Duncan Toys has a long and rich history, stretching back to the late 1920s and encompassing some of the most brilliant and truly American aspects of entrepreneurship.
And of course, that means they’ve made some absolutely horrifying commercials. Here are a few choice gems from their archives that will leave you wondering, laughing, and cringing.
Have you ever heard a human being speak more awkwardly than this? Disco robot demonstrator?
No matter how weird a guy on stilts throwing yoyos may be, the Japanese voiceover makes it seem oddly commonplace.
I’m not sure exactly why they chose to film this in the back warehouse of a lawn & garden shop, but the fake gazebo in the back really sells the “fun” of yoyos.
Filmed in someone’s garage and produced for the princely sum of no more than five dollars, this is hands-down the most god-awful, low-budget commercial I’ve ever seen. For anything!
This commercial starts off ridiculous, and then? BOOM: Fat Elvis Kid pops out the top of the convertible. Amazing.
Wait…is the kid on the couch the same as the Fat Elvis kid from the last commercial?
Because nothing says relevant in 1999 like a long-defunct 80’s New Wave band from Ohio. Bonus: Look at lil’ Hank Freeman!
Fun fact: I didn’t actually know about the whole “Give Us The Finger” thing until AFTER I filmed my part of this commercial. And when I found out, and told them that it was the stupidest idea I’d ever heard, they were not happy with my quality feedback. And thus did I learn: Never say yes until you’ve seen the whole script. *facepalm*
PAY NO ATTENTION TO THE FACT THAT I NEVER ACTUALLY USED THE YOYO THAT THE COMMERCIAL IS SELLING. DRINK COKE!
This is actually pretty good. Kinda surprised it holds up as well as it does, actually.