Nintendo Really Does Have Some of the Greatest Commercials of All Time

As I’ve stated before, there’s something inherently endearing about video game marketing. Maybe it’s the way it excites us with great trailers, maybe it’s the way they try to be edgy and use different viral and marketing campaigns to push themselves to the forefront of gamer’s attention, or maybe it’s just the fact that we love to see new video games. Any way you look at it, there’s something to be said of its power and influence on the industry as a whole.

And being that they’re one of the oldest and most established game makers in gaming’s history, Nintendo has some pretty amazing commercials that extend clear back to the wild, wacky, and weird days of the 80’s and 90’s. Here’s a collection of the odd, the inspiring, and the borderline hilarious that represent some of the best Nintendo’s marketing has ever offered. Make sure to share yours in the comments below!

Vanilla Ice Would Be Proud



Really, the jokes write themselves with this one. “Whoa, look at those graphics!” Yes, look at those graphics indeed. And let’s not forget about the rhymes this kid drops on the spot that would leave the most savvy of rappers fumbling for insults about his mother. I kid, I kid…mostly.

“Mario! Mario! Mario!”



Because nothing says “BUY OUR GAMES!” quite like a commercial starring kids in sweatsuits, squealing guitars, and Mario’s face plastered over Canada.

It’s Mario…You Can EAT



Back in the 80’s and 90’s, we had a really bad problem with turning popular kid-friendly franchises into some sort of edible entity. Macaroni and Cheese, candy, crackers…hell, I even remember eating yogurt with some of my favorite cartoon characters printed on the front.

One of the biggest offenders, though, was cereal. Cereal makes up one of the key kid food groups, so it’s no surprise that many characters have been turned into a sugary corn puff at some point in their life. And yes, that includes the infamous Mario and Link in their two-fer cereal shown here.

Everything Else is Child’s Play



Ah, the power glove. It was supposed to be a game changer. It was supposed to revolutionize the way you interacted with your games. Instead, it was a failed peripheral that goes to show gamers weren’t interested in motion controls over twenty years ago (news flash…we still aren’t).

Legend of Zelda…Gangnam Style



The Japanese are the masters of all things wacky when it comes to marketing, so it’s really both amazing and not surprising to see a Legend of Zelda commercial featuring more Zelda raps and a choreographed dance taking place in a dungeon ripped straight out of Xena: Warrior Princess. Really, there’s not much to say about this outside of…wow.

Paul Rudd at His Best



Not much to say about this one outside of DAT HAIR.

Willst Thou Suck?



The Ocarina of Time is universally considered one of the greatest games ever made. And from this commercial, it’s clear to see that game makers anticipated it as being so, thanks to the commercial’s epic quality. Fun fact: This commercial was shown in movie theaters. Pretty cool, huh?

Super Smash Bros.



Looking like the kid’s show of parent’s nightmares, this commercial gave us a look at what Mario, Donkey Kong, Yoshi, and Pikachu would look like in real life. The result is nightmare town-ish. Of course, the game’s success was anything but.

“Wii Would Like to Play”

The Nintendo Wii is still one of the most successful consoles of all time. It went from being an interesting idea to an absolute phenomenon at its release. Of course, interest petered out not too long after, but it’s impossible to deny the influence and insane success of the Nintendo Wii. These are the commercials that started it all.



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