Frogs and beer aren’t the typical pair, but in the ’90s, Budweiser decided otherwise. The beer masters introduced Bud, Weis, and Er as the new faces of Bud Heavy in 1995. It was one of the iconic Super Bowl commercials that year, and it was love at first ribbit. The frog trio croaked their names to pronounce “Bud-weis-er,” which almost sounded like an impressive post-beer burp.
Considering the beer advertisements Americans had been spoon-fed up until then, something so juvenile like croaking frogs initially sounds out of place. Not to mention that aside from a glowing Budweiser sign in the distance, there was no sign of beer anywhere in the commercial. Despite the absurdity and randomness of the commercial, it’s one of the most successful marketing campaigns to date.
The three little frogs had a serious impact on viewers, beer drinkers or not, leading to frog-themed home decor, baseball caps, and any other merchandise imaginable. Budweiser’s sales accelerated that year and people were croaking “Bud,” “Weis,” and “Er” all over the world. The trio continued popping up on screens for the next few years, relaxing in the swamp, freezing in ice storms, fighting off evil lizards, and catching flies off trucks. That was until their fame came to an end in 1999.
The Budweiser frogs joined the ranks of unemployment
Seeing the love everyone had for the three OG frogs, Budweiser introduced a few reptiles to the swamp in 1998 — Louie and Frankie the lizards. The new characters kept the commercials fresh and exciting, but the campaign started to fizzle in the following years. Folks were croaking their names less, frog merch was disappearing from shelves, and in 1999 the frogs were officially fired.
Bud, Weis, and Er were adored by absolutely everyone, but that was part of the problem. Some people argued that the beer advertisements were subtly targeting kids, and given the spike in plush frogs at toy stores, they weren’t wrong. The brand’s Chief Creative Officer at the time, Bob Lachky, explained it matter-of-factly, as he told The New York Times ”the lifetime of our icons is about two years.” While that may be the case, who knows how many more adventures we would have seen the swampy trio undertake if it weren’t for the controversy?
As for where the frogs physically are today, that’s tough to say for sure. Er has previously been put up for auction (per LiveAuctioneers), so a lucky collector may have them all displayed on their mantle.
Who was the creative force behind Budweiser’s legendary campaign?
When David Swaine of D’Arcy Masius Benton & Bowles and art director Michael Smith first pitched the concept, the big leagues at Anheuser-Busch gave resounding approval, and that’s before the award-winning creative team stepped in. They went all in with production, teaming up with some of the industry’s biggest names at the time. Before Gore Verbinksi went on to create cult classics like “The Ring” and “Pirates of the Caribbean,” he joined the Budweiser team to direct the famed commercial.
The agency didn’t stop with the talent there. They also enlisted Stan Winston Studio, the same special effects pros behind “Jurassic Park” and “Aliens,” to help bring the frogs to life. The creative team designed animatronic frogs that croaked on command and fooled the untrained eye. Between the impressive motions and a splash of CGI, the frogs practically leaped off-screen.
The goofy commercials may seem irrelevant now, but the thing about late ’90s advertisements was they were irrelevant. The pointed humor was all about being weird, quirky, random, and unexpected, and bled right into the 2000s. Take any ’90s beer commercials ingrained in our memory, like the Miller Lite evil beaver or Budweiser’s later “Whassup” campaign.
