A glib dinner comment became a well-known phrase.
Have you ever heard of the phrase, “I’m going to Disney World?” It’s a popular phrase in sports, used when a team wins a big game or a championship.
How did the phrase start? And who said it first?
In January 1987, Disneyland opened its ‘Star Tours‘ attraction. To celebrate, Disney CEO Michael Eisner and his wife, Jane, were having dinner with Dick Rutan and Jeana Yeager, the duo who, in 1986, piloted the first airplane to fly around the world without stopping and refueling.
Jane Eisner asked them what they planned on doing next? “Well, we’re going to Disneyland!” they replied. After dinner, Jane told her husband, Michael, that the phrase would make a great advertising campaign. He agreed. So….
The 1987 Super Bowl featured the biggest quarterbacks of the day, Phil Simms (Giants) and John Elway (Broncos). A week before the game, both players were contacted about doing a commercial that would play immediately after the game. Only the victorious QB would be featured and the spot would bring him a cool $75k.
The format of the commercial included the song, “When You Wish Upon A Star,” played over highlights from the game. The narrator then asked: “You just won the Super Bowl. What are you going to do next?” The player, who turned out to be Simms, looked into the camera said: “I’m going to Disney World!”
The phrase caught on and has been used in every Super Bowl … except one. The NFL has never said why it wasn’t included in the 2005 game.
The phrase has been used in conjunction with many other professional championship games, too. And, in truth, many athletes actually did what they said they’d do: they went to Disney World!
