Why Super Bowl winners always say, ‘We’re going to Disney World!’
While each Super Bowl is unique, some things never change. And in this case, it means that the Kansas City Chiefs are again Super Bowl champions and quarterback Patrick Mahomes is again going to Disneyland.
Putting the iconic “I’m going to Disney” commercial together in the minutes after the game ends doesn’t look like the easiest job in television. There are edits to make, contracts to sign and the final game outcome typically isn’t known until the very end — especially in the event of overtime, like Sunday night.
But that hustle and subsequent quick-turn creation of the “We’re going to Disney!” commercial are as much a part of the modern-day Super Bowl experience as a flashy halftime show and buckets of chicken wings.
If you’ve ever wondered how this came to be, the iconic commercial got its start after the 1987 Super Bowl when winning quarterback Phil Simms was the first to take in a payday (reportedly $75,000 in 1987) in exchange for saying a couple of lines and taking a trip to Disney World.
The commercial, largely unchanged from its original version, has happened almost every year since.
And yes, the players who say the magical phrase really do go to Disney World or Disneyland, usually the very next day after the game. This year, Mahomes and family will head to Disneyland, the closer of the two U.S. parks to Las Vegas, where the 2024 Super Bowl was held.
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Related: How to use points to buy Disney tickets
If you’re ever at Disney World or Disneyland the day after the Super Bowl (again, whichever park is closer to the location of the Super Bowl is typically utilized), there’s a decent chance you’ll see a representative or two from the winning Super Bowl team take their place in a celebratory parade down Main Street, U.S.A., which will be held Monday at 2 p.m. Pacific time.
Often, though not always, it is the MVP of the game that’s at either Disney World or Disneyland the next day.
If that sounds like something you want to be a part of, it’s never too early to start planning for next year, when the Super Bowl will be held in New Orleans, making Disney World a good candidate for the day-after celebratory parade.
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