
(Courtesy Anheuser-Busch)
From the Prohibition era to Super Bowl commercials, there are few things more iconic in Budweiser’s history than its team of Clydesdale horses. More than just a mascot, the Clydesdales have been an integral part of Anheuser-Busch’s DNA for more than 80 years.
And now for the first time in over a decade, this year’s Super Bowl Budweiser commercial, titled “First Delivery,” features a Clydesdale foal as the star, in a deft combination of marketing and art.
Created by FCB New York and directed by Academy Award-nominated filmmaker and Emmy Award-winning commercial director Henry Alex Rubin, “First Delivery” opens at the Budweiser Brewery with the Clydesdale hitch gearing up for a delivery.
With the final kegs loaded and the hitch about to depart, a young Clydesdale foal, is disappointed when the hitch driver tells him he isn’t ready to join the team on the road just yet.
But then as the Clydesdale hitch leaves the brewery, one of the kegs falls off the wagon. The young foal is the only one to notice, and he starts to nudge the keg with his head in pursuit of the hitch, a dramatic backcountry journey that’s as smart and touching as these things get…
A Short History of the Budweiser Clydesdales
In April 1933, August A. Busch, Jr. and Adolphus Busch III surprised their father, August A. Busch, Sr., with the gift of a six-horse Clydesdale hitch to commemorate the repeal of Prohibition of beer.
Realizing the marketing potential of a horse-drawn beer wagon, the company also arranged to have a second six-horse Clydesdale hitch sent to New York to mark the event. The Clydesdales drew a crowd of thousands on their way to the Empire State Building. After a small ceremony, a case of Budweiser was presented to former Governor Alfred E. Smith in appreciation of his years of service in the fight against Prohibition.
This hitch continued on a tour of New England and the Mid-Atlantic states, thrilling thousands, before stopping in Washington, DC, in April 1933 to reenact the delivery of one of the first cases of Budweiser to President Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
Shortly after the hitch was first introduced, the six-horse Clydesdale team increased to eight. On March 30, 1950, in commemoration of the opening of the Anheuser-Busch Newark Brewery, a Dalmatian was introduced as the Budweiser Clydesdales’ mascot. Now, a Dalmatian travels with each of the Clydesdale hitches.

(Courtesy Anheuser-Busch)
Today, the Budweiser Clydesdales remain an enduring symbol of the brewer’s tradition and legacy, making hundreds of appearances across the country each year.
“Budweiser has been synonymous with the Super Bowl for decades and the broadcast continues to be a core pillar of our advertising strategy,” said Kristina Punwani, Head of Marketing at Budweiser USA. “We’re thrilled to bring our fans a piece of the traditional Super Bowl entertainment that they know and love from Budweiser: the iconic Clydesdales”
Unapologetically sentimental, this year’s Budweiser super bowl commercial is as warming as it is welcome, and Anheuser-Busch absolutely nails it.
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