Today's throwbackiest video: Atari Pole Position commercial from the 80s
by Kevin Kelly 
{ Apr 4th 2007 at 12:01AM }
"HEY! You look like a jerk!"
Any commercial that starts off like this is gold in our book. We can't remember seeing a commercial so disproportionally different from the actual gameplay experience. Even the raw processing power *ahem* of the Atari 5200 couldn't make Pole Position look this exciting.
You've got 80s metal, crazy haircuts, wacky family racing, and something that'll leave skidmarks on your soul. We need more commercials like this for video games.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Aprime @ Apr 4th 2007 12:08AM
Why wasn't I born in the 70s... :(
BPM @ Apr 4th 2007 12:11AM
That commercial was godly. No question about it. Makes me want to run out now and get an Atari 5200 and Pole Position.
Why are there two different boxes, though?
And, compared to the arcade original, the 5200 version doesn't look that bad...
unholy @ Apr 4th 2007 12:12AM
God, I miss the eighties...
Arbuz Chokaro @ Apr 4th 2007 12:18AM
Jesus, that as the best commercial EVER.
"HEY! You look like a jerk!" is definately my new greeting.
ShortFuse @ Apr 4th 2007 12:23AM
skidmarks on my soul, indeed
Kevin @ Apr 4th 2007 12:31AM
Is that Laguna Seca?
ANt @ Apr 4th 2007 12:31AM
Was that Dana Plato in the passenger seat?? RIP
John Doe @ Apr 4th 2007 12:33AM
Its almost as good as RIIIIIIDGE RAAAAAAAACER! :-P
Anon @ Apr 4th 2007 12:34AM
That's not metal.
accidental @ Apr 4th 2007 1:01AM
"That's not metal."
You're right. It's 80s Metal
You must have complained the whole way through Waynes World as well.
Ben Tremblay @ Apr 4th 2007 1:05AM
Good god! Best Commercial Ever!
No wait, the Segata Sanchiro ones were a bit funner*
Upload us some Segata Sanchiro stuff next!
h.solo @ Apr 4th 2007 1:06AM
I remember wasting the better part of many a summer day playing 5200 pole position. I totally miss the 80's
By the way the second box was for the 2600.
Negativecool @ Apr 4th 2007 1:10AM
It'll leave skid marks on my what now?
hvnlysoldr @ Apr 4th 2007 1:14AM
I say that the Super Smash Bros commercial is better!
Joel @ Apr 4th 2007 4:10AM
Every time you guys put up a video it does not work for me.... in ANY browser. I have the plug-ins.
Rubang B @ Apr 4th 2007 1:53AM
This commercial's better, but just barely. It's the commercial for Ice Hockey for the Atari 2600 by Activision, STARRING PHIL HARTMAN.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lROb1vWNiig
t_m @ Apr 4th 2007 2:44AM
it'll be banned by the UK advertising standards agency...
Revo @ Apr 4th 2007 2:54AM
Skid marks on souls aside, the commercial actually does a surprisingly good job of making the gameplay experience *seem* realistic by melding the real life footage with in-game footage. It doesn't look like much today, but 25 years ago I bet it was pretty effective.
Burnt Meatloaf @ Apr 4th 2007 4:38AM
Funniest thing I've seen in a month!
Ahhhh... back when games were worth more than 2 hours of gameplay, too.
ill trooper @ Apr 4th 2007 5:43AM
A full preppie family? An omniscent booming voice from the sky, personified by a giant hand that shakes the Sperry topsiders right off of Muffy and Biff Jr.? Real EXPLOSIONS?
Wow... That is great! It's a pretty expensive-looking commercial for a video game - now days it's almost all CG faked-up versions of 'gameplay.'
Atari was, to paraphrase the words of Jim Jones...
"Stay Fly...No Lie... Atari was
"BALLIN!'"
Jeff @ Apr 4th 2007 7:49AM
That really was pretty funny. I've seen a lot of these ads, but I honestly don't remember this one.
Also interesting that it's a minute and a half! Holy advertising time, Batman.
Somebody asked why there are two different boxes:
http://tinyurl.com/39wbhc
http://tinyurl.com/32fbyk
Just two different systems.
Evan @ Apr 4th 2007 8:21AM
At least they showed more in-game footage than a Sony PS3 ad.
sheppy @ Apr 4th 2007 9:13AM
WRONG! This is the best video game ad ever.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GwWD6SKhCj4
Dr. Mario dancing with Link, Megaman, TMNT, and more before flying face first into a giant monster and ending it all with a cartoony Mario Hitler salute...
Mark @ Apr 4th 2007 10:27AM
Does anyone remember the movie D.A.R.Y.L. ? There was a scene when Daryl was playing Pole Position and for some reason the game started playing at some incredibly fast speed. Not clear why that happened, but it was one of the dummest video game scenes in a movie ever.
Pole Position is great though.
hvnlysoldr @ Apr 4th 2007 9:30AM
That Korean gameboy commercial is awesome.
Slaziman @ Apr 4th 2007 9:36AM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UvljN9ycqLg
:D
Slaziman @ Apr 4th 2007 9:42AM
@Jeff
Wow that's freaky, on the boxshots of both games you can see a quote from Joystik magazine... wtf!?
Jason @ Apr 4th 2007 10:16AM
Personally, I like the "It'll bust your crank.." quote, LOL.
Peacefuloutrage @ Apr 4th 2007 10:49AM
@Mark
Data
Analysis
Robot
Youth
Lifeform
With movies like D.A.R.Y.L., The Goonies, Ferris Bueller's Day Off and Flight of the Navigator, I have fond memories of being an 80s kid. Now everything is a sequel or a re-release of a foreign movie witha different name, with WORSE writing.
Buckshot @ Apr 4th 2007 11:33AM
My 5200 was sweet, paddle joysticks with number pads. It kept my interest until C64.
Sidepocket @ Apr 4th 2007 11:52AM
Wow, never saw that one when I was young. It was so bad and lame even for back then, I was actualy expecting a "This Is Living" plug in at the end. -,-;
waLLy @ Apr 4th 2007 1:19PM
I remember that commercial. It was eventually banned because of the scene where the giant hand shakes people out of the car.
The FCC felt that it would compel people to become large and shake around other citizens in their Rabbits.
moosey @ Apr 4th 2007 2:47PM
"Atari was, to paraphrase the words of Jim Jones...
"Stay Fly...No Lie... Atari was
"BALLIN!'"
"
in the words of another jim jones..."just drink the kool-aid."
Levi @ Apr 4th 2007 3:00PM
Screw this "I
Levi @ Apr 4th 2007 3:06PM
What the hell happened to my post? Anyways, screw ilovebees and all that ARG crap, I want to see more commercials like this!
ill trooper @ Apr 4th 2007 3:46PM
Nice, Moosey... I thought of that joke too when I paraphrased the Jim Jones lyric... The funny thing is that in an article about Jim Jones (the rapper) I read, he acted like the interviewer was crazy and brushed it off when he was asked about Jim Jones (People's Temple), like that was 'ancient history' and 'Who cares?'
Kids these days! No respect for a good cult!
xstompx @ Apr 4th 2007 3:59PM
I have fond memories of the SSB commercial, but I can't say I ever saw the posted one. Alas for me being on 2 when the 80s ended *shakes fist*
playfulsteve @ Apr 5th 2007 8:51PM
Ahh the good old days of Atari (I had a 2600 and a 5200, much like a previous poster, the 5200, was just a placeholder until c-64 came the following christmas in my house).
If you pick up the activision 2600 collection for PC, the commercial for each game is unlocked during gameplay.
I remember having a scrap book of all the activision patches I received. I'll have to go visit moms and see if that is still floating around somewhere.......... :)