Long-Running Commercial Marks 20th Year as Pittsburgh Steeler Receiver Hines Ward Proclaims, 'I'm Going to Disney World! ... And I'm Taking The Bus'

Long-Running Commercial Marks 20th Year as Pittsburgh Steeler Receiver Hines Ward Proclaims, 'I'm Going to Disney World! ... And I'm Taking The Bus'

DETROIT, Feb. 6 /PRNewswire/ -- Wide receiver Hines Ward of the Pittsburgh Steelers Sunday night became the latest sports hero to pause in the afterglow of triumph and shout the famous phrase "I'm going to Disney World!" as part of the production for one of TV's most enduring and celebrated commercials. But this time, there was more: Veteran Pittsburgh running back Jerome "The Bus" Bettis joined in the commercial as Super Bowl MVP Ward added, "And I'm taking The Bus."

The pronouncement, captured on tape at Detroit's Ford Field just moments after Pittsburgh's 21-10 victory over the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XL, became the latest episode of the "I'm going to Disney World" commercial produced over a 20-year span.

When the first of the series appeared in 1987 (featuring New York Giants quarterback Phil Simms following his team's triumph in Super Bowl XXI), the commercial was regarded as a groundbreaking concept -- a produced national commercial involving a current event, airing on major networks hours after the event. And this latest installment -- the 36th in the long-running series -- will follow a similar script, airing Feb. 6 -- the day after Super Bowl XL.

Also on Monday, Ward and Bettis were scheduled to go to Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., for a celebratory parade down Main Street, U.S.A. in the Magic Kingdom. The procession, also including football stars of the future from NFL Youth Football hosted by Emmitt Smith, the NFL's all-time leading rusher, was to cap Disney's most visible "I'm going to Disney World" presence in two decades of the TV spot.

Disney this year worked with the NFL to create a retrospective of the game's heroes and 20 years of the "I'm going to Disney World" campaign, then projected the presentation onto a downtown Detroit skyscraper during evening hours of the days leading up to the Super Bowl. Accompanied by lively music celebrating the sport and Detroit's heritage, the dazzling visuals -- up to 150 feet high -- added to the fun of Detroit's Motown Winter Blast, a combination of hip and fun winter sports for the entire family to enjoy in Campus Martius Park.

Next came a 60-second commercial that aired during the pregame broadcast and at halftime of the game featuring players from both Super Bowl teams -- including Ward and Bettis -- practicing to deliver the iconic catchphrase "I'm going to Disney World."

Then, for the first time ever, Disney did a post-game reveal of a player to be featured in the "I'm going to Disney World" spot, projecting the image of Ward XL -- extra large -- onto the side of a building in Campus Martius Park Sunday night after the game.

Ward and Bettis join a lineup of sports heroes such as Tom Brady, Emmitt Smith, Barry Bonds, Mark McGwire, Joe Montana, John Elway, Jerry Rice, Troy Aikman, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Doug Williams, Magic Johnson and Patrick Roy who have been featured during the two decades of "I'm going to Disney World" commercials.

"I'm Going to Disney World" Fact Sheet

First Spot: Super Bowl XXI (Phil Simms, New York Giants)
Number of Spots Since Inception: 36
Chronology of "I'm going to Disney World" Spots:

2006 Super Bowl XL (Hines Ward and Jerome Bettis, Pittsburgh Steelers)
2004 Super Bowl XXXVIII (Tom Brady, New England Patriots)
Major League Baseball World Series Champions (Curt Schilling, Pedro
Martinez and David Ortiz, Boston Red Sox)
2003 Super Bowl XXXVII (Jon Gruden and Brad Johnson, Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
2002 Super Bowl XXXVI (Tom Brady, New England Patriots)
2001 Super Bowl XXXV (Trent Dilfer, Baltimore Ravens)
Major League Baseball home run record (Barry Bonds, San Francisco
Giants)
2000 Super Bowl XXXIV (Kurt Warner, St. Louis Rams)
1999 Super Bowl XXXIII (Terrell Davis and John Elway, Denver Broncos)
Women's World Cup (United States Championship Team)
1998 Super Bowl XXXII (John Elway, Denver Broncos)
Major League Baseball home run record (Mark McGwire, St. Louis
Cardinals)
1997 Super Bowl XXXI (Desmond Howard, Green Bay Packers)
Holiday Gift-Giving (Santa Claus)
1996 Super Bowl XXX (Emmitt Smith, Dallas Cowboys)
1995 Super Bowl XXIX (Jerry Rice and Steve Young, San Francisco 49ers)
1994 Super Bowl XXVIII (Emmitt Smith, Dallas Cowboys)
Olympics (Nancy Kerrigan, U.S. Figure Skater)
1993 Super Bowl XXVII (Troy Aikman, Dallas Cowboys)
Stanley Cup (Patrick Roy, Montreal Canadiens)
1992 Super Bowl XXVI (Mark Rypien, Washington Redskins)
1991 Super Bowl XXV (Ottis Anderson, N.Y. Giants)
NBA (Michael Jordan, Chicago Bulls)
1990 Super Bowl XXIV (Joe Montana, San Francisco 49ers)
Graduation (Jim Thompson of Temple University, and Matt Kaldenberg,
Phyllis Kaldenberg and Laura McEwen of Simpson College)
1989 Super Bowl XXIII (Joe Montana, San Francisco 49ers)
NHL (Al MacInnis, Calgary Flames)
NBA (Joe Dumars, Detroit Pistons)
1988 Super Bowl XXII (Doug Williams, Washington Redskins)
Miss America (Gretchen Carlson)
World Series (Orel Hershiser, L.A. Dodgers)
NBA (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, L.A. Lakers)
1987 Super Bowl XXI (Phil Simms, N.Y. Giants)
America's Cup (Dennis Conner)
NBA (Magic Johnson, L.A. Lakers)
World Series (Frank Viola, Minnesota Twins)

Notes:
- The Super Bowl has been the catalyst for the most "I'm going to Disney
World" spots (19)
- There have been four "I'm going to Disney World" repeaters: Joe Montana
(1989 and 1990), Emmitt Smith (1994 and 1996), John Elway (1998 and
1999) and Tom Brady (2002 and 2004).
- "I'm going to Disney World" spots immediately following the Super Bowl
have featured non-Super Bowl MVPs eight times: 1989, 1995 (shared),
1996, 1998, 1999 (shared), 2001, 2003 and 2005 (shared).

Source: Walt Disney World

CONTACT: Dave Herbst of Walt Disney World, +1-407-566-6397,
dave.herbst@disney.com

NOTE TO EDITORS: Downloadable high-res images will be available at the news exclusive Web site http://www.wdwnews.com (USER: Disney; PASSWORD: magic).

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