register up on the legendary balloons before this year ’s Macy ’s Thanksgiving Day Parade .
The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is the unofficial start to the holiday season.
And an essential part of the parade are the larger-than-life balloons that trot down the famed New York City route.
The size of the balloons is massive, and without them the parade wouldn’t be what it is. So here are some interesting facts about the inflatables that have come to define the parade:
1.According toCNN, the balloons were first introduced in the 1927 parade when Macy’s Christmas Parade (which debuted in 1924) was renamed the Thanksgiving Day Parade.
2.Based on oldNew York Timesreports, some of the balloons were set free after the parade in the ’20s and early ’30s. In 1931, a test balloon originally released in New Jerseywas locatedin Nova Scotia, Canada.
3.The parade was paused in 1942 during World War II, and CNN says Macy’s president at the time Jack Straus donated about 650 pounds of balloon rubber for military efforts. The parade resumed in 1945.
4.Balloon accidents have occurred throughout the years, including Superman’sleft hand falling offafter an incident with a tree in 1986.
5.According to theNew York Times, NYC agencies currently begin preparing for the balloons to take flight two months before the parade. This includes identifying possible street obstructions that could pop or hold back the balloons. They then will remove things in the way, like light poles.
6.Balloons have been tested at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Here’s a test flight for SpongeBob SquarePants in 2013:
7.Balloons have also been tested at Citi Field in Queens, New York, including McDonald’s mascot Ronald McDonald in 2021.
8.The night before the parade, the balloons are laid out on the street of New York where people go to watch them be inflated. Here’s the Buzz Lightyear balloon being inflated in 2010:
9.According toCNN, Snoopy is the longest-running balloon character, first introduced in 1968. Here’s Snoopy in 1970:
10.Over the years, Snoopy has taken on various iterations, most recently as an astronautsince 2019.
11.This year, Snoopy will be donning a new costume: a Beagle Scout uniform. Here is the new balloon being flight tested:
12.Other new balloons to expect on Thursday include Leo from theAdam Sandler Netflix film of the same nameandKung Fu Panda’s Po.
13.In total, there will be 25 balloons this year, including Stuart the Minion from theDespicable Mefranchise. Check out the full listhere.
14.Finally, once the parade is complete, balloons simply get deflated and go into storage. According toPeople, they’re stored in New Jersey. Here’s a balloon being deflated in 2021:
