‘Saturday Night Live’ 50th anniversary: da history of Da Bears

At some point in your Chicago Bears viewing life, you’ve probably screamed the phrase, “Da Bears!”

You likely thought your delivery was hilarious—and it probably was—but it wasn’t nearly as funny as what was happening live from New York.

The brainchild of sketch comedy writing legend Robert Smigel, Bill Swerski’s Superfans made nine appearances on Saturday Night Live between 1991-1997, all of which had them drunkenly yammering about, among other things, “Daaaa Bearzzz” and “Ditkaaa,” before one of them inevitably had a heart attack, likely due in part to their obsessive love for large hunks of sausage and cheap beer.

The core group of SNL Superfans—Smigel, Chris Farley, and Mike Myers—was joined by a revolving door of guests, among them Michael Jordan, Joe Mantegna, John Goodman, and, most regularly, George Wendt.

In 2018, Smigel—who’s a New York City native, of all things—told The Ringer that the sketch’s concept came not from Mike Ditka or the Bears themselves, but rather from sloppy fans of all sports:

“There was just a swagger among these very virile-looking men. All sports fans kind of have it. The arrogance of, ‘We kicked your ass!’ No, you didn’t You’ve a guy sitting in the third row. You can barely make it to the bathroom with all the beers you’ve drunk. You didn’t do anything.”

There wasn’t a clinker in the bunch—Smigel is a sketch-writing genius, and simply he doesn’t do clinkers, which is why the The Superfans transcended SNL, ultimately appearing in a variety of settings over the ensuing four decades:

1991: Intro to an NBC Bears/Dolphins telecast.

1991: Halftime of a Bears/Cowboys Wild Card game.

1992: Super Bowl XXV1 pregame show.

2006: Super Bowl XL pregame show.

2011: ESPN segment discussing then-Bears quarterback Jay Cutler.

2012: Old Navy commercial.

2013: State Farm commercial.

2013: Guest on ESPN SportsCenter

2019: Guest on ESPN Plus’ Peyton’s Place.

2024: Performed at a charity event with Jason Sudeikis playing the Chris Farley role.

Between crushing it in Studio 8H or firing up a Super Bowl afternoon, Swerski’s Superfans were, are, and always will be one of the most iconic representations of Da Bears in the history of Da Bears.