Top 30 Funniest Banned Commercials

This commercials comic timing is everything. While two men are playing golf, one of them suggests to the other to chip it out. Chip shots are done when there is a short distance from the green, letting the ball roll towards the hole. The playing golfer, however, insists they can get the ball through the narrow treesonly for the ball to hit his fellow golfer. Ouch. But its also hilarious timing. The point of the ad, of course, was to illustrate the power of their golf clubs. Why this commercial was banned was clear enoughbut its still very funny.

You would think a U.K. commercial for a beverage wouldnt involve a man wrapped in a carpet filled with a bunch of oranges rolling down a hill. But youd be wrong in that. What cinches the comedy in this Tango Orange ad is the sports commentator, narrating as if this were an actual legitimate sport move. Unfortunately, the Advertising Standards Authority Watchdog banned the commercial in November 2004, out of fear children watching might try to copy the stunt. This isnt the only time Tango Orange would release a controversial commercialor an unforgettably amusing one.

Super Bowl ads are often some of the best, but also often among the most controversial. This 2015 commercial is a spoof of a Budweiser one. In it, a lost puppy manages to return to its ownersexcept those owners had already sold the pup online through their GoDaddy website. Naturally, there was an outcry, drawing comparison with real life puppy mills, and a petition was started to remove the offending commercial. GoDaddy apologized and pulled it. We dont want to be callous or anything, but it is a fresh take on the typical corny lost pet or animal commercial. Also, it makes for a very funny twist ending.

Balls and balls are a popular theme for risqué ads, it seems. This 2007 Rolling Rock Super Bowl ad attracted controversy for obvious reasons. It features a regular game of baseball, but once the batter hits the ball, it ricochets everywhere literally. The only two people immune to the maniacal magic baseball, or simply just well-prepared, have arrived with cups. And drink Rolling Rock beer, of course. Again, the sports commentator makes the comedy, increasingly chagrined at the baseballs reign of terror. Sadly, the ad was rejected and never aired during the Super Bowl.

The legendary rivalry between Pepsi and Coke, known as the Cola wars, was fraught at times, but it created undeniable entertainment for many cola lovers. In response to Coca-Colas claim that it sold four times as many cans as Pepsi, the company made this savage commercial. Here, a young boy buys two cans of coke from the vending machineonly for him to use them as stilts in order to order the Pepsi. Of course, there was backlash and the ad was subsequently banned. But Pepsis savage trolling still goes viral on social media, making this oldie very much a goodie.

This 2009 commercial has it in the can. This innuendo-rife ad featured people talking about how much they loved getting it in the can at some point or another. They are referring, of course, to Bud Light Lime, now available in a can as well as in a bottle. Of course, the ads very suggestiveness prevented it from being aired during the Super Bowl. This wouldnt be the first time a Budweiser commercial generated controversy for its suggestive nature or was even banned. But the idea was still very cheeky, and it makes for a great laugh.

Online dating website Zoosk stirred controversy with this 2010 ad which featured a woman talking about her recent in-person dating experience. The date in question considers himself good at darts, but his one dart move goes horribly awry. The moral? Online dating websites are a superior way to date. The sight of the poor guy on the receiving end of the dart proved too much for many, which is why it was banned in Europe for being too violent. But lets face it: Weve all been there at some point. Also, the comic timing is ghoulishly good.

Now, this was a brilliant idea for a condom commercial. This 2004 Belgian-French ad features a supermarket where a little boy begins to scream when he is denied his bonbons. What follows is a temper tantrum and rampage. The obvious conclusion is that the dad should have bought some condoms when he had the chance. While some people praised its humor and cleverness in promoting its product, others condemned the crudity of the execution. It was banned in Europe, but theres no denying that its an effectively clever ad, and one you dont easily forget.

This 2001 commercial really makes the benefits of understanding English clear. In the ad, a Dutch family goes into their car and puts on an English-language song with very crude lyrics. The family bops their head along to the song, blissfully unaware of its family-unfriendly vulgarity. The tagline effectively sells the services of the company, which is to teach English. Naturally, the commercial was banned by the Dutch government for its use of inappropriate and crude language. Soesman Language Training no longer exists, but its advert is definitely a classic, and hilarious.

This risqué commercial for this Chrysler vehicle was risky indeed. In it, two men are discussing a poster of the new SUV. The twist is a third party is listening in one of the stalls, growing increasingly confused at their unintentionally suggestive conversation. Chrysler executives were already very nervous in premiering the ad, with the skit going through multiple drafts and tests. Their concerns were real. In the end, the commercial was not shown during prime time hours. It was banned in the US before even airing for the 2007 Super Bowl. Our take? This bathroom humor was cleverly written.

Philadelphia CheeseIn 2019, the United Kingdom began enforcing legislation that banned harmful gender stereotypes in advertisements. A light Philadelphia Cheese commercial felt the brunt of this new directive when it was released. The ad shows two dads in a coffee shop that had a conveyor belt delivering various cheese-based products snaking around the shop floor. Enticed by a cream cheese bagel, the dads absentmindedly put their babies on the conveyor belt. Fortunately, their children were unharmed. The ad was banned for supposedly making dads look careless and stereotyping women as more capable caregivers. However, wed argue that anyone wouldve been enticed by that cheese in this amusing ad.

SmartBeepMost people would probably find this ad relatively inoffensive. A woman who thinks shes alone in a car lets one rip while her date is outside the vehicle. However, his friends are in the back. The commercial says the bachelorette's behavior was dumb before highlighting its smart beeper. While a funny fart joke might not be the best way to sell a product, surely people cant get that upset about a normal bodily function? Well, the censors at FOX apparently did. They took issue with this flatulent SmartBeep commercial and had it pulled. Outside of FOX, the commercials star Clare Salstrom appeared on The Late Late Show to talk about how fun the fart was to shoot.

Nissan Tiida

Though Sex and the City had been off the air for around two years when this ad aired, Kim Cattrall was brought in to reprise her role as Samantha for this Nissan commercial. Its made in the same style as the sultry show, with Cattrall dishing about the ride of her life over the phone. Shes hilariously talking about the Nissan Tiida and not her latest fling. But that wasnt enough for New Zealands regulators. While the innuendos in her dialogue were the only provocative part of the ad, it received complaints. Nissan eventually decided to get ahead of the scandal and pull the ad themselves.

AudibleYou wouldnt think an ad for Audible would have anything offensive in it, let alone dangerous, but the Australians didnt agree. Popular Aussie comedian Celeste Barber starred in this spot about finding opportunities to listen to an audiobook during your daily routine. Shes joined by Poh Ling Yeow of Masterchef fame. A scene where Barber is jokingly found sitting inside Pohs refrigerator earned the ire of regulators. There were claims that the commercial was dangerous because impressionable viewers might copy the chilling act. Outside of the controversial scene, its still a fun Audible ad.

Tampax

The funniest thing about this ad is the idea that Tampax would ever have its own talk show just to advertise menstrual products. But the whole point of talking about that time of the month went over a lot of peoples heads. Unfortunately, the ad was widely complained about and ultimately banned in Ireland for being offensive. In an ironic twist, the ban mightve been more slammed than the ad. People rightfully pointed out that theres nothing vulgar about talking about an incredibly common item half the population uses. And the commericals humor was a great way to get an important message across.

For Goodness ShakesMoving from one part of the human body to another, this protein shake commercial implies that the men it stars are doing something...incredibly inappropriate in public places. The men are actually trying to get their protein shakes just right. Luckily, For Goodness Shakes is here to provide protein shakes that are ready to drink right away. So unlike the men in this ad, youll avoid any hilarious mixups in public while trying to mix your protein drink. The commercials' logical explanation didnt prevent it being seen as too edgy for TV. Its not surprising to hear it was banned by the UKs advertising authority.

Burger KingAbove being racy or inappropriate, theres another big issue lots of advertisers face when making their commercials: theyre not supposed to lie or mislead the audience. Thats exactly why a humorous Burger King ad from 2010 was banned in the UK. It shows a man whos snuck out to a motel room to enjoy the new Tendercrisp Chicken. But hes caught in the act by a jealous cow that wants him to eat beef instead. It wasnt banned because of the implication that this man has a weird connection with a jealous cow. Nope, it was pulled because the real Tendercrisp Chicken sandwich is a lot smaller than the one shown.

Wodka Vodka

This ad from 2011 was allegedly banned for its gender stereotypes. It was part of a long-running campaign by Wodka Vodka, a Polish liquor company. In this commercial, a woman says shell get the house clean and cook a nice dinner for her partner while hes at work. But its revealed that her private profession involves her forcing male clients to do household chores. Either the racy content or depiction of a woman being placed in a traditional role mightve earned the ad a ban. As offensive as some may have found it, the commercial features funny and creative problem solving. Admittedly, its not entirely clear what any of this has to do with vodka.

Tango

This Tango ad features a man painted orange going up and slapping another man whos just opened a can of Tango, an orange-flavored soda sold in the UK. This hit apparently represents the overwhelming tang you taste when you take your first sip. This silly commercial was banned in the UK after it allegedly caused an epidemic of impressionable viewers slapping each other. After news of these supposed incidents broke, the ad was pulled from the air and replaced with a less violent Orange Man. Despite the controversy, the you know when youve been Tangod campaign continued to bring wild success to the company.

PS VitaThis is another ad that initially seems like it was only banned for being far too suggestive. In the commercial, a female doctor claims viewers are doing it far more often than is healthy. Obviously, by doing it she means playing on Sonys handheld PlayStation Vita with the new remote play feature. This funny remote play commercial turned out to be no laughing matter for Sony. The ad was lambasted for being misleading about Vita function as well as its inappropriate phrasing. Sony claimed it was cross-platform gaming when really, youre just streaming your console to a handheld. Ultimately, this doctored ad and more like it cost the company to lose money over false advertising.

Six Nations Rugby ChampionshipWhen you initially watch this commercial, it seems like everybody is supporting the English rugby team in the lead-up to 2012s Six Nations Rugby Championship. But youll see a hilariously unexpected truth when you look closer. The people voicing their support for England are wearing flags and coats of arms from different countries that also compete. Fans from Wales, Ireland, and Italy are all seen. A tagline reveals that these people are actually naming the country they want to lose the tournament. The BBC pulled the trailer over fears it would upset the English before pulling another similar ad in 2017.

HyundaiIn this car commercial, we see an older woman driving with a much younger man in her vehicle. She then sees her husband driving in a different car up ahead and puts the passenger seat all the way back so the husband wont see her companion. At the end of the commercial though, its revealed that the husband also driving a Hyundai is hiding an affair too. It just so happens that he's accompanied by a young man wearing a cowboy hat. Its unclear what got the ad banned. Either way, it was a clever way to show off a cars passenger seat.

Vim CreamWe open on a shot of a woman behind a glass screen and her young daughter seemingly visiting her in prison. But its quickly revealed that the mom isnt in prison at allshes actually trapped in her bathtub. Any adult knows that cleaning the bathroom is probably the worst of all household jobs. Vim offered to expedite the process with its flashy cleaning cream. Despite being widely acclaimed in the advertising world, this ad was supposedly pulled at one time. Maybe the prison setup was too much for viewers to handle.

VeetUnlike many other contentious commercials, these ads were part of an extensive campaign. So, there are quite a few of them that all follow the same trend. They went out in 2014 and implied a woman forgetting to shave or wax for a day would make her turn into an extremely hairy man. Multiple people including a beautician, a cab driver, and an extremely judgmental paramedic were horrified at the existence of body hair on a woman. We understand Veet is a company that makes hair removal products and needs to advertise them. But despite some potential for sharp social commentary, pretty much everybody felt these commercials missed the mark.

Nintendo Gameboy Micro

The Gameboy took the world by storm as a wildly popular handheld. Its Micro version rounded out the Gameboy family when it was released in 2005. But one ad couldve ruined Nintendos mostly family-friendly image. We see a rat placed in a maze with a Gameboy and a piece of cheese. Scientists mean to test whether the food or handheld is more irresistible. Naturally, the rat chooses the Gameboy. But things definitely cross a line when the rat appreciates the Gameboy Micro*ahem* way too much. Given the inappropriate content in a commercial aimed at kids, its easy to see why this hilariously unexpected ad may have been downplayed.

Hyundai Veloster

Although its always good for any car manufacturer to focus on how safe its latest vehicle is, Hyundai definitely took it a little too far in this commercial for the Veloster. In it, we see a woman being driven home in a Ford Focus. Unfortunately, she forgets to look both ways when she gets out. She immediately gets into a car accident thanks to the Grim Reapers influence. We then see the same scenario play out again, but this time shes in a Hyundai Veloster. Since its a three-door, she gets out on the other side and avoids the accident while the grim reaper gets hilarious comeuppance. In a rare instance, Hyundai decided to take the ad out of rotation before it was fully banned.

Xbox 360At the beginning of the Xbox 360s lifecycle, Microsoft advertised its new flagship console a little aggressively. Though it was a great device, the companys standoff ad wasnt as well regarded. It was meant to be an innocent ad where strangers used imaginary finger guns in a big pretend showdown. The commercial was even shown off by Microsoft at a few promotional events and was presumably intended to be put on TV. While the commercial was played for fun, there were questions if the ad was making light of violent acts. In yet another example of a company trying to avoid future controversy, Microsoft decided not to air the ad. The zany finger gun battle was left to only exist in our imaginations.

Bud Light

In this attention grabbing Super Bowl ad, an office clothing drive promises to give people a Bud Light for every item of clothing donated. This leads to office workers giving away every piece of clothing on their bodies. Though the nudity is all censored, the amusing concept quickly grows uncomfortable as the ad goes on. It was ultimately deemed too much for television. But its not the only banned Bud Light advert to get in trouble. A commercial with an over-the-top pillow fight was criticized for violence. And yet another ad about two skinny dippers was also pulled from screens for the risque content.

kgb

This is another Super Bowl spot that didnt get past the censors. Designed to be as shocking as possible, it features two golfers who get their heads stuck in their rear-ends after discussing global warming. The ad makes it clear that they dont really know much about the subject. Seeing as kgb is a fact-checking service, the crux of the ad is that if you dont use them, youll end up just like these unfortunate golfing guys. The commercial is definitely funny and memorable. However, CBS kept kgbs ad off its airways.

NandosThe last thing you should be doing while youre trying to advertise a chicken restaurant is feature a roster of the worlds most notorious dictators. But thats exactly what Nandos did in this insane commercial from 2011. It featured Zimbabwean dictator Robert Mugabe, who was still alive at the time, hanging out with Colonel Gaddafi, Mao Zedong, and even Saddam Hussein. The ad ends with the suggestion that Mugabe is upset that his fellow autocrats have been removed from power because he doesnt have anyone to share his chicken with. They say theres no such thing as bad publicity, but this ad would firmly disagree. After staff received threats of boycotts and even violence, the commercial was pulled.

Which other funny commercial do you know was also majorly controversial? Let us know in the comments down below!