One Unexpected (And Cowbell-Oriented) Reason I Need Get To Universal Orlando Soon

Will Ferrell banging on the cowbell in iconic SNL sketch.

(Image credit: NBC Universal)

I’ve been to Universal Orlando a bunch of times, and at this point the theme parks are synonymous with great ride properties like Jurassic World, The Simpsons, Minions, The Mummy and so much more. One thing I don’t generally think about when I think of the big, beautiful, globed theme park is a longtime TV favorite of mine: Saturday Night Live. And yet, NBC is owned by Universal.

The show’s been putting together a behemoth guest host list for Season 50, and has been everywhere in recent months, but for whatever reason, I haven’t really connected the theme parks in Orlando with what’s going on with Lorne Michaels and co ahead of this weekend’s big release of the SNL 50th anniversary special. (Which will involve Sabrina Carpenter and so much more.) However, as a big SNL fan, I actually need to get to the parks soon.

In recent weeks, theme park bloggers have been showing off some really cool merch related to the series at Universal’s CityWalk (aka the best area to wander around whilst taking a trip to the parks).

Universal Orlando today w/ my dad and they have a, “I NEED MORE COWBELL” shirt part of the #SNL50 collection 😂 pic.twitter.com/6l0oTRCiKAFebruary 12, 2025

The shirt might be the thing I'm eyeballing, but it's not the only Saturday Night Live merch available on CityWalk. Additional merch includes striped long-sleeved logo tees, some cool cups with illustrated graphics of some of the most famous cast members, a cool old school "Weekend Update" shirt and more, available at the Universal Studios Store in CityWalk proper.

Honestly, at the end of the day I should connect Universal and SNL a bit more thanks to Dan Levy’s funny Studio Lot tour sketch from during the pandemic, which I absolutely am going to watch right meow.

Universal Tram - SNL - YouTube

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One of my favorite things to do while at Universal Orlando is wander around CityWalk. If I fancy a donut or a milkshake, it’s the place to be. If I want to catch a movie, it’s the place to be. If I want to see some bad karaoke, it’s the place to be. If I want to celebrate Mardi Gras in an extra special way, I go there. And if I want to check out some of the best merch, it’s a great place to wander. Now there’s stuff for the SNL anniversary year, I absolutely need to get my butt to Universal Orlando soon.

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Jessica Rawden is Managing Editor at CinemaBlend. She’s been kicking out news stories since 2007 and joined the full-time staff in 2014. She oversees news content, hiring and training for the site, and her areas of expertise include theme parks, rom-coms, Hallmark (particularly Christmas movie season), reality TV, celebrity interviews and primetime. She loves a good animated movie. Jessica has a Masters in Library Science degree from Indiana University, and used to be found behind a reference desk most definitely not shushing people. She now uses those skills in researching and tracking down information in very different ways.