John Oliver remembers snack companies' weird '90s video games

Remember Pepsiman?
 By 
Amanda Yeo
 on 
John Oliver on Last Week Tonight talking about the Pepsiman video game.
Watch Next

Last Week Tonight may be on break right now, but John Oliver still found time to pre-record a segment about something apparently close to his heart: video games made by snack companies in the '90s.

"What happened, snack brands?" asked Oliver. "Around 25 years ago, you cracked the code of turning commercials, the thing everyone hates, into video games, the thing everyone loves. I don't want to see Quiznos tweeting 'when the sandwich isn't toasty' or whatever the fuck. I want them to put me in the pilot seat of a 16-bit spaceship shaped like a hoagie that fires beef lasers at alien vegans."

Wistfully recalling branded titles such as 7Up's Cool Spot and Pepsi's Pepsiman, Oliver lamented snack companies' modern tweet-focused marketing methods. However, he also acknowledged that the creation of at least one snack game apparently involved child labour.

Amanda Yeo
Amanda Yeo
Assistant Editor

Amanda Yeo is an Assistant Editor at Mashable, covering entertainment, culture, tech, science, and social good. Based in Australia, she writes about everything from video games and K-pop to movies and gadgets.


Latest Videos

Stephen Colbert reacts to the Artemis II moon mission
A man in a suit stands on a talk show stage, gesturing.


'The Daily Show' reacts to judge halting Trump's White House ballroom
Desi Lydic presents "The Daily Show" beside an image of Donald Trump.


A24's 'Mother Mary' trailer is worth it for the FKA twigs track
Anne Hathway is dressed in a red pop star outfit with religious overtones in a film still from "Mother Mary."

Jon Stewart has a brutal reaction to Trump waffling about pens
A man in a suit sitting behind a talk show desk looks angry. In the top left is an image of the president holding up a pen.

Stephen Colbert gleefully recaps the best signs at the 'No Kings' protest
A man in a suit stands on a talk show stage, smiling. The caption at the bottom reads, "I like that one."

Riz Ahmed is troublingly intense in new 'SNL UK' promo
A close-up of a man grinning in a slightly creepy way.


The biggest stories of the day delivered to your inbox.
These newsletters may contain advertising, deals, or affiliate links. By clicking Subscribe, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Thanks for signing up. See you at your inbox!