Pepsi Commercials @Michael Jackson #teammalimar #michaeljackson #fyp #fyppppppppppppppppppppppp #fyppppppppppppppppppppppppp •The 1984 Pepsi commercial featuring Michael Jackson and a young Alfonso Ribeiro—before he became famous for The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air—was a cultural phenomenon. It introduced the "Choice of a New Generation" campaign and featured a street dance sequence set to a rewritten version of Jackson's "Billie Jean". •The Concept: A young boy (Ribeiro) is breakdancing and moonwalking on a city street when he encounters Michael Jackson and his brothers. They join together for a massive, synchronized dance sequence in the street. •The Song: Instead of a generic jingle, Pepsi licensed the backing track to "Billie Jean." Michael Jackson personally re-wrote the lyrics to create a track called "The Pepsi Generation". •The Success: The ad premiered during the 1984 American Music Awards. It was so successful that it contributed to Pepsi briefly gaining a lead over Coca-Cola in market share. •Alfonso's Background: A 12-year-old Ribeiro landed the gig following his successful run on Broadway in the musical The Tap Dance Kid. His impressive dance skills caught the attention of the commercial's producers, who asked him to showcase his moves. •The Urban Legend: Following the commercial, a widespread urban legend circulated that Ribeiro had broken his neck and died while breakdancing. Because there was no internet to immediately debunk rumors at the time, a shaken Ribeiro frequently had to convince people on the street that he was still alive. •Lincoln Center Event: Shortly after the commercial wrapped, Pepsi hosted a major convention at the Lincoln Center in New York for about 1,000 bottlers. Ribeiro attended and performed on stage alongside Michael Jackson. •The Bathroom Incident: During this Lincoln Center event, Jackson had an unfortunate mishap in the bathroom where he dropped his iconic single glove into the toilet. Ribeiro recalled in interviews that Jackson pulled it out, but it made him understandably reluctant to shake Michael's hand later on stage. - @marvelousmalimar