Did you know Nintendo once made a commercial featuring a mouse humping one of their video consoles? Well, here’s a reminder.
Back in the mid-2000’s, the family friendly gaming giant released an ad for its new redesigned Game Boy Advance, the Game Boy Micro. Smaller, sleeker and featuring a new and improved backlit screen, the new console ultimately didn’t sell well. One possible reason? Bizarre, NSFW commercials.
Yes, Nintendo tried to be edgy while pushing the new product. Most memorably, they created the following spot.
In the ad, scientists from the “Nintendo Recovery Center” put a Game Boy Micro and a piece of cheese at opposite ends of a maze. Naturally, a mouse is dropped into the puzzle and eventually chooses the Game Boy Micro. That’s when the commercial takes an unexpected turn. The little mouse starts aggressively humping the console much to the surprise of the scientist, who covers the action with a clipboard. Not to be outdone, the last shot shows the scientist staring at the maze with a gross looking on his face. Imply what you’d like.
Nowhere in the ad is specifications for the improved console. Heck, you don’t even see the Game Boy Micro being played. It’s all about shock value.
While the commercial is memorable (for the wrong reasons), it didn’t jive at all with the product. It’s edginess before thought. I can’t imagine people saw the commercial and immediately wanted to buy a Game Boy Micro.
Old Nintendo ads are the stuff of legends. But this one went too far. I’ve gotta say this, at the very least, it’s memorable and will continue to live on in infamy.
