A Blast From the Past: 10 Classic Atari Commercials

Seeing old Nintendo or Genesis commercials always creates a sense of nostalgia, mostly because most of us are young enough to remember when they actually aired.  What I don’t remember, though, are old Atari commercials.  It’s funny to think that at one point, the Atari and its games were considered a luxury and the height of home video game entertainment.  I still remember playing Atari as a real young kid – the joysticks were impossible to really move – but the advertisements are something that I just can’t recall.

Fortunately, there’s YouTube, and I managed to find some classic commercials for the Atari system and games.  Most of them are pretty ridiculous, and a couple even feature some pretty well-known celebrities.  Take a look at 10 of the best after the jump.

Pac-Man

Without a doubt, Pac-Man had to be Atari’s big money maker.

Everything Atari

Just how there are tons of games and accessories for modern consoles, Atari was smart enough to pump out a variety of products and turn a profit.

Pong

In what seems to be a trend, you’ll notice that Atari commercials don’t really show much gameplay.  This was a smart decision.

She is relentless

Cute kid, and this commercial could easily apply to a console today.

Mario Bros.

Wow.  It’s almost bizarre enough to pass for a Japanese commercial.

Pole Position

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Om84Zc4-KcQ

Another one that could have made it onto the Japanese airways.

Pete Rose and Don Knotts make the pitch

Pete Rose doesn’t do many commercials anymore for obvious reasons.  And it’s not because he’s retired.

E.T., possibly the worst game ever made

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KfyDk5iXwi4

Have you ever played E.T.?  It’s not a video game.  I don’t know what it is.  But smart decision again by Atari for showing minimal gameplay.

Phil Hartman wants to play Ice Hockey

It’s a Phil Hartman sighting!  I love how he starts screaming toward the end.

Alan Alda calls out typewriters

Suck on it, typewriters.