Passive-aggression is never as sweet as when it's bundled up with Will Ferrell and a pack of puppies, especially because all involved are cuddly, squeezable and look like they're smiling even when they're not. But in this sketch, Ferrell's sarcastic, back-handed put-downs work far more effectively than actual communication, and provide a cutting perspective on the training methods of parents whose kids won't obey. — CM
39. "Rise," SNL, 1979
America is a nation of germophobes, and of particular concern are public bathrooms. Steve Martin does a lovely job of satirizing our fear of toilet seats (not to mention doorknobs, payphones and anything else not touched exclusively by ourselves). Declaring public bathrooms "dirty, disgusting and germ-ridden," he plays off a culture obsessed with sanitization mainly because of what we've been told by the people selling us an increasingly ludicrous line of disinfectants. — WD
promotion
38. "Nikey Turkey," SNL, 1990
This is an amazing flashback to African-American TV comedy from the early '90s, when In Living Color ruled the sketch landscape, Kid 'n Play dictated style and camera angles were floaty, wobbly and craaaazy! Chris Rock looks startlingly young, and his facial expression when he peers into the camera and urges, "Pump it" in that faux-sexy moan is a comedic moment to pause and rewind. — WD
Celebrity endorsements are the most meaningless of marketing strategies. But apparently they work — the Joan Rivers's loofah (extra abrasive!) is selling like hotcakes at Bath and Bodyworks. This concept is skewered with glee by Steve Martin, who was never a regular SNL cast member and so appears in few ad parodies. But if he was going to lend his name to just one product, it's no surprise it's this one. — CM
36. "Bug-Off," SNL, 1995
Pest control can be sadistic. What goes on inside those diabolical little black roach traps? Probably something similar to what happens in this commercial. Mixing the extreme violence of children's cartoons with people's total disregard for insects as a legitimate life form, "Bug-Off" shows us just how cruel we can be when Disney-grade imagination meets chemical science. — WD
35. "The Young and the Wrestling," SCTV, 1980
The premise is ridiculously basic; it's literally rooted in a play on words. But linking soap-opera melodrama to professional wrestling's hysterics is an astute correlation. Tony Rosato is a sheik — why? In soap opera and professional wrestling, you just don't ask those sorts of questions. Nor do you ask why Rick Moranis ignores his opponent, and instead pile-drives a nightgowned Andrea Martin. — WD
34. "Cookie Dough Sport," SNL, 1997
You can literally feel your heart slowing down when you watch someone pounding cookie dough straight from a bottle. The gross-out is the go-to method when it comes food-related humor, and "Cookie Dough Sport" plays it with aplomb. It's also a delightfully effective skewer for performance drinks that have "high-fructose corn syrup" near the top of their ingredients list. — JC
33. "Oops I Crapped My Pants," SNL, 1998
All right, so it's not brilliant. It's a fairly transparent attempt at scatalogical humor that panders to the masses. But there's nothing wrong with a foolproof laugh at elderly incontinence. Nothing wrong with that at all. — WD
32. "Petchow Rat Poison," SNL, 1996
Will Ferrell became the commercial force he is today thanks to his ability to play exaggerated and unbelievable characters like Ron Burgundy, so it's easy to forget how strong his straight man really is. Ferrell's Hank Petchow doesn't flip out his audience with jokes built on wild incongruity. Instead, he slowly builds guffaws with subtly violent dialogue and a weirdly malevolent folksy cadence. — JC
31. "Mercury Mistress," SNL, 1998
"Introducing the new Mercury Mistress: The world's first car you can actually have sex with." Step aside Kate Walsh — this "freaky European gymnast" will turn on a dime and turn on any man who slips into her. Optional features include extra shock absorbers that can handle even the most severe weather conditions. The message that men want to have sex with their cars is obvious, but that doesn't make a Fleshlight under the license plate any less funny. — Alexandra Godfrey
