After four years off the Super Bowl stage, Expedia’s back, and this time, it’s sending one of pop culture’s most recognizable icons on the ultimate coming-of-age journey. In a playful, meticulously crafted stop-motion spot produced by BUCK in collaboration with Bix Pix, Mattel’s Ken celebrates his 65th birthday by saying goodbye to ordinary and finally seeing the world.
Titled Going Places with Ken, the film reimagines Ken as a first-time traveler who’s grown weary of his perfectly curated beachside routine. Instead of another sunset at home, Ken sets his sights on advertising’s biggest night and a much bigger world beyond it. Turning to Expedia, “the one place you go to go places,” Ken embarks on a whirlwind global tour, hopping from Italy to Japan to Mexico City in a joyful, wide-eyed exploration of what travel can unlock.
Guided by an unseen, slightly cheeky narrator, the “voice in the sky,” Ken walks through Expedia’s travel tools, from flexible booking policies to rewards that encourage travelers to save more by going more. The result is a spot that’s equal parts nostalgic, aspirational, and self-aware, blending stop-motion craft with modern travel insight in a way that feels both timeless and timely. Watch below:
The campaign extends beyond the screen with a Ken-themed Super Bowl sweepstakes launching February 8. In honor of Ken’s milestone birthday, Expedia will award $1,000 in OneKeyCash to 65 winners, inviting fans to follow Ken’s lead and “go places” themselves.
Going Places with Ken marks Expedia’s first Big Game appearance since 2022’s Stuff, starring Ewan McGregor, and signals a return to bold, character-driven storytelling. By pairing meticulous animation with a cultural icon in midlife reinvention mode, Expedia delivers a Super Bowl spot that’s not just about travel, it’s about finally taking the trip you’ve been putting off.
For more Super Bowl coverage, click here.
CREDITS:
BRAND: Expedia
- Vice President: Natalie Wills
- Marketing Director: Adam Dalgleish
- Executive Creative Director: Alyssa Georg
- Marketing Director: Spencer Einbund
- Marketing Director: Ben Hack
- Production Director: Kara Fromhart
- Creative Director: Anne Sanguinetti
- Creative Director: Nico Cortinove
- Creative Director: Jacqueline Robertson
BRAND: Mattel
- Account Director: Mahta Eghbali
- Account Director: Lauren Colley
- Account Director: Tiana Kupinski
- Account Director: Lucas Allen
- Account Director: Alex Gergely
- Account Director: Samantha Kellie
- Account Director: Nick Tiffany
AGENCY / CREATIVE: BUCK USA
- Art Director: Arielle Casale
- Creative Technologist: Daniel Pernikoff
- Producer: Elizabeth Abrams
- Producer: Erin Lockard
- Account Lead: Jacob Wolfman
- Designer: Kenni Huang
- Executive Producer: Kitty Dillard
- Producer: Luke Proctor
- Creative Director: Robert Bisi
- Designer: Rodney Lambright
- Writer: Gabrielle Doyon Hanson
- Writer: Bernadette Rivero
- Graphic Designer: Gabriel Guedelha
PRODUCTION: Bix Pix
- Executive Producer: Kelli Bixler
- Producer: Jodi Downs
- Director: Drew Hodges
- Director of Photography: Eric Adkins
- Director of Photography: Aaron Wise
- Production Designer: Paul Harrod
- 1st AD: Pete Levin
- 1st AC: Carl Helder
- Gaffer: Dwight Campbel
- Grip: Drex Reed
- Grip: Riley Cooper
- Grip: Jordan Sherrod
- Camera Operator: Luca Cioci
- Camera Operator: Calvin Fredrick
- Lighting: Susie Shircliff
- Art Director: Ben Record
- Art Director: Raphaelle Gamanho
- Art Director: Amber Padgett
- Art Director: Marisa Gehrig
- Set Designer: Dilean Jimenez
POST PRODUCTION / VFX: BUCK USA
- 3D Supervisor: Bill Dorais
- 3D Lead: Chris Ribar
- Post Production Supervisor: Jose Fuentes
- Matte Painting: Marcus Collins
- Matte Painting: Dae-Han Yi
- Matte Painting: Jim Lind
- Compositing: Brinton Jaecks
- Compositing: Brooks Tomlinson
- Compositing: Sam Smith
- Compositing: Jeff Dragon
- 2D Animation: Kyle Snider
- Editor: Talia Mazzarella
- Editor: Dan Suter
- Edit Assistant: Brian Dieck
- Colorist: Jeremy Stuart
REELated:
Instacart goes bananas with Ben Stiller x Benson Boone in Big Game showdown
