Super Bowl Commercials: Milton Kent's Starting 11

At any other time, during any other game, a commercial provides the perfect opportunity for conversation, reflection on what has just taken place in a game or, let's be honest, a chance to answer nature's call.

Of course, all bets are off during the Super Bowl, where the two to three minutes between segments have proven over the years to be as entertaining as the games themselves, most times more so.

Still, Super commercials have to have that certain je ne sais quoi, that oomph, that duende to make you consider missing a bathroom break to stop to watch. These 11 have had "it."

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11. 1992: "To be settled in Barcelona" (Reebok) -- In order to make a run at industry-leader Nike, Reebok dreamed up a cute series of ads centered on a supposed battle between U.S. decathletes Dan O'Brien and Dave Johnson for gold at that summer's Olympics in Barcelona. It might have worked, too, if not for one tiny problem: O'Brien didn't qualify for the American squad. Still, the ads were cute, if not annoyingly ubiquitous.

10. 1993: "Off the floor, off the scoreboard, off the backboard, no rim" (McDonald's) -- McDonald's convened Michael Jordan and Larry Bird for a slyly funny spot in which Bird challenged Jordan in an offbeat game of HORSE for Jordan's Big Mac. How offbeat? By the end of the commercial, the two men were making up shots outdoors. Jordan, by that point, was a legendary pitchman, but this commercial went a long way towards humanizing Bird.

9. 1998: "Ay-chee-wa-wa" (Doritos) -- In this Doritos spot, two clods are doing the wash at the local laundromat when former Miss USA Ali Landry walks in. The two guys take turns doing chip-based tricks to impress Landry, who trumps them by grabbing their snacks and tossing them into the dryer, where they emerge as 3-D super chips. Meanwhile, Landry does gymnastics and the two slackers are left slack-jawed, save for the aforementioned phrase.

8. 2003: "When it's game time, it's pain time, baby. Whoo!" (Reebok) -- Ten years after the Dan vs. Dave debacle, Reebok returned nicely with a brilliant send-up of office politics. Specifically, "Terry Tate, office linebacker" is hired by management to promote workplace efficiency and enforce office policy, by running over and smashing slackers in much the same way the New Orleans defense ran over Brett Favre in the NFC title game. Former Division 1-AA All America linebacker Lester Speight played Tate with the proper mix of humor and terror.

7. 2008: "You just saw me buy stock. No big deal" (E*TRADE) -- Of course, it's no big deal to see someone buy stock on television. Except when that someone is a baby in a walker. The tow-headed kid with a man's voice has been the focus of a hilarious series of E*TRADE commercials, and has been joined in recent spots by other babies, including a singing one. Normally, ongoing commercials run their course quickly, but that baby should keep talking until he's ready to go to college.

6. 1984: "We are one people, with one will, one resolve, one course" (Apple) -- Apple launched its Macintosh line with a frightening representation of George Orwell's 1984. In the spot, a blandly dressed audience listens raptly to a fascist leader delivering a message of solidarity. Suddenly, a woman in white T-shirt and orange shorts breaks free to assault the screen on which the leader appears with a sledgehammer, breaking it. The ad was one of the most artistic and imaginative to be presented on a Super Sunday, though many viewers likely had no idea what was being sold.

5. 1976: "It's a miracle" (Xerox) -- Religious humor can be tricky to pull off, but it was done masterfully in this commercial in which calligrapher Brother Dominic is asked by a fellow monk to mass-produce his handiwork. Needless to say, the good Brother turns to a higher power, namely Xerox, to accomplish his task and verily, it is done. Brother Dominic's heavenward glance at the end of the ad is priceless.

4. 1989: "Who will be the ruler of the cooler?" (Budweiser) -- Over the years, Budweiser has employed talking frogs, horses and actual people to peddle its beer, but for the Bud Bowl series, it turned to the beer bottles themselves to hawk the product. The commercial montages, which went on into the 1990s, depicted a stop-action animated football game between Budweiser and Bud Light. Broadcasting heavyweights on the order of Bob Costas, Brent Musberger, Keith Jackson, Don Meredith, Terry Bradshaw and Chris Berman called the "action," and delivered their lines with just the right mix of cheekiness and cheese. The ads were completely over-the-top, the only way to make them work.

3. 1991: "You got the right one, baby" (Diet Pepsi) -- Diet Pepsi spared no expense in turning the late Ray Charles loose, including backup singers, a symphony orchestra and dancers. The original ad and its successors, which tapped into the global appeal of the cola, were rollicking good fun, which you would certainly expect from a man who sang Let The Good Times Roll. And roll they did, baby.

2. 1984: "Where's the beef?" (Wendy's) -- The Wendy's spot started harmlessly enough, with two elderly women marveling at the size of a hamburger bun. However, a few seconds later, another woman, Clara Peller, strolled up, and looking at the paltry beef patty on the underside of the bun, uttered the three words that would become a part of that fall's presidential campaign as well as turn her into a star.

1. 1979: "Thanks, Mean Joe" (Coke) -- It's hard to imagine a more moving, more heartwarming commercial than this Coke spot. In it, Pittsburgh Steeler defensive legend Joe Greene hobbles down a corridor, jersey thrown over his shoulder. As he attempts to make his way to the locker room, a boy, eyes aglow with reverence for his hero, stops Greene and asks what he can do for him. When Greene says nothing, the boy offers Greene his Coke. Greene refuses at first, then accepts the bottle and gulps its down with one swallow. The boy turns away, dejected that he won't even get a word of thanks, and says "See you around." At that moment, Greene calls the kid back and tosses him his sweaty jersey. The kid's face lights up and hearts are melted. The ad is a masterpiece for its nobility and simplicity, as well as for fostering the notion that a sugary cola can bring a football player and a kid together. Thanks, Mean Joe, indeed.