"Don't even think about it!" is an emphatic prohibition [1] popularized by a 1993 Pepsi commercial featuring Shaquille O'Neal, a famous basketball player.
The catchphrase as used by the Pepsi ad was based upon a similar phrase, "Don't even THINK of parking here", which came into use on no parking signs in major cities such as New York City and Chicago. [2] [3] The signs first appeared in New York in 1982 during Ed Koch's mayoral administration. [4] [5]
The 1993 commercial featuring O'Neal begins with him playing hoops at a street basketball court. A little kid notices him, and exclaims O'Neal's nickname, "Shaq". O'Neal, noticing that the kid has a Pepsi in his hand, walks over and says "Hey, can I have it?" He bends over, supposing that his admirer will give him the soda, but the kid refuses, saying: "Don't even think about it!" Suddenly, a sound simulating that of a scratched record is heard, and the commercial ends with the Pepsi logo and slogan.
The commercial is actually a parody of another famous one from the 1970s produced by Pepsi's rival, Coca-Cola, in which a young boy meets football player "Mean" Joe Greene as he is leaving the field after a game. The boy gives his hero a bottle of Coke and, in exchange for the drink, the football player throws his jersey to the boy, who excitedly catches the souvenir.
In a Rocko's Modern Life episode, Rocko got a traffic ticket for literally thinking of parking.
The sign is mentioned in an episode of Arthur in the backdoor pilot for Postcards from Buster .
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