The Top 10 Weirdest Food Commercials of the '90s

While there’s lots to love about the ‘90s (we low-key miss light-up Skechers and flared jeans), the era was also known for having some of the most bizarre and unforgettable food commercials. As brands experimented with outlandish concepts to stand out from competitors, they often crossed the line into the weird and surreal. These commercials, characterized by odd characters, unsettling imagery, and peculiar scenarios, have since become nostalgic relics of a time when anything seemed possible in advertising.

Here are some of the weirdest food commercials of the '90s that still have us scratching our heads.

Crystal Pepsi’s commercials were equally as strange as the drink itself. This campaign spread from 1993 featured a fast-paced montage of visuals that included a random rhino frolicking in a field coupled with other strange depictions. But the emphasis on the clear soda (which tasted like absolute garbage), the intense energy of the ad, and the disjointed visuals left viewers questioning what they had just seen. It’s no wonder Crystal Pepsi was discontinued shortly after.

In the early ‘90s, McDonald's introduced "Mac Tonight," a bizarre, crescent moon-faced crooner who sang and played the piano while promoting the chain’s late-night dining. But the character's giant moon head and strange mannerisms came off as borderline creepy — especially when placed against the noir-inspired backdrop.

These Taco Bell commercials became a cultural phenomenon in the late '90s. The campaign’s quirky concept of featuring a Chihuahua on a quest for tacos, combined with the catchy tagline “Yo quiero Taco Bell,” made it one of the most memorable ads of the decade. But the idea of a dog speaking Spanish and expressing such a strong preference for a specific fast-food chain also made the commercial a bit odd.

Gushers commercials in the '90s often depicted kids eating the fruit gummies, then having their heads transform into giant versions of whatever flavors they were eating. But the visual of a kid with a massive blueberry or watermelon head, while meant to be funny, came off as slightly creepy and unsettling — especially with the exaggerated expressions and strange sound effects.

Bubble Tape commercials from the ‘90s often portrayed adults as weird, over-the-top villains, with exaggerated features and bizarre behavior that seemed almost dystopian. The message was clear: Adults are strange and out-of-touch, while kids were the only ones who could truly enjoy the “six feet of gum.” But the unsettling adult characters added a layer of unease to these otherwise playful and creative ads.

The Pizza Head Show commercials featured an animated slice of pizza with a high-pitched voice that would embark on all kinds of quests and adventures. But the quests would often lead to Pizza Head’s near destruction, as his enemies were more than eager to eat him. The slapstick humor, combined with the odd concept of a sentient pizza slice, gave the commercials an uncomfortable edge that was both humorous and a tad disturbing. (Looking for some more pizza-fueled nostalgia? Check out these vintage photos of old-school Pizza Huts.)

This 7Up commercial from 1993 featured two red dots from the brand’s logo as they engaged in quirky antics like using a vacuum to suck out “imitation sodas” from a glass. While the animated dots looked pretty cute in their sunglasses, the nonsensical scenarios made the ad look more bizarre than effective. “Why is the logo just floating like that?” writes one YouTube user in a comment. “It's making the product look fake.” We have to agree.

These Tang commercials from 1998 featured a pair of energetic, mischievous, and slightly unhinged orangutans who promoted the drink with a level of enthusiasm that bordered on manic. The antics, which included the orangutans driving a truck and hosing people with Tang mix, made these ads feel more like fever dreams than anything else.

This Pop-Tarts commercial from the ‘90s takes place in a library and features a young man who is surprised when a Pop-Tart suddenly pops out of a book he’s reading. As if that wasn’t strange enough, the librarian, who appears stern at first, snatches the book from him and uses it for herself. The commercial then takes an even weirder turn when the librarian literally gets sucked into the book a lá Harry Potter in “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.” Very odd all around. (As strange as it was, the ad may have worked: check out the most popular Pop Tart flavor in every state.)

More food-adjacent than about a specific food product, this Canadian PSA from the early '90s featured two disheveled puppets warning children to “not put things in their mouths,” especially if they come from strangers. But the creepy-looking blue puppets, paired with the repetitive and awkward catchphrase, turned what should have been a serious message into an uncomfortable scenario. “Imagine waking up with this thing standing over you,” writes one YouTube user in a comment. Yikes — talk about the stuff of nightmares.