Jimmy Fallon Shares Hashtag the Panda Origin Story and More

If you’ve watched The Tonight Show, you know what a great storyteller Jimmy Fallon is (my favorite: him describing playing ping-pong with Prince). But it wasn’t until I got to work with him earlier this year that I realized what a natural storyteller he is.

We had the opportunity to film Jimmy meeting with Universal Creative President Mark Woodbury to tour “Race Through New York Starring Jimmy Fallon” at Universal Studios Florida. This was Jimmy’s first time seeing the completed attraction before it opened and he was ecstatic. And over the course of that walkthrough, Jimmy told multiple stories that we, unfortunately, had to cut for time.

But we’ve gone back to the footage and pulled out a few stories we thought fans would love to hear.

First, Jimmy talks about what it was like growing up idolizing The Tonight Show before he and Mark talk about dreams and creativity.

Later, Jimmy and Mark run into Hashtag the Panda. This long-running character from The Tonight Show has a history most fans don’t know. And there, on the floor, amidst laughs, Jimmy shared it with us.

I hope you’ve enjoyed these bonus scenes. Come visit us to go on your own race through New York City with Jimmy Fallon. And check out The Tonight Show on your local NBC station for more of Jimmy’s great stories.