10 Commercials That Changed Pop Culture Forever

6. Budweiser - "Bud, Weis & Er"

This is the first commercial I remember ingraining itself into my mind. My parents tell me that it wasn't the first; in fact, the first was commercial for Kern's Nectar Drinks that I went around quoting at the age of three. However, since I don't remember that, this is the commercial that holds a warm place in my heart for being the first ad to show me just how powerful and clever those folks on Madison Avenue could be. Those of you who were alive in the 1990s probably remember it, too. I'm talking about the famous "Budweiser Frogs" commercial. The ad's premise is simple. We open on a bullfrog as he sits on a lily pad in a swamp. He begins repeating one syllable: "Bud. Bud. Bud." Another frog joins in: "Weis. Weis. Weis." A third adds his voice to the chorus: "Er. Er. Er." They croak independently for a few seconds until they stumble upon that magic sequence: "Bud. Weis. Er." After a half-second of silence, the frogs begin to croak in this order, chanting faster and faster as the camera tilts up to reveal a bar with a neon Budweiser sign adorning its roof. This simple commercial took the world by storm, quickly becoming a staple of sports events and prime-time TV. A whole series of commercials revolving around the three frogs were produced. Three new characters, the chameleons Louie & Frankie and a nameless ferret hit man, were later introduced. T-shirts were produced featuring the characters, albums were recorded in which Louie & Frankie covered rock songs, and the commercials were parodied on MADtv and The Simpsons. Unfortunately, as with the Marlboro commercial we saw previously, well-meaning activists and government officials spoiled the fun, stating that the "swamp gang" was too popular with kids to be appropriate for a beer commercial. Anheiser-Busch protested, but to no avail; in deference, A-B pulled the frogs from the commercials and focused on the chameleons, who were less popular with kids. The ad campaign fizzled out soon afterward. The activists and officials made a valid point; after all, I loved these commercials, and I was only six when the first ad debuted. However, as in most cases like this, the do-gooders probably over-reacted; I can only speak for myself, but I wasn't thinking about knocking back a cool one when the commercials aired. All that controversy's in the past, however; all we're left with now is one of the most clever and best-loved ad campaigns ever produced. By the way, the man who directed this first ad was Gore Verbinski, who you probably know as the director of such films as The Ring, Rango and the first three Pirates of the Caribbean films.