Big Bird by Children's Television Workshop.Snuggle Bear by The Lever Brothers Company.Olive Oyl & Swee'Pea by King Features Syndicate.Woody Woodpecker by Walter Lantz Productions.Kermit the Frog (1st Version) by Henson Associates.Mickey Mouse (2nd version) by The Walt Disney Company.Smokey Bear (1st version) by General Electric Company.Superman (2nd version) by National Periodical Publications.Dino the Dinosaur (1st version) by Sinclair Oil Corporation.Donald Duck (2nd version) by Walt Disney Productions.Bullwinkle by The Kalmus Company and General Mills.Goldfish with Pinkish Fins (2nd version) by Macy's.Howdy Doody on the Flying Trapeze by NBC.The Monkey on the High Trapeze by Macy's.The Young Man on the Flying Trapeze By Macy's.Triple-Scoop Ice Cream Cone (1st version) by Macy's.Superman (1st version) by Detective Comics Inc.Ferdinand the Bull by Munro Leaf/Walt Disney Pictures.The Man on the Flying Trapeze by Macy's.Morton, the Nantucket Sea Monster by Macy's.Donald Duck (First version) by Walt Disney Productions.The Big Bad Wolf by Walt Disney Productions.Horace Horsecollar by Walt Disney Productions.Practical Pig by Walt Disney Productions.Mickey Mouse (1st version) by Walt Disney Productions.Our Boarding House by Newspaper Enterprise Association.The Herr-Inspektor by King Features Syndicate.The Katzenjammers Kids by King Features Syndicate.In 1984, Sioux Falls-based Raven Aerostar began constructing balloons for the Parade and would do so for several decades until 2019, when the Macy's Parade Studio took over full-time construction of the balloons alongside with Signs & Shapes International.īalloons have since been split into several categories giant character balloons (balloons that require 5,000 or more cubic feet of helium, generally depicting pop-culture characters), Novelty/Heritage balloons (balloons that require less than 5,000 cubic feet of helium, generally depicting generic objects and recreations of historic Macy's balloons ) Balloonicles (a balloon figure powered by a vehicle inside the balloon, introduced in 2004) Balloonheads (an inflatable character head attached to a costume worn by the performer, introduced in the 1930s but later reintroduced in 2003) Trycaloons (balloon figures riding on bicycles, introduced in 2011) and Floaloonicles (part-float, part-balloon-part, vehicle, introduced in 2021).įollowing is a list of giant balloons that have appeared in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade over the years, ordered in their debut years. then took over creation of the inflatable giants until 1983. The first manufacturer of the balloons was the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company, headquartered in Akron, Ohio, who produced balloons between 19. Once the balloon has been created and painted to the exact specifications required of the character, it will undergo many tests including indoor and outdoor flights, inflation and deflation tests, and final touch-ups before its inaugural flight in the Macy’s Parade. From there, giant reams of polyurethane fabric will be patterned, cut and sealed together to create multiple chambers, which ultimately produce the character’s head, body and limbs. This step helps the team create a physical blueprint from which the balloon will be built. Once a flight-worthy balloon concept has been approved, it moves onto a 3D-printed model (previously sculpted with clay). Ballooning experts, the Macy’s team in collaboration with consultants calculate and perfect the balloon’s aerodynamic design. Sarg, being a puppeteer, imagined the balloons as "upside-down marionettes," with participants handling the balloon by a series of handling lines as it makes its way down Broadway.Įvery Macy’s Parade balloon combines artistic design with aerodynamics and engineering. The first balloons were introduced by Tony Sarg for the 1928 Parade, serving as a replacement for the live animals, who had previously appeared in the Parade but frightened child attendees. The giant helium balloons generally measure several stories in size, and depict characters from pop culture, such as cartoons, films, comic strips and advertising icons. Some of the most popular balloon characters over the years have included Snoopy, Ronald McDonald and SpongeBob SquarePants.īalloons are the signature elements of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.
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