Top 10 Bizarre Celebrity Endorsements

Hot Pockets
Rappers can create catchy songs about virtually anything, so it’s no surprise that they do so many endorsement deals. Snoop Dogg rose to stardom in the 1990s with hard-hitting lyrics about police brutality and West Coast culture. In the 2010s, he tackled an even hotter topic (literally) — over-microwaving a Hot Pocket and burning your tongue. The rapper recorded a parody of his hit song “Drop It Like It’s Hot,” retitled “Pocket Like It’s Hot.” Snoop’s stoner reputation makes it easy to believe he’s eaten his share of microwave snacks. Still, the music video tips into bizarre territory when the humanoid Hot Pocket mascot, Herbie, parties with a bunch of video girls.

Centrum Silver
Fresh off his success as Marvel’s Loki, it makes sense that Tom Hiddleston would want to hammer out some endorsements. What doesn’t make sense is his POV-style ad for senior multivitamin brand Centrum Silver. In this ad aired in China, he stares straight at the camera and pretends he’s cooked you some kind of salad-breakfast. He has to leave before you eat it, though — to go where, we’re not sure. The ad’s seductive-yet-guilty tone is at odds with Hiddleston’s insistence that you take senior vitamins with your meal. Is he supposed to be your hot date? A hallucination? A random celebrity who snuck into your house and is worried about your health? Unclear, but this is definitely one way to sell vitamins.

Crocs
Beloved celebrities can put their name on just about any product, and wrestler-turned-movie-star John Cena has sold everything from Capri Sun to Hefty trash bags. That said, Crocs shoes was a strange endorsement choice made bizarre by the anti-bullying-themed ad campaign. Cena opens up about being bullied in school and gives his advice: Don’t get even, but do put muscles on top of your muscles. We’re glad that worked for him, but what does any of that have to do with Crocs? Associating bullying with a product that’s already not the coolest fashion choice might not be a great marketing strategy. Still, John Cena was paid handsomely to share a touching story and wear comfy shoes. Well-played, Invisible Man.

Wii Fit
Film’s leading ladies are known for poise and elegance, but they can still have fun with a wacky endorsement deal. Helen Mirren went from playing Queen Elizabeth II to completing different exercises using the Wii Fit video game in 2010. Nintendo wanted to show that their product wasn’t just for kids, and in fairness, Mirren is genuinely enjoying herself in the commercial. She’s known for playing stern women with nerves of steel, which adds to the ad’s bizarre charm. Helen Mirren earned half a million pounds for these ads — roughly $800,000 — and they’re proof that weird endorsement matchups can turn out adorable.

Pringles
Before appearing in “Fight Club” and other landmark films, Brad Pitt was typecast as just another California dude. Pitt leaned into the stereotype for his star-making role in “Thelma and Louise”, but three years earlier, he honed his hunk skills in a truly memorable Pringles advertisement. A shirtless Pitt proclaims he has “the fever” (for snacks, apparently.) Dizzying cuts and neon colors form a story in three acts: surfers want Pringles, babes bring Pringles, the day is saved. The ad keeps repeating the tagline: “I’ve got the fever, the fever reliever.” It’s so chaotic, you almost forget you’re watching Serious Movie Star Brad Pitt go crazy for processed potato chips.

Nintendo DS
Most attempts to paint glamorous celebs as “just like us” make them look totally out of touch. In Penelope Cruz’s ads for the Nintendo DS, though, the movie star has never been more relatable. She yells at the screen while playing New Super Mario Bros 2 a little too competitively with her younger sister. No dramatic hair flips, no slow-mo smiles, just Penelope Cruz collecting one-up mushrooms like the rest of the gaming population. Her Italian ad for the console is even better, as she does a Mario impression complete with fake mustache and overalls. The accent isn’t quite there, but it doesn’t matter. Seeing the ultra-glam celebrity embrace her inner Nintendo fan makes for one cute endorsement, even if it’s bizarre.

Victoria’s Secret
Few strange celebrity endorsements bomb quite as badly as Bob Dylan’s infamous 2004 Victoria’s Secret commercial. The famous folk singer isn’t wearing lingerie himself, but that might have actually been an improvement over the final product. Bob Dylan croons his song “Love Sick” while the camera zooms creepily over supermodel Adriana Lima’s body. It’s peak early-2000s sleaze, and the constant cuts back to Dylan’s face make the ad feel truly cursed. The world should have seen this coming, as Dylan said in a 1965 interview that “ladies undergarments” would eventually make him sell out.

OPI Nail Polish
It’s always strange when a celebrity endorses a product that their fans care about, but that they obviously don’t use themselves. Justin Bieber is a mainstay of celebrity fashion columns, but he’s never been known for impeccably manicured nails. That didn’t stop the pop singer from selling over one million bottles of OPI nail polish at the height of Bieber Fever in 2011. His collection featured his face on the packaging and shade names like “Baby Blue” and “One Less Lonely Glitter.” Today, his wife Hailey Bieber is the designated OPI spokesperson of the couple, which makes a lot more sense.

I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter
The lead singer of Black Sabbath was nicknamed the “Prince of Darkness” for his demonic imagery and wild antics. In 2006, he sold his soul to another dark force — Big Margarine. Ozzy appeared in TV ads for I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter, happily making fairy cakes alongside an Ozzy impersonator. In the spirit of the product, he had trouble determining which was the ‘real’ Ozzy Osbourne as he fished around in the fridge for butter. The commercial played off the popularity of the reality show “The Osbournes,” which showed Ozzy as an aloof background character in his own family’s drama. Even with context, it’s beyond strange to see the legendary metal singer casually baking a cake on the weekend.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

Method Man, Sour Patch Kids
Because Method Man’s Candy Rap Is Better Than It Has Any Right to Be

Memphis Bleek, Garnier Fructis
Because He Sold Out as Much as Humanly Possible

Cristiano Ronaldo, Facial Fitness Pro
Because He Really Commits to the Silly Facial Exerciser

Charmin
From Kim’s business empire to Kendall not knowing what the word ‘frugal’ meant, the Kardashians’ reputation is all about money and glamor. Which is why Kim probably wants everyone to forget about the time she endorsed Charmin toilet paper in 2010, appearing at a public restroom ribbon cutting in Times Square. Luckily, the internet is forever, as are the images of Kim Kardashian awkwardly sandwiched between two plush bear mascots. Kim had just moved to New York, so it’s possible she said yes because she was in the neighborhood. Whatever the reason, we’re glad this surreal collab exists.


What big name endorsement deals made you wonder what the stars were thinking? List your picks in the comments.