Welcome to the first terrifying chapter of ADN’s Fear Files — aka the strange, slightly ridiculous things that traumatised me as a child. Today’s story? The Budweiser frogs.
Let’s rewind to the 00s. I’m a kid, chilling out, probably eating Wotsits, watching something innocent on CITV or Nickelodeon. Life is good… until they appear.
“Bud… Weis… ERRR.”
Those frogs. Croaking. Staring. Mocking me through the screen. I wasn’t even old enough to understand what Budweiser was — but I knew those frogs had evil energy. I was not okay.
Top 3 Reasons That Ad Was Evil:
- The way they croaked like they knew all my secrets
- The weird close-ups of their slimy little faces
- The fact that it aired on kids’ TV like that was okay (spoiler: it wasn’t)
Parental Betrayal: Jump Scare Edition
As if the advert itself wasn’t bad enough, one day my dad casually turned to me and asked:
“Are you scared of that advert?”
I tried to act cool. “No,” I said. Silly me.
Next thing I know, he’s got a jump scare video queued up on the family computer. You know the type: calm scenery, maybe a frog in a pond… and then BAM — a terrifying close-up, loud screeching noise, and pure childhood panic.
I jumped so hard I spilled my drink across the keyboard. And my dad? Cackling. Like it was the funniest thing he’d ever seen.
I have never trusted a YouTube thumbnail since. Ever.
Daisy’s Corner:
“Frogs should not speak. Frogs should not jump scare. If I ever meet the Budweiser frogs, I’m pressing charges.”
Trauma Rating: 💀💀💀💀💀 (Full keyboard wipe-out)
Stay tuned for the next volume of ADN’s Fear Files. Because if you thought this was bad… just wait until we talk about balloons.
Asten Does Nostalgia 
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