From sledgehammer-tossing freedom fighters to misunderstood teenagers at Christmas, Apple’s TV commercials have hit us with some truly iconic imagery over the years. But when a company has been around since the 1970s, it’s no great surprise that a select few ads would slip our collective memory.

After scouring through hundreds of big-time commercials and tiny TV spots that promoted Cupertino’s products over the years, here are our picks for the Apple advertisements that time forgot. All of them are worthy of a second look — and almost all of them for the right reasons.

A new iPhone cometh, my friends, and sooner than you think! Find out all we know about Apple’s rumored September 12th media event on our newest CultCast, and what special goodies they will be revealing unto the world that fine, fine day.

Then — it’s been the talk of the Applesphere — those controversial new Mac ads the big A unleashed during the olympic games. Love’em or hate ’em, we’ll tell you why we’ve been less than thrilled, and so will our special guest, former Apple ad guy and long time Jobs’ collaborator, Ken Segall.

Subscribe to The CultCast now on iTunes, or easily stream new episodes right on your iPhone or iPad with Apple’s newly updated and freshly debugged Podcasts App.

Show notes ahead!

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbJSuduTrPs

To answer Microsoft’s controversial “Laptop Hunter” series, Landline TV parodies the series by sending homeless Frank out to seek a computer. (NB: put your headphones on, some of the language/images are NSFW.)

He loves the Macs (“these are beautiful”), finds the PCs insulting and wants to take the cash instead of getting a PC. Doubt it would ever fly with Apple execs, but it’s a lot more convincing than the latest “Get a Mac” ads.

Via Newton Poetry

Jasper Goodall’s “Poster Girl” series, on show in London, like his “Liquid Peril” work above, takes liberal inspiration from Apple’s iconic iPod ads.

A freelance illustrator, Goodall has worked for MTV, Gucci, Adidas, Coca-Cola and BMW.

Goodall describes his work as: “sexual, fantastical, dreamy. Basically, contemporary fantasy art.”
You can see more of his work from the show here, some are borderline NSFW.

The show’s has been held over until March 12 at the Electric Blue Gallery.

Via The Mirror