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1984 (television commercial)
Encyclopedia
"1984" is an American
television commercial which introduced the Apple Macintosh
personal computer
for the first time. It was conceived by Steve Hayden
, Brent Thomas and Lee Clow
at Chiat/Day, Venice
, produced by New York production company Fairbanks Films, and directed by Ridley Scott
. Anya Major
performed as the unnamed heroine and David Graham
as Big Brother.
Its only U.S. daytime televised broadcast was on January 22, 1984 during and as part of the telecast of the third quarter of Super Bowl XVIII
. Chiat/Day also ran the ad one other time on television, in December 1983 right before the 1:00 am sign-off on KMVT
in Twin Falls, Idaho
, so that the advertisement could be submitted to award ceremonies for that year. In addition, starting on January 17, 1984 it was screened prior to previews in movie theaters for a few weeks. It has since been seen on television commercial compilation specials, as well as in "Retro-mercials" on TV Land
. The estate of George Orwell and the television rightsholder to the novel 1984 considered the commercial to be a flagrant copyright infringement, and sent a cease-and-desist letter to Apple and Chiat/Day in April 1984. The commercial was never televised as a commercial after that.
"1984" used the unnamed heroine to represent the coming of the Macintosh (indicated by her white tank top with a cubist picture of Apple’s Macintosh
computer on it) as a means of saving humanity from "conformity" (Big Brother). These images were an allusion
to George Orwell
's noted novel, Nineteen Eighty-Four
, which described a dystopia
n future ruled by a televised "Big Brother". The rows of marching minions have direct cinematic parallels with those in the opening scenes of the classic dystopian film Metropolis
.
Originally a subject of contention within Apple, it has nevertheless consistently been lauded as a classic, winning critical acclaim over time. It is now considered a watershed event and a masterpiece in advertising, and is widely regarded as one of the most memorable and successful American television commercials of all time.
The commercial was rebroadcast in an updated version in 2004 on its 20th anniversary, with the heroine modified to be listening to an iPod
. Viewers generally saw the Big Brother target of the Apple advertisement as being Microsoft
, with the original villain, IBM
, being all but forgotten.
The commercial opens with a dystopic
, industrial setting in blue and gray tones, showing a line of people (of ambiguous gender
) marching in unison through a long tunnel monitored by a string of telescreen
s. This is in sharp contrast to the full-color shots of the nameless runner (Anya Major
). She looks like an Olympic
track and field
athlete, as she is carrying a large brass-headed hammer
and is wearing an athletic "uniform" (bright orange athletic shorts, running shoes, a white tank top with a cubist picture of Apple’s Macintosh
computer, a white sweat band on her left wrist, and a red one on her right).
As she is chased by four police officers (presumably agents of the Thought Police
) wearing black uniforms, protected by riot gear
, helmets with visors covering their faces, and armed with large night sticks
, she races towards a large screen with the image of a Big Brother-like figure (David Graham
, also seen on the telescreens earlier) giving a speech:
The runner, now close to the screen, hurls the hammer towards it, right at the moment Big Brother announces, "we shall prevail!" In a flurry of light and smoke, the screen is destroyed, shocking the people watching the screen.
The commercial concludes with a portentous voiceover, accompanied by scrolling black text (in Apple's early signature "Garamond" font); the hazy, whitish-blue aftermath of the cataclysmic event serves as the background. It reads:
The screen fades to black as the voiceover ends, and the rainbow Apple logo appears.
, with copy by Steve Hayden
, art direction by Brent Thomas and creative direction by Lee Clow
. Ridley Scott
(whose dystopian sci-fi film, Blade Runner
was released two years prior) was hired by agency producer Richard O'Neill to direct it, with a then-"unheard-of production budget of $900,000."
Steve Jobs
and John Sculley
were so enthusiastic about the final product that they "...purchased one and a half minutes of ad time for the Super Bowl, annually the most-watched television program in America. In December 1983 they screened the commercial for the Apple Board of Directors. To Jobs' and Sculley's surprise, the entire board hated the commercial."
Despite the board’s dislike of the film, Steve Jobs
continued to support it. Steve Wozniak
watched it and offered to pay for the spot personally if the board refused to air it. Of the original ninety seconds booked, Chiat/Day managed to resell thirty seconds to another advertiser, leaving the other sixty second slot.
, "The Story Behind Apple's '1984' TV Commercial":
However, in his 1983 Apple keynote address, Steve Jobs read the following story before showcasing a preview of the commercial to a select audience:
"1984" became a signature representation of Apple computers. It was scripted as a thematic element in the 1999 docudrama
, Pirates of Silicon Valley
, which explores the rise of Apple and Microsoft
(the film opens and closes with references to the commercial including a re-enactment of the heroine running towards the screen of Big Brother and clips of the original commercial). The "1984" ad was also prominent in the 20th anniversary celebration of the Macintosh
in 2004, as Apple reposted a new version of the ad on its website. In this updated version, an iPod
, complete with signature white earbuds, was digitally added to the heroine. Attendees were given a poster showing the heroine with iPod as a commemorative gift.
episode "Future Stock
" and The Simpsons
episode "Mypods and Boomsticks
".
In a similar spirit, Valve created a parody advertisement set in the Half-Life 2
universe, with Dr. Breen playing the part of Big Brother and Alyx Vance
as the heroine hurling a crowbar, an iconic Half-Life weapon, at a display.
In 2011, Motorola
released an advertisement which aired during Super Bowl XLV
to promote its upcoming Motorola Xoom
tablet. The commercial makes a direct reference to the Apple ad by claiming "2011 looks a lot like 1984."
The Disney animated TV Special called "Time and Punishment" will have a part that will parody 1984.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
television commercial which introduced the Apple Macintosh
Macintosh
The Macintosh , or Mac, is a series of several lines of personal computers designed, developed, and marketed by Apple Inc. The first Macintosh was introduced by Apple's then-chairman Steve Jobs on January 24, 1984; it was the first commercially successful personal computer to feature a mouse and a...
personal computer
Personal computer
A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
for the first time. It was conceived by Steve Hayden
Steve Hayden (copywriter)
Steve Hayden is a well-known figure in the field of advertising. He is currently the Vice Chairman and Chief Creative Officer of Ogilvy Worldwide.-Early life :...
, Brent Thomas and Lee Clow
Lee Clow
Lee Clow is currently the Chairman and Global Director of TBWA\Worldwide, and was formerly its Chief Creative Officer. Advertising Age referred to him as "advertising's art director guru".-Career:...
at Chiat/Day, Venice
Venice, Los Angeles, California
Venice is a beachfront district on the Westside of Los Angeles, California, United States. It is known for its canals, beaches and circus-like Ocean Front Walk, a two-and-a-half mile pedestrian-only promenade that features performers, fortune-tellers, artists, and vendors...
, produced by New York production company Fairbanks Films, and directed by Ridley Scott
Ridley Scott
Sir Ridley Scott is an English film director and producer. His most famous films include The Duellists , Alien , Blade Runner , Legend , Thelma & Louise , G. I...
. Anya Major
Anya Major
Anya Major is an athlete and actress who starred in Apple Computer's famous "1984" commercial, and who appeared as Nikita in the video to Elton John's song of the same name....
performed as the unnamed heroine and David Graham
David Graham (actor)
David Graham is a British character actor and voice artist. Born in London, after a period in the R.A.F as a Radar Mechanic he trained as an actor in New York but has worked mainly on British television series....
as Big Brother.
Its only U.S. daytime televised broadcast was on January 22, 1984 during and as part of the telecast of the third quarter of Super Bowl XVIII
Super Bowl XVIII
Super Bowl XVIII was an American football game played on January 22, 1984, at Tampa Stadium in Tampa, Florida, deciding the National Football League champion following the 1983 regular season. The American Football Conference champion Los Angeles Raiders defeated the National Football Conference...
. Chiat/Day also ran the ad one other time on television, in December 1983 right before the 1:00 am sign-off on KMVT
KMVT
KMVT is the CBS affiliated television station in Twin Falls, Idaho. Its digital signal is broadcast over Channel 11. Its transmitter is located on Flat Top Butte near Jerome.-History:...
in Twin Falls, Idaho
Twin Falls, Idaho
Twin Falls is the county seat and largest city of Twin Falls County, Idaho, United States. The population was 44,125 at the 2010 censusTwin Falls is the largest city of Idaho's Magic Valley region...
, so that the advertisement could be submitted to award ceremonies for that year. In addition, starting on January 17, 1984 it was screened prior to previews in movie theaters for a few weeks. It has since been seen on television commercial compilation specials, as well as in "Retro-mercials" on TV Land
TV Land
TV Land is an American cable television network launched on April 29, 1996. It is owned by MTV Networks, a division of Viacom, which also owns Paramount Pictures, and networks such as MTV and Nickelodeon...
. The estate of George Orwell and the television rightsholder to the novel 1984 considered the commercial to be a flagrant copyright infringement, and sent a cease-and-desist letter to Apple and Chiat/Day in April 1984. The commercial was never televised as a commercial after that.
"1984" used the unnamed heroine to represent the coming of the Macintosh (indicated by her white tank top with a cubist picture of Apple’s Macintosh
Macintosh
The Macintosh , or Mac, is a series of several lines of personal computers designed, developed, and marketed by Apple Inc. The first Macintosh was introduced by Apple's then-chairman Steve Jobs on January 24, 1984; it was the first commercially successful personal computer to feature a mouse and a...
computer on it) as a means of saving humanity from "conformity" (Big Brother). These images were an allusion
Allusion
An allusion is a figure of speech that makes a reference to, or representation of, people, places, events, literary work, myths, or works of art, either directly or by implication. M. H...
to George Orwell
George Orwell
Eric Arthur Blair , better known by his pen name George Orwell, was an English author and journalist...
's noted novel, Nineteen Eighty-Four
Nineteen Eighty-Four
Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell is a dystopian novel about Oceania, a society ruled by the oligarchical dictatorship of the Party...
, which described a dystopia
Dystopia
A dystopia is the idea of a society in a repressive and controlled state, often under the guise of being utopian, as characterized in books like Brave New World and Nineteen Eighty-Four...
n future ruled by a televised "Big Brother". The rows of marching minions have direct cinematic parallels with those in the opening scenes of the classic dystopian film Metropolis
Metropolis (film)
Metropolis is a 1927 German expressionist film in the science-fiction genre directed by Fritz Lang. Produced in Germany during a stable period of the Weimar Republic, Metropolis is set in a futuristic urban dystopia and makes use of this context to explore the social crisis between workers and...
.
Originally a subject of contention within Apple, it has nevertheless consistently been lauded as a classic, winning critical acclaim over time. It is now considered a watershed event and a masterpiece in advertising, and is widely regarded as one of the most memorable and successful American television commercials of all time.
The commercial was rebroadcast in an updated version in 2004 on its 20th anniversary, with the heroine modified to be listening to an iPod
IPod
iPod is a line of portable media players created and marketed by Apple Inc. The product line-up currently consists of the hard drive-based iPod Classic, the touchscreen iPod Touch, the compact iPod Nano, and the ultra-compact iPod Shuffle...
. Viewers generally saw the Big Brother target of the Apple advertisement as being Microsoft
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
, with the original villain, IBM
IBM
International Business Machines Corporation or IBM is an American multinational technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. IBM manufactures and sells computer hardware and software, and it offers infrastructure, hosting and consulting services in areas...
, being all but forgotten.
Plot
Dystopia
A dystopia is the idea of a society in a repressive and controlled state, often under the guise of being utopian, as characterized in books like Brave New World and Nineteen Eighty-Four...
, industrial setting in blue and gray tones, showing a line of people (of ambiguous gender
Androgyny
Androgyny is a term derived from the Greek words ανήρ, stem ανδρ- and γυνή , referring to the combination of masculine and feminine characteristics...
) marching in unison through a long tunnel monitored by a string of telescreen
Telescreen
Telescreens are most prominently featured in George Orwell's novel Nineteen Eighty-Four, although notably they have an earlier appearance in the 1936 Charlie Chaplin film Modern Times...
s. This is in sharp contrast to the full-color shots of the nameless runner (Anya Major
Anya Major
Anya Major is an athlete and actress who starred in Apple Computer's famous "1984" commercial, and who appeared as Nikita in the video to Elton John's song of the same name....
). She looks like an Olympic
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
track and field
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
athlete, as she is carrying a large brass-headed hammer
Hammer throw
The modern or Olympic hammer throw is an athletic throwing event where the object is to throw a heavy metal ball attached to a wire and handle. The name "hammer throw" is derived from older competitions where an actual sledge hammer was thrown...
and is wearing an athletic "uniform" (bright orange athletic shorts, running shoes, a white tank top with a cubist picture of Apple’s Macintosh
Macintosh
The Macintosh , or Mac, is a series of several lines of personal computers designed, developed, and marketed by Apple Inc. The first Macintosh was introduced by Apple's then-chairman Steve Jobs on January 24, 1984; it was the first commercially successful personal computer to feature a mouse and a...
computer, a white sweat band on her left wrist, and a red one on her right).
As she is chased by four police officers (presumably agents of the Thought Police
Thought Police
The Thought Police is the secret police of Oceania in George Orwell's dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four.It is the job of the Thought Police to uncover and punish thoughtcrime and thought-criminals, using psychology and omnipresent surveillance from telescreens to monitor, search, find and kill...
) wearing black uniforms, protected by riot gear
Riot control
Riot control refers to the measures used by police, military, or other security forces to control, disperse, and arrest civilians who are involved in a riot, demonstration, or protest. Law enforcement officers or soldiers have long used non-lethal weapons such as batons and whips to disperse crowds...
, helmets with visors covering their faces, and armed with large night sticks
Club (weapon)
A club is among the simplest of all weapons. A club is essentially a short staff, or stick, usually made of wood, and wielded as a weapon since prehistoric times....
, she races towards a large screen with the image of a Big Brother-like figure (David Graham
David Graham (actor)
David Graham is a British character actor and voice artist. Born in London, after a period in the R.A.F as a Radar Mechanic he trained as an actor in New York but has worked mainly on British television series....
, also seen on the telescreens earlier) giving a speech:
The runner, now close to the screen, hurls the hammer towards it, right at the moment Big Brother announces, "we shall prevail!" In a flurry of light and smoke, the screen is destroyed, shocking the people watching the screen.
The commercial concludes with a portentous voiceover, accompanied by scrolling black text (in Apple's early signature "Garamond" font); the hazy, whitish-blue aftermath of the cataclysmic event serves as the background. It reads:
The screen fades to black as the voiceover ends, and the rainbow Apple logo appears.
Development
The commercial was created by the advertising agency Chiat/Day, VeniceVenice, Los Angeles, California
Venice is a beachfront district on the Westside of Los Angeles, California, United States. It is known for its canals, beaches and circus-like Ocean Front Walk, a two-and-a-half mile pedestrian-only promenade that features performers, fortune-tellers, artists, and vendors...
, with copy by Steve Hayden
Steve Hayden (copywriter)
Steve Hayden is a well-known figure in the field of advertising. He is currently the Vice Chairman and Chief Creative Officer of Ogilvy Worldwide.-Early life :...
, art direction by Brent Thomas and creative direction by Lee Clow
Lee Clow
Lee Clow is currently the Chairman and Global Director of TBWA\Worldwide, and was formerly its Chief Creative Officer. Advertising Age referred to him as "advertising's art director guru".-Career:...
. Ridley Scott
Ridley Scott
Sir Ridley Scott is an English film director and producer. His most famous films include The Duellists , Alien , Blade Runner , Legend , Thelma & Louise , G. I...
(whose dystopian sci-fi film, Blade Runner
Blade Runner
Blade Runner is a 1982 American science fiction film directed by Ridley Scott and starring Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, and Sean Young. The screenplay, written by Hampton Fancher and David Peoples, is loosely based on the novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K...
was released two years prior) was hired by agency producer Richard O'Neill to direct it, with a then-"unheard-of production budget of $900,000."
Steve Jobs
Steve Jobs
Steven Paul Jobs was an American businessman and inventor widely recognized as a charismatic pioneer of the personal computer revolution. He was co-founder, chairman, and chief executive officer of Apple Inc...
and John Sculley
John Sculley
John Sculley is an American businessman. Sculley was vice-president and president of PepsiCo , until he became CEO of Apple on April 8, 1983, a position he held until leaving in 1993...
were so enthusiastic about the final product that they "...purchased one and a half minutes of ad time for the Super Bowl, annually the most-watched television program in America. In December 1983 they screened the commercial for the Apple Board of Directors. To Jobs' and Sculley's surprise, the entire board hated the commercial."
Despite the board’s dislike of the film, Steve Jobs
Steve Jobs
Steven Paul Jobs was an American businessman and inventor widely recognized as a charismatic pioneer of the personal computer revolution. He was co-founder, chairman, and chief executive officer of Apple Inc...
continued to support it. Steve Wozniak
Steve Wozniak
Stephen Gary "Woz" Wozniak is an American computer engineer and programmer who founded Apple Computer, Co. with Steve Jobs and Ronald Wayne...
watched it and offered to pay for the spot personally if the board refused to air it. Of the original ninety seconds booked, Chiat/Day managed to resell thirty seconds to another advertiser, leaving the other sixty second slot.
Intended message
Adelia Cellini states in a 2004 article for MacworldMacworld
Macworld is a web site and monthly computer magazine dedicated to Apple Macintosh products. It is published by Mac Publishing, which is headquartered in San Francisco, California...
, "The Story Behind Apple's '1984' TV Commercial":
- Let's see - an all-powerful entity blathering on about Unification of Thoughts to an army of soulless drones, only to be brought down by a plucky, Apple-esque underdog. So Big Brother, the villain from Apple's '1984' Mac ad, represented IBMIBMInternational Business Machines Corporation or IBM is an American multinational technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. IBM manufactures and sells computer hardware and software, and it offers infrastructure, hosting and consulting services in areas...
, right? According to the ad's creators, that's not exactly the case. The original concept was to show the fight for the control of computer technology as a struggle of the few against the many, says TBWA/Chiat/Day's Lee ClowLee ClowLee Clow is currently the Chairman and Global Director of TBWA\Worldwide, and was formerly its Chief Creative Officer. Advertising Age referred to him as "advertising's art director guru".-Career:...
. Apple wanted the Mac to symbolize the idea of empowerment, with the ad showcasing the Mac as a tool for combating conformity and asserting originality. What better way to do that than have a striking blonde athlete take a sledghammer to the face of that ultimate symbol of conformity, Big Brother?
However, in his 1983 Apple keynote address, Steve Jobs read the following story before showcasing a preview of the commercial to a select audience:
- [...] It is now 1984. It appears IBM wants it all. Apple is perceived to be the only hope to offer IBM a run for its money. Dealers initially welcoming IBM with open arms now fear an IBM dominated and controlled future. They are increasingly turning back to Apple as the only force that can ensure their future freedom. IBM wants it all and is aiming its guns on its last obstacle to industry control: Apple. Will Big Blue dominate the entire computer industry? The entire information age? Was George Orwell right?
Reception
Awards
- 2007: Best Super Bowl Spot (in the game's 40-year history)
- 2003: WFAWorld Federation of AdvertisersThe World Federation of Advertisers is a global trade association for multi-national advertisers and national advertiser associations. Its membership is made up of 50 of the world's top 500 advertisers and national associations in 55 of the world's biggest advertising markets...
— Hall of Fame Award (Jubilee Golden Award) - 1999: TV GuideTV GuideTV Guide is a weekly American magazine with listings of TV shows.In addition to TV listings, the publication features television-related news, celebrity interviews, gossip and film reviews and crossword puzzles...
— Number One Greatest Commercial of All Time - 1995: Advertising AgeAdvertising AgeAdvertising Age is a magazine, delivering news, analysis and data on marketing and media. The magazine was started as a broadsheet newspaper in Chicago in 1930...
— Greatest Commercial - 1995: Clio AwardsClio AwardsThe Clio Awards are annual awards bestowed to reward innovation and creative excellence in advertising, design and communication. The categories include work in nearly all types of media, and the judges are advertising professionals from around the world....
— Hall of Fame - 1984: Clio Awards
- 1984: 31st Cannes Lions International Advertising FestivalCannes Lions International Advertising FestivalThe Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity is a global event for those working in advertising and related fields. The seven-day festival, incorporating the awarding of the Lions awards, is held yearly at the Palais des Festivals et des Congrès in Cannes, France...
— Grand Prix
Social impact
Ted Friedman, in his 2005 text, Electric Dreams: Computers in American Culture, notes the impact of the commercial:- Super Bowl viewers were overwhelmed by the startling ad. The ad garnered millions of dollars worth of free publicity, as news programs rebroadcast it that night. It was quickly hailed by many in the advertising industry as a masterwork. Advertising AgeAdvertising AgeAdvertising Age is a magazine, delivering news, analysis and data on marketing and media. The magazine was started as a broadsheet newspaper in Chicago in 1930...
named it the 1980s1980sFile:1980s decade montage.png|thumb|400px|From left, clockwise: The first Space Shuttle, Columbia, lifted off in 1981; American President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev eased tensions between the two superpowers, leading to the end of the Cold War; The Fall of the Berlin Wall in...
Commercial of the Decade, and it continues to rank high on lists of the most influential commercials of all time [...] '1984' was never broadcast again, adding to its mystique.
"1984" became a signature representation of Apple computers. It was scripted as a thematic element in the 1999 docudrama
Docudrama
In film, television programming and staged theatre, docudrama is a documentary-style genre that features dramatized re-enactments of actual historical events. As a neologism, the term is often confused with docufiction....
, Pirates of Silicon Valley
Pirates of Silicon Valley
Pirates of Silicon Valley is a 1999 made-for-television film directed by Martyn Burke and based on the book Fire in the Valley: The Making of The Personal Computer by Paul Freiberger and Michael Swaine. The film documents the impact on the development of the personal computer of the rivalry between...
, which explores the rise of Apple and Microsoft
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
(the film opens and closes with references to the commercial including a re-enactment of the heroine running towards the screen of Big Brother and clips of the original commercial). The "1984" ad was also prominent in the 20th anniversary celebration of the Macintosh
Macintosh
The Macintosh , or Mac, is a series of several lines of personal computers designed, developed, and marketed by Apple Inc. The first Macintosh was introduced by Apple's then-chairman Steve Jobs on January 24, 1984; it was the first commercially successful personal computer to feature a mouse and a...
in 2004, as Apple reposted a new version of the ad on its website. In this updated version, an iPod
IPod
iPod is a line of portable media players created and marketed by Apple Inc. The product line-up currently consists of the hard drive-based iPod Classic, the touchscreen iPod Touch, the compact iPod Nano, and the ultra-compact iPod Shuffle...
, complete with signature white earbuds, was digitally added to the heroine. Attendees were given a poster showing the heroine with iPod as a commemorative gift.
Other appearances or references
"1984" was parodied in the FuturamaFuturama
Futurama is an American animated science fiction sitcom created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening and David X. Cohen for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series follows the adventures of a late 20th-century New York City pizza delivery boy, Philip J...
episode "Future Stock
Future Stock
"Future Stock" is the 21st episode in the third production season of Futurama. The episode first aired on March 31, 2002 as the ninth episode in the fourth broadcast season.-Plot:...
" and The Simpsons
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
episode "Mypods and Boomsticks
Mypods and Boomsticks
"Mypods and Boomsticks" is the seventh episode of the twentieth season of The Simpsons and first aired on Fox, November 30, 2008. Homer becomes suspicious of Bart's new Muslim friend, Bashir, and decides to invite his family for dinner; having offended them, Homer goes to their home to apologize...
".
In a similar spirit, Valve created a parody advertisement set in the Half-Life 2
Half-Life 2
Half-Life 2 , the sequel to Half-Life, is a first-person shooter video game and a signature title in the Half-Life series. It is singleplayer, story-driven, science fiction, and linear...
universe, with Dr. Breen playing the part of Big Brother and Alyx Vance
Alyx Vance
Alyx Vance is a non-player character in Valve's 2004 first-person shooter computer game Half-Life 2, and its following episodes: Half-Life 2: Episode One and Half-Life 2: Episode Two...
as the heroine hurling a crowbar, an iconic Half-Life weapon, at a display.
In 2011, Motorola
Motorola
Motorola, Inc. was an American multinational telecommunications company based in Schaumburg, Illinois, which was eventually divided into two independent public companies, Motorola Mobility and Motorola Solutions on January 4, 2011, after losing $4.3 billion from 2007 to 2009...
released an advertisement which aired during Super Bowl XLV
Super Bowl XLV
Super Bowl XLV was an American football game between the American Football Conference champion Pittsburgh Steelers and the National Football Conference champion Green Bay Packers to decide the National Football League champion for the 2010 season. The game was held at Cowboys Stadium in...
to promote its upcoming Motorola Xoom
Motorola Xoom
The Motorola Xoom is an Android-based tablet computer by Motorola, introduced at CES 2011 on January 5, 2011. It was the first tablet to be sold with Android 3.0 Honeycomb. The Verizon branded Xoom was the first tablet to run Android 3.1 Honeycomb, however the 3.1 update has not yet been provided...
tablet. The commercial makes a direct reference to the Apple ad by claiming "2011 looks a lot like 1984."
The Disney animated TV Special called "Time and Punishment" will have a part that will parody 1984.
Further reading
- Cellini, Adelia. "The story behind Apple's '1984' TV commercial: Big Brother at 20.(Mac Beat)." MacworldMacworldMacworld is a web site and monthly computer magazine dedicated to Apple Macintosh products. It is published by Mac Publishing, which is headquartered in San Francisco, California...
, January, 2004. - Clow, LeeLee ClowLee Clow is currently the Chairman and Global Director of TBWA\Worldwide, and was formerly its Chief Creative Officer. Advertising Age referred to him as "advertising's art director guru".-Career:...
. Lee Clow: His Masterpiece - 1984 - Friedman, Ted "Chapter Five: Apple's 1984." Electric Dreams: Computers in American Culture. New York: NYU Press, 2005: 100-120.
- Hansen, Liane. "A Look Back at Apple's Super Ad: Landmark 1984 Spot Smashed 'Big Brother,' Launched the Mac." NPRNPRNPR, formerly National Public Radio, is a privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization that serves as a national syndicator to a network of 900 public radio stations in the United States. NPR was created in 1970, following congressional passage of the Public Broadcasting...
, February 1, 2004. (Steve HaydenSteve Hayden (copywriter)Steve Hayden is a well-known figure in the field of advertising. He is currently the Vice Chairman and Chief Creative Officer of Ogilvy Worldwide.-Early life :...
interview) - Leopold, Todd. Why 2006 isn't like '1984'. CNNCNNCable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
, February 3, 2006. - Maney, Kevin. "Apple's '1984' Super Bowl commercial still stands as watershed event." USA TodayUSA TodayUSA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
, January 28, 2004. - Mr. Showbiz. "Interview with Ridley ScottRidley ScottSir Ridley Scott is an English film director and producer. His most famous films include The Duellists , Alien , Blade Runner , Legend , Thelma & Louise , G. I...
- myoldmac.net. "In Memory of Jef RaskinJef RaskinJef Raskin was an American human-computer interface expert best known for starting the Macintosh project for Apple in the late 1970s.-Early years and education:...
... He Thought Different: The Making of 1984." - Moriarty, Sandra. "An interpretive study of visual cues in advertising," University of ColoradoUniversity of Colorado SystemThe University of Colorado system is a system of public universities in Colorado consisting of three universities in four campuses: University of Colorado Boulder, University of Colorado Colorado Springs, and University of Colorado Denver in downtown Denver and at the Anschutz Medical Campus in...
. - Roszak, TheodoreTheodore Roszak (scholar)Theodore Roszak was professor emeritus of history at California State University, East Bay. He is best known for his 1969 text, The Making of a Counter Culture.-Background:...
. "Raging Against the Machine: In its '1984' Commercial, Apple Suggested that its Computers Would Smash Big Brother. But Technology Gave Him More Control." Los Angeles TimesLos Angeles TimesThe Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
, January 28, 2004. - Scott, Linda. "For the Rest of Us": A Reader-Oriented Interpretation of Apple's '1984' Commercial." The Journal of Popular Culture, Volume 25 Issue 1, Summer 1991: 67–81.