Diapers Get Daring: The Banned Huggies Ad and More Controversial Commercials

The latest viral video sensation is the strangely compelling, banned-from-TV commercial for Huggies' new denim diapers. The ad features a swaggering toddler (who knew they could even do that?) walking the streets, attracting admiring stares from stylish passersby, despite the fact that his diaper is soiled. "When it's No. 2, I look like No. 1," the soundtrack blares.

But not everyone is impressed. The New York Times reports that several networks, including ABC, TNT, and E!, decided that the ad—titled "I've Got Chic in My Pants" (seriously!)—was inappropriate for them. That makes it the latest in a long line of commercials that, thanks to getting the corporate boot, receive more free publicity than any paid spot could ever deliver.

The Huggies ad comes on the heels of a banned Lane Bryant commercial, which featured a plus-size model lounging in her lingerie. That both ABC and Fox were leery of "too much cleavage" seemed hypocritical—seriously, Fox? That network later relented, airing the spot during American Idol.

But the Lane Bryant defenders can take heart: at least they have street cred. A version of a Guitar Hero ad featuring Heidi Klum in socks and underwear—à la Risky Business, if Tom Cruise had worn black lace—is often listed as a "banned" commercial. But apparently the ad debuted on TV in November 2008. Bill O'Reilly spent a segment worrying about how it would affect kids watching The Waltons (as kids are wont to do). There is a tamer version, with Klum in an oxford shirt, but considering it's an ad for a videogame featuring a woman in her underwear broadcast during a sporting event, it's safe to say that the original was able to hit its target demographic without fear of censorship.

Football is at the center of many controversial ads, considering that Super Bowl commercials are often the most hotly discussed ads of the year. Gay-rights activists were outraged when Tim Tebow announced he and his mother would do an ad, sponsored by Focus on the Family, to be aired during the 2009 game. That's because five years earlier CBS, which was airing the Super Bowl, had turned away a pro-gay Church of Christ ad that was deemed too political. Tebow's ad, which was rumored to be a pro-life message, aired as planned and was tamer than expected.

But then again, the banned UCC ad wasn't very controversial either. That one never made the air. But it did take on a life of its own thanks to the controversy surrounding its rejection from the broadcast networks (NBC also passed). After all, activists were still writing angry letters about it five years after it was banned (and six years later, bloggers doing stories on banned ads bring it up as well).