(Courtesy Anheuser-Busch)

For more than four decades, Budweiser’s Clydesdales have been some of the most reliable stars of the Super Bowl. While most brands chase humor, celebrities, or shock value, Budweiser keeps returning to a team of horses that somehow manage to cut through the noise of the biggest advertising night of the year.

These ads are unashamedly emotional and quietly patriotic even in difficult times, And yet, year after year, the Clydesdales keep delivering some of the most talked-about moments of the game.

Where It All Began

The Clydesdales didn’t start as a Super Bowl gimmick. They were introduced in 1933 to celebrate the end of Prohibition, when August A. Busch Jr. sent a hitch of horses to deliver the first legal case of Budweiser to the White House. That mix of celebration, tradition, and showmanship would later become the backbone of Budweiser’s advertising.

By the early 1980s, Budweiser had turned the horses into full-blown TV icons. In 1986, the Clydesdales made their Super Bowl debut, trotting into living rooms across America and instantly standing out in a sea of high-energy beer commercials. They didn’t crack jokes or smash beer cans. They just showed up, big and beautiful, and people remembered them.

The Era of Big, Emotional Storytelling

Through the 1990s and early 2000s, Budweiser leaned into what the Clydesdales did best: quiet, cinematic storytelling. These weren’t really beer ads in the traditional sense. They were short films about loyalty, hard work, and Americana — just with a six-pack waiting at the end.

Some of the most famous spots from this era barely mentioned Budweiser at all. Instead, viewers got snowy farm roads, glowing barns, and teams of horses pulling wagons through small towns. Anheuser-Busch trusted that if you felt something, you’d connect it back to Budweiser, and a Nation did.

(Courtesy Anheuser-Busch)

Enter the Puppy

In 2014, Budweiser gave the Clydesdales their most famous co-star: a golden-hearted puppy. The ad told the story of a small dog who keeps escaping a farm to be with his horse best friend. It was simple, sweet, and nearly guaranteed to make people tear up — and it worked. The spot became one of the most shared Super Bowl ads of all time.

Budweiser brought the puppy back again and again, pairing it with the Clydesdales in a series of mini-movies that leaned heavily into friendship and loyalty. In a night usually dominated by jokes and stunts, Budweiser owned the emotional lane.

The 9/11 Super Bowl Ad That Aired Only Once

One of the most powerful moments in Budweiser’s long Super Bowl history came in 2002, when the Clydesdales appeared in a spot that would never be shown again.

The country was still reeling from the September 11 attacks, and that year’s Super Bowl felt different. It wasn’t just about football or advertising — it was a kind of national exhale. Budweiser responded with a silent, almost reverent commercial that featured its Clydesdales trotting across a snowy field toward the New York City skyline. As they reached the horizon, the horses stopped and bowed their heads in front of the Twin Towers, which still stood in the image.

There was no voiceover. No slogan. No product shot. Just the sound of wind and hoofbeats.

(Budweiser Clydesdales “Respect” / Courtesy Anheuser-Busch)

Budweiser had already planned a different Clydesdales ad for the game, but pulled it at the last minute and replaced it with this tribute. The company made it clear the spot was not meant to sell beer — it was meant to honor the victims and the mood of a country still in shock.

After it aired, Budweiser announced the ad would never run again. In an era when great Super Bowl commercials were endlessly replayed, this one was allowed to exist only in that moment, making it even more powerful. It wasn’t just a brand showing respect — it was Budweiser and its Clydesdales quietly acknowledging that, even on the biggest ad night of the year, the right move was to say nothing at all.

Clydesdales at Super Bowl LIX:  A Foal Steals the Spotlight

When the Budweiser Clydesdales returned for Super Bowl LIX in 2025, fans got a fresh twist on a beloved tradition. Instead of focusing only on the majestic adult horses, Budweiser’s “First Delivery” commercial put a Clydesdale foal front and center — the first time in over a decade that a young horse took a lead role in the brand’s big-game ad.

Unapologetically sentimental, 2025’s Budweiser super bowl commercial was as warming as it is welcome, and Anheuser-Busch absolutely nailed it.

(“First Delivery” / Courtesy Anheuser-Busch)

Clydesdales at Super Bowl LX: Tradition With a Tease

Even as Super Bowl advertising evolves, the Budweiser Clydesdales remain at the heart of the brand’s big-game presence. For Super Bowl LX Budweiser confirmed that the iconic horses would return for what marks their 48th national Super Bowl commercial appearance.

Rather than revealing the full commercial before kickoff, the brand dropped a teaser titled “Stable.” According to MediaPost the brief spot ends with the phrase “Heads Will Turn” — hints at a mystery new character, sparking speculation about who or what might be joining the horses on their next big-screen moment.

Undoubtably this cinematic teaser taps into Budweiser’s rich history of cinematic Budweiser Clydesdales commercials, further proof that even after decades of Super Bowl appearance, these gentle giants can still make audiences lean into heartfelt emotions, as well as a major American beer.

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