Here are some slightly interesting facts relating to the movie.
- The house used in Ferris Bueller's Day Off is actually in California, although the film is set in Chicago. Its door number, 2800, is the number of the house John Hughes (the writer and director) lived in as a child.
- The internal scenes in Ferris' high school were filmed in the same one in which Hughes filmed The Breakfast Club. However, the scene set at the school's entrance features Hughes' own high school.
- Matthew Broderick and Jennifer Grey played brother and sister in the film, but were romantically involved at the time it was made.
- Cindy Picket and Lyman Ward played Ferris' parents and then went on to get married, though they later divorced.
- Almost every shot of the 1961 Ferrari 250GT California owned by Cameron's father is of one of a number of replicas made for filming. The real car was so expensive it was only used for the initial closeup shots in the scene where it was introduced.
- Hughes gave the $200,000 car the license plate 'NRVOUS' to reflect Cameron's emotion at allowing Ferris to drive it.
- John Hughes makes an appearance early on in the film. He plays Cameron's hand, activating the answerphone in his bedroom. He also walks past in the background during the German Day Parade.
- The film featured many exploits in and around Chicago, but one which was cut was Ferris appearing on the local radio station, talking about how he was to be the first US teenager to fly on the space shuttle. The original trailer had to be recalled, as the day before it was due for release was the day of the Challenger disaster. The film was then re-cut to remove this story line.
- The scene set in The Chicago Art Institute was the first filming done in the building. Hughes chose the location because he took refuge there when he was a high school student himself. He was able to display many of his favourite pieces of art in the film.
- The German Day Parade is a real event into which they put the float Ferris rode without declaring that they were making a film. When Broderick sang "Twist and Shout" thousands of members of the public joined in the dancing and later appeared in the film.
- Paul McCartney once criticised the way horns were used in the playing of Twist and Shout, but the song recharted for The Beatles when the film was released.
- The water tower adorned with the words, "Save Ferris" is located in Hughes' home town, a suburb of Chicago itself.
- Charlie Sheen was hired for a single day of filming in the police station scene. Hughes had worked with his brother, Emilio Estevez, when he made The Breakfast Club.
- Sheen's character's father was the guy who drove the tow truck that removed Ed Rooney's car and, although the whole family were originally filmed, the link was never mentioned in the final cut.