History Advertising / NineteenEightyFour

* DropTheHammer: The runner flings her hammer at the screen with Big Brother on it.

The iconic commercial that announced the introduction of the UsefulNotes/AppleMacintosh in 1984. It aired only twice, once in the very last minutes of 1983 on an out-of-the-way local station in Idaho so that it would qualify for 1983 advertising awards, and the second time during the telecast of UsefulNotes/SuperBowl XVIII on January 22, 1984. Directed by Creator/RidleyScott, fresh off of ''Film/BladeRunner'', the commercial has been cited as the turning point for Super Bowl commercials.

-->'''WebVideo/TheNostalgiaCritic:''' Yes, Apple will save us from the terrifying ''1984''-style future. For as we can clearly see today, no longer are people lined up like cattle for hours and hours on end! ''[picture of large crowds outside an Apple Store]'' No longer will people dress alike in cold, colorless environments! ''[pictures of Apple employees all wearing blue shirts, and the bland interior walls of an Apple store]'' No longer will any cultish-style groups gather together to honor a grand, controversial leader! ''[pictures of Apple devotees, and Steve Jobs]'' And most importantly, no longer will we be brain-dead, lifeless zombies who plug ourselves into the machine of life we can also call "The System"! ''[pictures of people staring at their cell phones]'' Thank you, Apple. You have done well.

!!This commercial provides examples of:

** As a common target of this, it's been parodied by ''{{WesternAnimation/Futurama}}'' in the episode "[[Recap/FuturamaS3E21FutureStock Future Stock]]" ([[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSt04IPqFfM here]]), by ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' in the episode "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS28E9TheLastTractionHero The Last Traction Hero]]" ([[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uVVOa8AC-rY here]]), and in other commercials ([[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHL2-YzHuKc here]] and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCs4scB5b68 here]]). There are also many Website/YouTube mashups in which Big Brother is replaced by a hated politician or other public figure. The trend was probably started by [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6h3G-lMZxjo this one]], which endorsed UsefulNotes/BarackObama over UsefulNotes/HillaryClinton in the 2008 U.S. election.

In case you're too lazy to watch [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zfqw8nhUwA a one-minute ad]], the commercial depicts a {{Dystopia}}n universe in which an army of bald drones are marching into a hall where a man on a giant screen, generally understood to be Big Brother, is praising them for their conformity of thought. Meanwhile, a young athletic woman runs into the room, pursued by the apparent SecretPolice, and throws a hammer at the screen. The screen explodes and an announcer says, "On January 24th, Apple Computer will introduce Macintosh. And you'll see why 1984 won't be like ''[[Literature/NineteenEightyFour 1984]]''."

** As a common target of this, it's been parodied by ''{{WesternAnimation/Futurama}}'' in the episode "[[Recap/FuturamaS3E21FutureStock Future Stock]]" ([[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSt04IPqFfM here]]), by ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' in the episode "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS28E9TheLastTractionHero The Last Traction Hero]]" ([[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uVVOa8AC-rY here]]), and in other commercials ([[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VN6eFGGHrXs here]] and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCs4scB5b68 here]]). There are also many Website/YouTube mashups in which Big Brother is replaced by a hated politician or other public figure. The trend was probably started by [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6h3G-lMZxjo this one]], which endorsed UsefulNotes/BarackObama over UsefulNotes/HillaryClinton in the 2008 U.S. election.

** In 2010, Creator/{{Valve|Corporation}} released [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zkLh_QMFdQ a commercial]] for ''VideoGame/HalfLife2'' on Mac, featuring Alex Vance throwing a crowbar at a screen of Dr. Breen.

** In 2010, Creator/{{Valve|Corporation}} released [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zkLh_QMFdQ a commercial]] announcing ''VideoGame/HalfLife2'' on Mac, featuring Alex Vance throwing a crowbar at a screen of Dr. Breen.

* VaporWear: The runner's lack of a bra is, shall we say, amply apparent.