Top 10 WTF Celebrity Endorsed Products

Pizza Hut is a beloved American chain. So who in his or her right mind thought that the former leader of the Soviet Union was an appropriate pick for this? Sure, he and his granddaughter made for an admittedly charming pair when they appeared in this 1997 television ad. But what exactly was the marketing team thinking when they pitched this? His policies have largely been credited with bringing democracy, capitalism and (depending on who you ask) economic ruin to the former USSR… so maybe him working alongside a capitalist mega-franchise actually makes sense. But with such a divisive legacy, Mr. Gorbachev feels way too controversial a figure for this to feel like a good PR move.

Speaking of world leaders and food… before making a splash in governmental affairs, America’s loudest businessman tried his hands at the high-end steak market. We shouldn’t have been surprised… Trump will experiment with anything in the name of profit, but this one was just weird, even for him! First off, why steak? Secondly, why sell them exclusively through The Sharper Image, a brand that describes itself as a purveyor of home electronics, high-tech lifestyle gadgets,“innovative gifts”? Where the heck does steak fit into this picture? While Trump maintains that his steak business is going strong, others cite it as one of his financial blunders.

This isn’t your typical wine named after a member of the Coppola family. This particular product is a can of wine. Yes, while Francis has named a reserve after himself, a lovely red after his wife Eleanor and encouraged his granddaughter to produce an entire line of “Gia by Gia Coppola” wines for the family biz, the mini version of Sofia’s Blanc de Blancs somehow wound up in a tin can. Sure, you can get some of the other wines from her line in bottled format, but you can’t help but assume that this “dazzling pink” packaging is a bit off. After all, she’s not Paris Hilton; she’s an incredibly talented, serious filmmaker.

Ahhhh… the glamorous world of celebrity restaurants. You’ve got Ryan Gosling’s Tagine, Chris Noth’s Cutting Room, Justin Timberlake’s Southern Hospitality BBQ and of course, Robert De Niro’s multiple eateries, including the legendary Tribeca Grill. Terry Gene Bollea, aka Hollywood Hulk Hogan, aka Mr. America, aka Sterling Golden, aka Terry Boulder, aka Ichiban has never been one to miss out on a celebrity cliché, be it a sex scandal or poorly named counter-top grill. So in 1995, he opened his own celebrity restaurant, Pastamania. It was described as a “quick serve pasta restaurant” reportedly featuring “the Hulkster’s favorite International Pasta dishes”. It lasted less than one year… maybe that had something to do with the quality of the pasta.

Oddball filmmaker to coffee roaster doesn’t seem like the most natural transition, but when you consider the attention paid to a good cup of coffee in his series “Twin Peaks”, this particular product becomes easier to swallow. Despite the fact that the coffee was first released in 2006, it wasn’t until 2012 that any sort of official commercial was filmed. During that time however, a whole slew of fan-made, Lynch inspired commercials began to pop up. An official 2015 commercial for this mysterious brew, directed by Lynch’s very own daughter, Jennifer Lynch, shows that eccentric filmmaking runs in the family.

When you see commercials for video games, the actors involved are typically unknowns, or... if you remember this particular SNES commercial, featured a pre-fame Paul Rudd?! Sure, massive mobile games like Game of War: Fire Age got Kate Upton, and Mobile Strike hired Arnie, but those are more the exception than the rule. Seeing an A-list celebrity casually playing Mario on a Nintendo 3DS already feels like a bit of a Twilight Zone type of viewing experience. But when we see this sex symbol dressed up as the titular plumber, moustache and all - we officially level up in terms of weird. Add Penelope’s strikingly similar looking sister Monica to the mix, and you’ve a celebrity endorsement for the ages.

What’s sexier than four strapping young British men who can sing? The possibility of bringing something officially endorsed by them in direct contact with your genitals apparently! Teamingup with Durex to release a line of condoms using the initials of their band “JLS” to spell “Just Love Safe”, the boxes even feature a headshot of a band member. You know, just in case you’d rather stare at one of them as opposed to your actual partner during intercourse. They’ve been the butt end of a number of jokes since, but we suppose we can’t fault them too much for trying to help promote safe sex.

Trying to understand the Prince of Darkness often feels like a hopeless. Endeavor. AlthoughOzzy’s on-stage antics have calmed with age, he’s still confusing the world with his choices - keeping us on our toes as he careens through life like a pinball. The Osbournes reality show was a hit, opening the door for Ozzy to get involved with mainstream promotional gigs, like World of Warcraft and Guitar Hero. In 2006, likely inspired by the idea of “domestic Ozzy” as popularised by his reality show, he was chosen to star in this butter replacement commercial. It was odd, and honestly, a little embarrassing. But hey, swallowing the head of a bat isn’t easy, and we’re betting this product would help it go down.

Bob Dylan is many things - a poet, an incredibly talented songwriter, and a renowned ladies man. But the folk legend that brought us such hits as “Maggie’s Farm,” “Hurricane” and “Mr. Tambourine Man” seems like the least appropriate person to be selling women’s lingerie. It’s an undeniably odd pairing, but what makes this endorsement even stranger is Bob Dylan’s reputation for being notoriously reclusive and generally shunning fame. This is a man who told the Nobel Prize Committee that he would not be attending the ceremony. So how Victoria’s Secret ever convinced him to participate in this ad is beyond most fans, and true to form, Mr. Dylan has never explained himself.

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

High Protein Pudding & Sylvester Stallone

Nicole by OPI Nail Polish & Justin Bieber

What’s weirder - Bob Dylan and lingerie or this NFL hall of famer teaming up with Hanes to hawk pantyhose? In the end, Joe took home the win, edging out his competition by actually putting the women’s clothing on himself. Athletes frequently endorse apparel and footwear, but their presence is usually used to convey strength and high performance. In this case however, Namath’s masculinity was used to showcase the transformative power of Hanes stockings - even his legs looked good in them. It caused quite the controversy in 1974, making many fans uncomfortable. But Namath should be commended for being unafraid to embrace his feminine side in a field where such a thing was unthinkable at the time.
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