon characters puffing away and endorsing smoking feels unthinkable now. Today, advertising tobacco with cartoons aimed at families would be illegal in most countries.
2. Jell-O Pudding Pops with Bill Cosby
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Jell-O’s pudding pop ads in the 1980s heavily featured Bill Cosby as a wholesome father figure. The brand tied itself to his image, but his later criminal convictions would make any reruns scandalous today. Companies are far more cautious about linking their brands to one celebrity’s personal reputation.
3. Folgers “Mrs. Olsen” Coffee Commercials
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Folgers ran a string of commercials where “Mrs. Olsen” lectured wives on how to please their husbands with good coffee. The ads carried a patronizing tone, framing women’s worth around serving men. Today, the blatant sexism would spark public outrage.
4. Pepsi’s Michael Jackson Commercial
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Pepsi’s 1984 commercial featuring Michael Jackson was iconic but turned controversial after his hair caught fire during filming. Beyond the accident, his later scandals would make companies hesitate to run it today. The link between pop stardom and corporate branding is viewed with more caution now.
5. Tyco’s Super Turbo Train
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This toy train commercial glorified dangerous stunts, showing kids sending toy trains flying off tracks at high speeds. Modern safety standards for children’s advertising discourage anything that suggests unsafe play. A company today would face backlash for promoting risky behavior.
6. Hungry-Man “Man Size Meals”
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Hungry-Man ads in the ’80s bragged about serving meals “big enough for a man.” The slogan reinforced gender stereotypes about portion sizes and masculinity. In a time more conscious of inclusivity, that messaging would not hold up.
7. Sprint’s “Pin Drop” Commercial
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Sprint’s famous “Pin Drop” ad bragged about its call clarity with a staged pin-drop sound. The ad ignored accessibility needs, and its exclusionary tagline implied that hearing-impaired customers were irrelevant. Today, inclusivity standards would prevent a brand from dismissing entire groups of people.
8. California Raisins
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The California Raisins danced and sang Motown songs in claymation form, with voices provided by Black musicians. Critics later pointed out that the campaign appropriated Black culture without properly crediting or benefiting the community. A revival would likely be called out for cultural insensitivity.
9. Light Beer by Miller “Great Taste, Less Filling”
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These beer ads featured rowdy sports stars fighting in bars over whether the beer was “great tasting” or “less filling.” The normalization of aggressive drinking culture would not fly in today’s climate of responsibility. Alcohol ads now face stricter regulations around portraying violence or binge drinking.
10. Alka-Seltzer’s “I Can’t Believe I Ate the Whole Thing”
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This commercial showed overindulgence as humorous while promoting antacids as a solution. Today’s wellness-driven market avoids making gluttony funny or aspirational. The tone feels out of step with modern health-conscious advertising.
11. Pepsi’s Madonna “Like a Prayer” Ad
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Pepsi aired a commercial with Madonna’s song “Like a Prayer” in 1989, only to pull it after backlash from religious groups. The video’s imagery of burning crosses and stigmata tied Pepsi to controversy. Today, brands are more careful with religious sensitivities in advertising.
12. Nestlé Infant Formula Ads
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In the ’80s, Nestlé aggressively marketed baby formula in developing countries, often suggesting it was superior to breastfeeding. The campaign faced massive backlash when linked to infant malnutrition and mortality. Such manipulative marketing would be banned under today’s international health codes.
13. Calvin Klein Jeans with Brooke Shields
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In 1980, 15-year-old Brooke Shields appeared in Calvin Klein jeans ads with the suggestive line, “You want to know what comes between me and my Calvins? Nothing.” The overt sexualization of a teenager would be completely unacceptable today. Modern advertising has much stricter protections for child models.
14. Diet Pepsi with Michael J. Fox
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The commercial showed Fox going to extreme lengths to fetch a Diet Pepsi for an attractive neighbor. The undertones of male persistence and reward-based courtship read differently in a post-#MeToo era. Brands today avoid portraying persistence as romantic when it crosses boundaries.
15. Budweiser “Spuds MacKenzie”
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Budweiser introduced Spuds MacKenzie, a bull terrier who became the life of the party in their beer ads. Critics later accused the campaign of appealing to children with a cartoonish mascot. Advertising alcohol with a dog mascot would never pass today’s regulations.
16. McDonald’s “Mac Tonight”
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McDonald’s introduced “Mac Tonight,” a jazz-singing moon-headed mascot meant to appeal to adults. Years later, the character was co-opted online into racist meme culture, giving the mascot a toxic afterlife. That association ensures the ad could never resurface today.
17. Diet Coke’s “Just for the Taste of It”
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These commercials leaned heavily on thin, glamorous models drinking Diet Coke to emphasize weight loss. Today, the body-shaming undertones and unrealistic beauty standards would draw criticism. Modern campaigns focus more on health and lifestyle rather than equating thinness with worth.
18. Burger King’s “Herb the Nerd” Campaign
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Burger King introduced “Herb,” a socially awkward man who had never eaten a Whopper. The campaign mocked him relentlessly, equating nerdiness with ridicule. Today, that approach would be blasted for bullying and stigmatizing certain groups.