Flavorwire

“Sell out!” Such a subjective yet indicting little term, isn’t it? For most artists or film auteurs, lending their skills and image to commercial causes is… risky. It could mean image suicide! Scorned fans! Mocking scoffs! Yet, sometimes, it works out awesomely. Sometimes, the final results of these commissions are so nifty, so shameless, or just so perplexing, that they’re fairly un-mockable and even praiseworthy. From Banksy’s dark intro to The Simpsons to David Lynch’s Playstation commercial, here are some notable recent-ish instances of cultural figures selling out, psyching out their clients, or just making us go “aw.” Who’d we miss?

Banksy’s intro to The Simpsons

During his brief directorial stint with The Simpsons last year, mysterious street artist Banksy created an intro that called out the animated sitcom’s labor outsourcing and criticized the consumerist culture behind its mammoth merchandising operation. Burn! They aired it.