Where did the Super Bowl’s “I’m going to Disneyland” slogan come from?

It's a Super Bowl tradition as well-known as the catchy commercials, lengthy halftime show, and piles of leftover guacamole, but the famous "I'm going to Disney World" and "I'm How did the slogan "Go to Disneyland" spread to (almost) every big game since 1987?

The idea for the slogan itself can be attributed to Jane Eisner, the wife of former Disney CEO Michael Eisner. In 2015, he told Sports Illustrated the story behind the slogan:

“In January 1987, we launched Disneyland’s Star Tours, an attraction based on Star Wars. Ribbon cutting ceremony Later, my wife, Jane, and I had dinner with George Lucas and Dick Rutan and Jenna Yeager, who were the first people to travel around the world without stopping. It was getting late. The conversation stopped while we were waiting for our food, so I asked Dick and Jenna, “Okay, now that you’ve achieved your dream, what might you do next? Rutan responded without hesitation, "I'm going to Disneyland." Of course I was like, "Wow, that's great! You made the right choice." But my wife jumped in and said, 'You know, this is A good slogan. '"

Around this time, the NFL playoffs were in full swing, with the New York Giants and Denver Broncos set to meet in Super Bowl XXI. What better way to do that than on the biggest TV show of the year? What better time to unveil this new marketing slogan at an event? Eisner decided on the time and place to debut the phrase after two of the team's quarterbacks, Phil Sims and John Elway, Coming to the same offer: $75,000, the winner gets to say "I'm going to Disney World" and "I'm going to Disneyland" to the Disney cameras as they run off the field after the game, which will then be used at either Disney World or Disneyland. Park commercials, depending on where they air. (This is usually followed by an actual trip to Disneyland in the following days, where the spokesperson attends a *** for his team.)

< Simms was hesitant at first, but after hearing Elway agree, he agreed. The NFL also signed on to Disney's plan, so now it's up to the company to find a way to get their cameras onto the field before all-out madness breaks out. on. Tom Elrod, Disney's president of marketing and entertainment, told Sports Illustrated in 1987: "We wanted it to be real, but that meant being the first camera on set. , in the craziest environments imaginable. We'd be competing against broadcasters, reporters, hangers-on and teammates just to have some one person look at the camera and say, "I'm going to Disney World." If you think about it, that's crazy. The first year, I don’t think anyone thought it was achievable. ”

A reluctant Simms changed his mind about Disney’s proposal, which was a good thing because his Giants defeated Elway’s Broncos 39-20. Not only did Simms get His first Super Bowl title and the game's MVP award, he also received a $75,000 bonus for saying two simple sentences (although he had to say both sentences three times, just to be sure).

This tradition continues to this day, except for Super Bowl XXXIX in 2005 and Super Bowl 50 in 2016, when no commercials were aired (although Super Bowl 50’s winning four-point (Guy Peyton Manning went to Disneyland anyway).

Now, the slogan has transcended football, being uttered by everyone from NBA players to Olympians and American Idol contestants. They didn't end up on a commercial break, and the championship team could still be welcomed to the Disney Parks***, just like it was for the Chicago Cubs in 2016.