Credit card ads from Super Bowls gone by

Ahead of Super Bowl XLII on Sunday, let's take a moment to remember some of the greatest moments from games gone by. That's right -- the ads. This being a CreditCards.com blog, join me as I look back fondly (and not-so-fondly) at some of the credit card advertisements from past Super Bowl games (hat tip: Adland for their great list of Super Bowl commercials).

In reverse chronological order, the advertising gems are:

MasterCard -- MacGyver (2006), Super Bowl XXXL
The everything-'80s-is-new-again trend got a kick start way back in '06 with this MasterCard ad resurrecting resourceful action hero MacGyver, whose popular TV show ran from the mid-'80s to early-'90s. Back in those days, people solved problems with just their smarts and a semi-mullet, from what I understand. Ah, simpler times.

MasterCard -- Homer (2004), Super Bowl XXXVIII
The greatest animated father of all time (apologies to Peter Griffin) runs errands with his MasterCard, getting things done as only Homer Simpson can. "Simpsons" regulars Apu, Moe, Lenny, Carl and Hans Moleman all make appearances.

Visa -- Yao Ming -- Yo (2003), Super Bowl XXXVII
Houston Rockets center Yao encounters language barriers as he tries to pick up souvenirs at a Big Apple store run by some stereotypical New York characters. Too bad they couldn't get Harvey Keitel in there somewhere.

MasterCard -- Dead Presidents (2003), Super Bowl XXXVII
George Washington, Abe Lincoln and Andrew Jackson wait impatiently at home while a guy enjoys his date and his Visa debit card. Incidentally, I'm pretty sure the guy who leaves his cash at home was a favorite among advertisers at one point, as I recall him appearing at least one other frequently-run ad (McDonald's McGriddle, anyone? Didn't think so.) around this same time.

Visa -- Tiki & Ronde Barber -- Twins -- Part II (2003), Super Bowl XXXVII
Finally, a football-related Super Bowl ad. Tiki and Ronde Barber confuse a store clerk while trying to pay by check. This is probably the sort of traumatic thing that identical twins go through all the time -- "You're watching the Super Bowl, and you're, like, playing in the Super Bowl." The Barbers would later need years of therapy.

Visa -- 6 Degrees of Kevin Bacon (2002), Super Bowl XXXVI
You have to assume that if anyone was good at playing "Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon," it would be the man himself. Here, Mr. Bacon uses his mastery of the game to avoid having to show ID when paying with a check. Seems like a lot of work to avoid just reaching into your wallet, but who am I to judge?

American Express Blue -- We're Flexible (2001), Super Bowl XXXV
Robots are good at two things. One is stretching credit cards. The other is travelling into the past to kill John Connor before he can lead a human revolt against the intelligent machines.

American Express -- Jerry Seinfeld -- Superman (1998), Super Bowl XXXII
While some people know Jerry Seinfeld as co-creator and star of what is often labeled the best television sitcom ever, others say that Seinfeld truly made his mark on American culture not with a "show about nothing," but rather with his series of AmEx commercials. Of course, the group who takes this second viewpoint is considerably smaller.

American Express -- Dana Carvey / Jon Lovitz (1989), Super Bowl XXIII
We had to really dig in the vaults for this one. Saturday Night Live castmembers Dana Carvey and Jon Lovitz star in this ad featuring horrible music (did advertisers actually find this type of music effective?), fast motion and abrasive voices. If having a Super Bowl in Miami during the late '80s wasn't a good excuse to get Carvey and Lovitz in white suits, then I don't know what is.

OK -- so which great Super Bowl credit card ads did I leave off?

Check out the following story for information on football credit cards.