- 5/27/2025
From inappropriate innuendos to controversial jokes, these advertisements pushed the boundaries too far! Join us as we look at the most outrageous commercials that were pulled from TV screens worldwide. Whether they were too suggestive, misleading, or just plain shocking, these ads definitely left their mark!
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00:00Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the funniest commercials
00:10that were ever banned.
00:23This commercial's comic timing is everything.
00:26While two men are playing golf, one of them suggests to the other to chip it out.
00:30Chip shots are done when there's a short distance from the green, letting the ball roll towards the hole.
00:34The playing golfer, however, insists they can get the ball through the narrow trees,
00:39only for the ball to hit his fellow golfer.
00:41Just chip it out.
00:43I can get through there, watch.
00:44Okay.
00:50But it's also hilarious timing.
00:52The point of the ad, of course, was to illustrate the power of their golf clubs.
00:56Why this commercial was banned was clear enough, but it's still very funny.
01:00Yeah, you're right. I guess I should have chipped out, huh?
01:04Custom clubs for greater accuracy.
01:06Number 29. Pipes. Tango Orange.
01:10Slight breeze off the Cornish coast, but that won't bother him because we're in Keithley.
01:16You would think a UK commercial for a beverage would not involve a man wrapped in a carpet filled with a bunch of oranges rolling down a hill.
01:24But you'd be wrong in that.
01:25What cinches the comedy in this Tango Orange ad is the sports commentator,
01:30narrating as if this were an actual legitimate sport move.
01:32Unfortunately, the Advertising Standards Authority watchdog banned the commercial in November 2004
01:44out of fear children watching might want to copy the stunt.
01:48This isn't the only time Tango Orange would release a controversial commercial,
01:52or an unforgettably amusing one.
01:54Ah, that's what they say.
01:56You know when you've been tangoed.
01:57Number 28. Lost Puppy. Go Daddy.
02:00Super Bowl ads are often some of the best, but also among the most controversial.
02:10This 2015 commercial is a spoof of a Budweiser one.
02:13In it, a lost puppy manages to return to its owners,
02:16except those owners had already sold the pup online through their GoDaddy website.
02:21Naturally, there was an outcry, drawing comparisons with real-life puppy mills,
02:25and a petition was started to remove the offending commercial.
02:28Look, it's Buddy! I'm so glad you made it whole.
02:31Because I just sold you on this website I built with GoDaddy.
02:34GoDaddy apologized and pulled it.
02:36GoDaddy CEO writing overnight,
02:38We're listening. Message received.
02:41Pulling the ad at the center of what it calls a multi-million dollar campaign.
02:46We don't want to be callous or anything,
02:47but it is a fresh take on the typical corny lost pet or animal commercial.
02:51Also, it makes for a very funny twist ending.
02:54Ship them out!
02:55Get your domain and website all in one place at GoDaddy.com
03:00Number 27. Ricocheting Baseball. Rolling Rock.
03:04Runner in first and nobody out.
03:06Henderson the batter.
03:07Harmon on the mound.
03:07The left-hander comes set.
03:08The pitch on the way.
03:10Balls are a popular theme for risque ads, it seems.
03:13This 2007 Rolling Rock Super Bowl ad attracted controversy for obvious reasons.
03:18It features a regular game of baseball, but once the batter hits the ball, it ricochets everywhere.
03:23Literally.
03:24Henderson swings and lines one foul.
03:26Ricochets back and again Marvin.
03:28What's going on? Everybody's going down.
03:31Now the fans.
03:32I've never seen anything like this.
03:33The only two people immune to the maniacal Magic Baseball or simply just well-prepared have arrived with cups.
03:40And drink Rolling Rock beer, of course.
03:42Again, the sports commentator makes the comedy, increasingly chagrined at the baseball's reign of terror.
03:48Sadly, the ad was rejected and never aired during the Super Bowl.
03:51Rolling Rock?
03:53Yes.
03:53The legendary rivalry between Pepsi and Coke, known as the Cola Wars, was fraught at times.
04:17But it created undeniable entertainment for many cola lovers.
04:20In response to Coca-Cola's claim that it sold four times as many cans as Pepsi, the company made this savage commercial.
04:28Here, a young boy buys two cans of Coke from the vending machine.
04:31Only for him to use them as stilts to order the Pepsi.
04:34Of course, there was backlash and the ad was subsequently banned.
04:37But Pepsi's savage trolling still goes viral on social media, making this oldie very much a goodie.
04:44Number 25.
04:45In the can.
04:46Bud Light Lime.
04:47I got it in the can for the first time last night.
04:49I loved it.
04:51This 2009 commercial has it in the can.
04:53This innuendo-rife ad featured people talking about how much they loved getting it in the can at some point or another.
04:59They are referring, of course, to Bud Light Lime, now available in a can as well as in a bottle.
05:04I've only had it in the can once, but I'm definitely getting it in the can again.
05:08Of course, the ad's very suggestiveness prevented it from being aired during the Super Bowl.
05:12This wouldn't be the first time a Budweiser commercial generated controversy for its suggestive nature or was even banned.
05:18But the idea was still very cheeky and it makes for a great laugh.
05:21I didn't expect to get it in the can at the company party, but one thing led to another and sure enough, there I was, getting it in the can.
05:28Number 24, Darts Athlete, Zoosk.
05:32Oh, he's cute.
05:33I'm more into the athletic type.
05:35Didn't your friends set you up with an athlete?
05:37Online dating website Zoosk stirred controversy with this 2010 ad, which featured a woman talking about her recent in-person dating experience.
05:46The date in question considers himself good at darts, but his one dart move goes horribly awry.
05:52Wow, stretching? Really?
05:55The moral?
05:58Online dating websites are a superior way to date.
06:00The 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.
06:07But let's face it, we've all been there at some point.
06:09Also, the comic timing is ghoulishly good.
06:13Yeah, I think I'm gonna stick to Zoosk for dating.
06:15Number 23, Temper Tantrum, Zazu Condoms.
06:23Now, this was a brilliant idea for a condom commercial.
06:27This 2004 Belgian-French ad features a supermarket where a little boy begins to scream when he's denied his bonbons.
06:33What follows is a temper tantrum and rampage.
06:37The obvious conclusion is that the dad should have bought some condoms when he had the chance.
06:48While some people praised its humor and cleverness in promoting its product,
06:52others condemned the crudity of the execution.
06:54It was banned in Europe, but there's no denying that it is an effectively clever ad,
06:59and one you don't easily forget.
07:01Number 22, Learn English, Susman Language Training.
07:12This 2001 commercial really makes the benefits of understanding English clear.
07:17In the ad, a Dutch family gets into their car and puts on an English-language song with very crude lyrics.
07:22The family bops their head along to the song, blissfully unaware of its family unfriendly vulgarity.
07:28The tagline effectively sells the services of the company, which is to teach English.
07:33Naturally, the commercial was banned by the Dutch government for its use of inappropriate and crude language.
07:37Susman Language Training no longer exists, but its ad is definitely a classic and hilarious.
07:45Number 21, It's Huge.
07:48Dodge Durango SLT.
07:50Mike, check this out.
07:52Man, that's big, isn't it?
07:54This risque commercial for this Chrysler vehicle was risky indeed.
07:57In it, two men are discussing a poster of the new SUV.
08:01The twist is a third party is listening in one of the stalls,
08:04growing increasingly confused at their unintentionally suggestive conversation.
08:08Chrysler executives were already nervous in premiering the ad,
08:11with the skit going through multiple drafts and tests.
08:14You'll get some respect with that.
08:15My girlfriend loves it.
08:17Their concerns were real.
08:19In the end, the commercial was not shown during primetime hours.
08:22It was banned in the U.S. before even airing at the 2007 Super Bowl.
08:26Our take?
08:27This bathroom humor was cleverly written.
08:30You should come by tomorrow.
08:31I'll be waxing it.
08:33Number 20, Cheesy Dads.
08:35Philadelphia Cheese.
08:37In 2019, the United Kingdom began enforcing legislation that banned, quote,
08:42harmful gender stereotypes in advertisements.
08:44A light Philadelphia cheese commercial felt the brunt of this new directive when it was released.
08:50The ad shows two dads in a coffee shop that had a conveyor belt delivering various cheese-based products snaking around the shop floor.
08:56Oh, this looks good.
08:58Mmm, that's really good.
08:59Well, that's the Philadelphia.
09:00Enticed by a cream cheese bagel, the dads absentmindedly put their babies on the conveyor belt.
09:05Fortunately, their children were unharmed.
09:08Let's not tell them.
09:09The ad was banned for supposedly making dads look careless and for stereotyping women as more capable caregivers.
09:15However, we'd argue that anyone would have been enticed by that cheese in this amusing ad.
09:20Our view was that this ad really featured a kind of classic daddy doofus stereotype
09:24and basically suggests that men are less capable of looking after their children than women.
09:30And that is harmful.
09:31Number 19, a flatulent first date.
09:34Smart beep.
09:35Most people would probably find this ad relatively inoffensive.
09:39A woman who thinks she's alone in a car lets one rip while her date is outside the vehicle.
09:44However, his friends are in the back.
09:46You guys meet? Greg, Janice?
09:49We sure did.
09:50The commercial says The Bachelorette's behavior was dumb before highlighting its smart beeper.
09:54While a funny fart joke might not be the best way to sell a product,
09:58surely people can't get that upset about a normal bodily function.
10:01Well, the censors at Fox apparently did.
10:04Call 1-800-BEEP-199 for other smart stuff.
10:06They took issue with this flatulent smart beep commercial and had it pulled.
10:11Outside of Fox, the commercial star Claire Sahlstrom appeared on The Late Late Show
10:15to talk about how fun the fart was to shoot.
10:17Well, the audition, I didn't know it was for a fart.
10:20My agent didn't tell me.
10:22I guess they told a lot of people.
10:23They always leave that part out.
10:24Yeah, they knew I'd do it.
10:25They knew I'd go in.
10:26Number 18, Kim Cattrall's car commercial.
10:29Nissan Tita.
10:31Though Sex and the City had been off the air for around two years when this ad aired,
10:34Kim Cattrall was brought in to reprise her role as Samantha for this Nissan commercial.
10:39It's made in the same style as The Sultry Show,
10:41with Cattrall dishing about the ride of her life over the phone.
10:45Really smooth, great-looking, amazing body.
10:49She's hilariously talking about the Nissan Tita and not her latest fling.
10:53It was so much bigger than I expected.
10:55But that wasn't enough for New Zealand's regulators.
10:58While the innuendos in her dialogue were the only provocative part of the ad,
11:01it received complaints.
11:03Nissan eventually decided to get ahead of the scandal and pull the ad themselves.
11:07The old-new Nissan Tita makes you feel really, really...
11:10Oh, yeah!
11:11...really good inside.
11:12Number 17, A Bad Place to Read.
11:17Audible.
11:18You wouldn't think an ad for Audible would have anything offensive in it,
11:21let alone dangerous, but the Australians didn't agree.
11:25Can't think of a better time for a book.
11:27The Chamber of Secrets has been opened.
11:30Popular Aussie comedian Celeste Barber starred in this spot
11:32about finding opportunities to listen to an audiobook during your daily routine.
11:36She's joined by Po Ling Yao of MasterChef fame.
11:40Audible is amazing when you're cooking up a storm.
11:45Oh.
11:46What's cooking, Po?
11:47A scene where Barber is jokingly found sitting inside Po's refrigerator
11:50earned the ire of regulators.
11:52There were claims that the commercial was dangerous
11:54because impressionable viewers might copy the chilling act.
11:58Hey, hey, hey!
11:58Outside of the controversial scene,
12:00it's still a fun Audible ad.
12:02Number 16, A Time of the Month Talk Show, Tampax.
12:07The funniest thing about this ad is the idea that Tampax would ever have its own talk show
12:11just to advertise menstrual products.
12:13How many of you ever feel your tampon?
12:16But the whole point of talking about that time of the month went over a lot of people's heads.
12:21Unfortunately, the ad was widely complained about
12:23and ultimately banned in Ireland for being offensive.
12:26It might mean your tampon isn't in far enough.
12:29You gotta get him up there, girls!
12:31In an ironic twist, the ban might have been more slammed than the ad.
12:35People rightfully pointed out that there's nothing vulgar
12:38about talking about an incredibly common item half the population uses.
12:42And the commercial's humor was a great way to get an important message across.
12:46Not just the tip, up to the grip.
12:48So get him up there, girls, with Tampax.
12:51Number 15, Inappropriate Shaking, For Goodness Shakes.
12:55Moving from one part of the human body to another,
12:57this protein shake commercial implies that the men it stars are doing something
13:01incredibly inappropriate in public places.
13:05The men are actually trying to get their protein shakes just right.
13:13Luckily, For Goodness Shakes is here to provide protein shakes that are ready to drink right away.
13:18So, unlike the men in this ad, you will avoid any hilarious mix-ups in public
13:24while trying to mix your protein drink.
13:26The commercial's logical explanation didn't prevent it from being seen as too edgy for TV.
13:31It is not surprising to hear it was banned by the UK's advertising authority.
13:35Number 14, Cheated Out of Chicken, Burger King.
13:49Above being racy or inappropriate, there's another big issue lots of advertisers face when
13:54making their commercials.
13:55They're not supposed to lie or mislead the audience.
13:58That is exactly why a humorous Burger King ad from 2010 was banned in the UK.
14:03It shows a man who's snuck out to a motel room to enjoy the new Tender Crisp Chicken.
14:08But he's caught in the act by a jealous cow that wants him to eat beef instead.
14:13Sweetie!
14:16It wasn't banned because of the implication that this man has a weird connection with a jealous cow.
14:21Nope.
14:21It was pulled because the real Tender Crisp Chicken sandwich is a lot smaller than the one shown.
14:26So good, you're cheat on beef.
14:28Number 13, Taking Care of Chores, Woodka Vodka.
14:32This ad from 2011 was allegedly banned for its gender stereotypes.
14:37It was part of a long-running campaign by Woodka Vodka, a Polish liquor company.
14:42In this commercial, a woman says she'll get the house clean and cook a nice dinner for
14:45her partner while he's at work.
14:47I'll have this all cleaned up.
14:48I'll make you a nice dinner.
14:49Love you.
14:50Bye.
14:50Bye, baby.
14:51But it's revealed that her private profession involves her forcing male clients to do
14:55household chores.
14:56Either the racy content or depiction of a woman being placed in a traditional role might
15:06have earned the ad a ban.
15:07As offensive as some may have found it, the commercial features funny and creative problem
15:12solving.
15:13Though admittedly, it's not entirely clear what any of this has to do with vodka.
15:17Number 12, An Orange Man Tango's Too Hard, Tango.
15:24This tango ad features a man painted orange going up and slapping another man who's just
15:29opened a can of tango, an orange-flavored soda sold in the UK.
15:33Why, yes, Judy, let's look again.
15:36This hit apparently represents the overwhelming tang you taste when you take your first sip.
15:41This silly commercial was banned in the UK after it allegedly caused an epidemic of
15:46impressionable viewers slapping each other.
15:48Oh, a real orange is entangled.
15:50Yes, Ralph.
15:51Super taste sensation.
15:52Smashing drink.
15:53Lovely.
15:54After news of these supposed incidents broke, the ad was pulled from the air and replaced
15:59with a less violent orange man.
16:01Despite the controversy, the You Know When You've Been Tangoed campaign continued to bring
16:05wild success to the company.
16:07Whoa!
16:08He's enveloped by the big wet lot of oranges and tangle!
16:11Number 11, Everybody's Doing It, P.S. Vita.
16:14This is another ad that initially seems like it was only banned for being far too suggestive.
16:20In the commercial, a doctor claims viewers are doing it far more often than is healthy.
16:25How many times did you do it yesterday?
16:27Are you afraid you're doing it too often?
16:30Obviously, by doing it, she means playing on Sony's handheld PlayStation Vita with the
16:35new remote play feature.
16:36You no longer have to feel ashamed.
16:39Everybody's doing it because it's fantastic.
16:42This funny remote play commercial turned out to be no laughing matter for Sony.
16:47The ad was lambasted for being misleading about Vita function, as well as its inappropriate
16:52phrasing.
16:53Sony claimed it was cross-platform gaming, when really, you're just streaming your console
16:58to a handheld.
16:59And if you want to, you could even join me.
17:04Ultimately, this doctored ad and more like it caused the company to lose money over false
17:09advertising.
17:10Number 10, Rooting Against England.
17:13Six Nations Rugby Championship.
17:15England!
17:16When you initially watch this commercial, it seems like everybody is supporting the English
17:20rugby team in the lead-up to 2012's Six Nations Rugby Championship.
17:24England.
17:26No, it's out.
17:27But you'll see a hilariously unexpected truth when you look closer.
17:31England.
17:32England.
17:32England.
17:33The people voicing their support for England are wearing flags and coats of arms from different
17:38countries that also compete.
17:40Fans from Wales, Ireland, and Italy are all seen.
17:43The tagline reveals that these people are actually naming the country they want to lose the tournament.
17:48England!
17:48The BBC pulled the trailer over fears it would upset the English, before pulling another similar
17:57ad in 2017.
18:00Number 9, Hiding a Fling.
18:02Hyundai.
18:03In this car commercial, we see an older woman driving with a much younger man in her vehicle.
18:08She then sees her husband driving in a different car up ahead and puts the passenger seat all
18:13the way back so the husband won't see her companion.
18:18At the end of the commercial, though, it's revealed that the husband, also driving a
18:24Hyundai, is hiding an affair, too.
18:26It just so happens that he's accompanied by a young man wearing a cowboy hat.
18:33It's unclear exactly what about this ad got it banned.
18:37But either way, it was a clever way to show off a car's passenger seat.
18:41Number 8, Prison Visitor.
18:44Vim Cream.
18:44We open on a shot of a woman behind a glass screen and her young daughter seemingly visiting
18:49her in prison.
18:50But it's quickly revealed that the mom isn't in prison at all.
18:54She's actually trapped in her bathtub.
18:56I gotta get back.
18:57Any adult knows that cleaning the bathroom is probably the worst of all household jobs.
19:03Vim offered to expedite the process with its flashy cleaning cream.
19:07I love you, mama.
19:08I love you, too, baby.
19:09Despite being widely acclaimed in the advertising world, this ad was supposedly pulled at one
19:14time.
19:15Maybe the prison setup was too much for some viewers to handle.
19:18Number 7, Risking Dudeness.
19:21Vite.
19:22Unlike many other contentious commercials, these ads were part of an extensive campaign.
19:26So there are quite a few of them that all follow the same trend.
19:30They went out in 2014 and implied that a woman forgetting to shave or wax for a day would
19:36make her turn into an extremely hairy man.
19:39I shaved yesterday.
19:41Multiple people, including a beautician, a cab driver, and an extremely judgmental paramedic
19:46were horrified at the existence of body hair on a woman.
19:50I shaved yesterday.
19:52We understand that Vite is a company that makes hair removal products and needs to advertise
19:56them.
19:56But despite some potential for sharp social commentary, pretty much everybody felt these
20:01commercials missed the mark.
20:02Don't risk dudeness.
20:04Number 6, Lab Rat Test.
20:06Nintendo Game Boy Micro.
20:08The Game Boy took the world by storm as a wildly popular handheld.
20:12Its micro version rounded out the Game Boy family when it was released in 2005.
20:16But one ad could have ruined Nintendo's mostly family-friendly image.
20:21We see a rat placed in a maze with a Game Boy and a piece of cheese.
20:24Scientists mean to test whether the food or handheld is more irresistible.
20:29Naturally, the rat chooses the Game Boy.
20:31But things definitely cross a line when the rat appreciates the Game Boy Micro way too much.
20:43Given the inappropriate content in a commercial aimed at kids, it's easy to see why this hilariously
20:48unexpected ad may have been downplayed.
20:52Number 5, Grim Reaper.
20:53Hyundai Veloster.
20:55Although it's always good for any car manufacturer to focus on how safe its latest vehicle is,
21:00Hyundai definitely took it a little too far in this commercial for the Veloster.
21:07In it, we see a woman being driven home in a Ford Focus.
21:11Unfortunately, she forgets to look both ways when she gets out.
21:15She immediately gets into a car accident thanks to the Grim Reaper's influence.
21:18We then see the same scenario play out again, but this time she's in a Hyundai Veloster.
21:25Since it's a three-door, she gets out on the other side and avoids the accident,
21:30while the Grim Reaper gets a hilarious comeuppance.
21:32In a rare instance, Hyundai decided to take the ad out of rotation before it was fully banned.
21:43Number 4, Standoff.
21:45Xbox 360.
21:46At the beginning of the Xbox 360's life cycle, Microsoft advertised its new flagship console a little aggressively.
21:54Though it was a great device, the company's standoff ad wasn't as well regarded.
21:59It was meant to be an innocent ad where strangers used imaginary finger guns in a big pretend showdown.
22:05The commercial was even shown off by Microsoft at a few promotional events and was presumably intended to be put on TV.
22:17While the commercial was played for fun, there were questions if the ad was making light of violent acts.
22:23In yet another example of a company trying to avoid future controversy, Microsoft decided not to air the ad.
22:30The zany finger gun battle was left to only exist in our imaginations.
22:35Number 3, Clothing Drive.
22:44Bud Light.
22:45In this attention-grabbing Super Bowl ad, an office clothing drive promises to give people a Bud Light for every item of clothing donated.
22:53Morning, Bob.
22:54Morning, Jim.
22:55This leads to office workers giving away every piece of clothing on their bodies.
22:59Though the nudity is all censored, the amusing concept quickly grows uncomfortable as the ad goes on.
23:06It was ultimately deemed too much for television.
23:08But it's not the only banned Bud Light advert to get in trouble.
23:11A commercial with an over-the-top pillow fight was criticized for violence.
23:15Helga!
23:16No!
23:17You cut these out!
23:18No!
23:18No!
23:19No!
23:19No!
23:20No!
23:20And yet another ad about two skinny dippers was also pulled from screens for the risque content.
23:25Number 2, In the Hole.
23:27KGB.
23:28This is another Super Bowl spot that didn't get past the censors.
23:31Designed to be as shocking as possible, it features two golfers who get their heads stuck in their rear ends after discussing climate change.
23:39He's got his head up his ass.
23:41Not the first time.
23:42The ad makes it clear that they don't really know much about the subject.
23:45Seeing as KGB is a fact-checking service, the crux of the ad is that if you don't use them, you'll end up just like these unfortunate golfing guys.
23:55Next time your husbands don't have a clue, make sure they text KGB first.
23:59The commercial is definitely funny and memorable.
24:02However, CBS kept KGB's ad off its airways.
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24:22Number 1, The Last Dictator Standing.
24:25Nando's.
24:26The last thing you should be doing while you're trying to advertise a chicken restaurant is featuring a roster of the world's most notorious dictators.
24:33Those were the days, my friend.
24:38But that's exactly what Nando's did in this insane commercial from 2011.
24:42It featured Zimbabwean dictator Robert Mugabe, who was still alive at the time, hanging out with Colonel Gaddafi, Mao Zedong, and even Saddam Hussein.
24:51The ad ends with the suggestion that Mugabe is upset that his fellow autocrats have been removed from power because he doesn't have anyone to share his chicken with.
24:58No one should ever have to eat alone, so get a Nando six-pack meal for six.
25:05They say there's no such thing as bad publicity, but this ad would firmly disagree.
25:10After staff received threats of boycotts and even violence, the commercial was pulled.
25:15Which other funny commercial do you know was also majorly controversial?
25:18Let us know in the comments down below.
25:20On my right is the new Dodge Durango with up to 360 horsepower.
25:24On my left is one horse with one horsepower.
25:29That makes you feel pretty dumb, doesn't it?
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