Priceless! The 25 Funniest Vintage Tech Ads

Ads are kind of like your awkward teenage years. Think about it: When you’re actually experiencing them, every second feels an angst-ridden eternity. Look back a couple decades later, though, and it’s damn near impossible not to laugh.

Now, I’m not suggesting you go out and start bragging about that mullet you were sporting in the 80s (sorry, Uncle Jesse, but that kind of confession may never be advisable). No siree – with antiquated ads, you can revisit the comedy of bad choices without suffering a single ounce of personal humiliation.

We’ve compiled 25 of the funniest vintage tech ads we could find. Some will make you laugh; others will make you cringe. But nearly every one will make you wonder what the hell we all were thinking. Click ahead, and enjoy the shame-free trip down memory lane.

Unfortunately, there’s no rewind button to put the Bee Gees back in the box.

This ad would have been far less impressive with an iPod.

Who knew a Wang could do so much?

Is it just us, or is the TRS-80 a dead ringer for Asimov’s sideburns?

Sabrina not included with projector purchases.

Cardigan and goofy grin not included.

Unlimited vocabulary, and “geewizbang” is the best you can do? Come on…at least give us a “hullabaloo” or “brouhaha”.

Tsk, tsk — you’d better not be looking at her sexy modem. I’ll tell Sabrina.

Sheesh…talk about deceptive advertising.

Chill out, dude. You’ll be obsolete in a few years, anyway.

Not to be confused with that hot-headed jerk from the previous page.

Alternate tagline: “High-speed computation, three times the size of your desk.”

And here I thought the double-entendre didn’t come into style till the 90s.

Who’s keeping up with Commodore? I’ll tell you who. Middle-aged men who need to button up their freakin’ shirts.

Single for years.

I think this is what they mean when they talk about “bad acid trips.”

Less revolutionary: Bill’s choice of eyewear.

I’m not entirely positive what they’re selling, but I’ll take two.

You can think of it as really boring Internet porn.

New standards, that is, for binky-like joysticks being held by James Bond.

If Shatner says so, it must be true.

Family values just aren’t the same these days.

Evidently, it’s Tinkerbell on crack.

Shame the expression “WTF” wasn’t around back then.

It’s the second best thing to a brand new Daisy rifle.

Slideshow courtesy ITWorld.com, an “open exchange” that allows IT professionals, technology vendors, and other industry luminaries to participate in creating content around specific topics.