Super Bowl LVIII MVP Patrick Mahomes made his way to Disneyland Resort on Monday after leading the Kansas City Chiefs to a 25-22 overtime victory over the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday evening.
As part of the victory festivities, Mahomes claimed for a second-straight year that he and his family “were going to Disneyland!” A massive parade happened down Main Street, U.S.A., and Mahomes could be seen on the float, adorned with Kansas City Chiefs decorations, as well as Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse.
While Mahomes may not have gotten to spend an entire weekend enjoying Disneyland Park, Disney California Adventure, and Downtown Disney, we do know that he got to enjoy a few attractions. Last year, he went viral on the Jimmy Kimmel Late Night Show when he was asked about his time inside the parks.
Mahomes shared during the interview that his daughter was excited to visit Disneyland in 2023 and that she wanted to ride every attraction in the park. However, when speaking about Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway, he had a slightly different take than most Disney fans might think.
“It was actually pretty crazy,” Mahomes told Jimmy Kimmel. “It caught me by surprise a couple of times. I thought it was, like, a kids’ ride how it was set up, and all of a sudden, I’m flying around in this place, and I’m like, ‘how do y’all let little kids on this thing?’”
Mahomes, who won his third Super Bowl overall and is now on a streak of back-to-back Super Bowl victories, finished the game with 333 yards passing, two touchdowns, and one interception. He also rushed for 66 yards on nine carries.
“It means the world just – the whole family of Kansas City and Chiefs kingdom is special. Brittany’s a great wife with two great kids. I can’t ask for anything better than this. We’re Super Bowl champs,” he said in an interview with People yesterday.
As we look back on his trip to Disneyland in 2024, it’s unclear if the NFL quarterback made his way back to Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway or not. In a photo released by Disney, we can see him, his wife Brittany, his daughter Sterling Skye, and son Patrick “Bronze” Mahomes III, 14 months, in Toontown. This makes us believe that he likely took another spin on the beloved attraction, but who knows, he might’ve seen it and elected to walk right past it.
“My oldest daughter, she can finally kind of realize what’s going on and where she’s at, and she loves to watch her dad play football. She can see him from a mile away and pays attention and keeps up with what’s going on with him,” Brittany said.
Located at Disneyland Park, Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway takes guests “into the whimsical universe of a Mickey Mouse short.” The attraction opened in 2023 with the reimagined Toontown.
Why is saying “I’m going to Disneyland” a Super Bowl tradition?
The tradition of saying “I’m going to Disneyland” began with a marketing campaign by The Walt Disney Company in the mid-1980s. The first prominent figure to utter this now-iconic phrase was Phil Simms, quarterback for the New York Giants, after his team won Super Bowl XXI in January 1987. As part of the marketing strategy, Simms was paid a reported $75,000 to say the famous line in a commercial shortly after the game.
According to reports, Patrick Mahomes made more than $5 million to say the phrase last year.
This groundbreaking advertising campaign marked the beginning of a tradition that would see numerous athletes and celebrities proclaiming their intentions to visit Disneyland or Walt Disney World after achieving significant milestones or victories. While the exact amounts paid to subsequent participants in the campaign may vary, it’s clear that the initial investment in securing Phil Simms’ endorsement helped establish “I’m going to Disneyland” as an enduring symbol of success and celebration in popular culture.
What is your favorite attraction in Disneyland? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments!