11 Surprising Facts About the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade Balloons (Like How Long They Take to Make!)

Mar. 15, 2025

A ‘Diary of a Wimpy Kid’ balloon walks during the 2023 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on Nov. 23 in New York City.Photo:Gotham/GC Images

Gotham/GC Images

For millions of Americans, everyThanksgivingbegins withMacy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Ever since the inaugural celebration in New York City on Nov. 27, 1924, viewers have watched Broadway performances,colorful balloonsand, of course, the arrival of Santa Claus year after year. The tradition continues to live on, with each parade more extravagant than the last.

The 98th annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade will air on NBC on Thursday, Nov. 28, from 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. EST and stream live on Peacock. Fans can also attend the event in person and watch the parade along its 2.5 miles of public viewing routes in N.Y.C.

Although watching the parade has been a family custom for decades, there are other things manymay not know about the holiday spectacle. In 2016, then-executive parade producer Amy Kule let PEOPLE in on a few interesting tidbits about the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade balloons.

Here are 11 lesser-known facts — and history — about the parade’s inflatable characters.

The first parade didn’t have balloons

A Felix the Cat balloon and other parade floats and balloons being led down Broadway during the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.George Rinhart/Corbis/Getty Images

George Rinhart/Corbis/Getty Images

The inaugural parade in 1924 featured live animals, including lions and camels, from theCentral Park Zoo.The first-ever “character balloon” was Felix the Cat, who debuted in the 1927 parade.

Creating a balloon is roughly a five-month process

A ‘Trolls’ float is led down the street during the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on Nov. 24, 2016, in N.Y.C.Erik Pendzich/REX/Shutterstock

Erik Pendzich/REX/Shutterstock

“There are a lot of different stages, and it depends on how intricate a balloon is,” Kule said. “A round one with eyes and mouth is easy, but aTrollsballoon with four characters takes a lot of engineering to bring to life. About five months is the average time.”

Macy’s owns every single balloon

A Ronald McDonald balloon is led down Broadway during the 79th annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.David Handschuh/NY Daily News Archive/Getty Images

David Handschuh/NY Daily News Archive/Getty Images

“We’ve got an incredible studio where we design, build and engineer each of the balloons,” Kule said. “It’s a big beautiful space that allows us to inflate the balloons. It’s also where we build the floats, and it houses all the costumes everyone will wear in the parade. It’s actually a magical space.”

They didn’t use helium at first

A Felix the Cat balloon is led down the street during the 90th annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on Nov. 24, 2016, in N.Y.C.Peter Foley/Epa/REX/Shutterstock

Peter Foley/Epa/REX/Shutterstock

A balloon has never broken free — though they used to be set loose

A fish balloon is led during the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in 1931.Getty Images

Getty Images

When asked whether any balloons had escaped into the air, Kule said, “That’s a fun fantasy!”

“But they are very well secured,” she added. “We actually used to let them go at the end of the parade, but then we decided we should keep them so we could reuse them. It also became a safety issue. But up until 1931, if you found one in your yard, you could bring the tag to Macy’s and receive a special gift.”

The first female character balloon flew in 1929, but female balloons disappeared from the parade until the 1980s

An Olive Oyl balloon is led down the street during the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in N.Y.C. in 1982.Visions of America/UIG/Getty Images

Visions of America/UIG/Getty Images

“The first female was Mrs. Katzenjammer from an old American comic who flew in 1929, but it wasn’t until the ’80s that women flew again when we had Olive Oyl in 1982 and Raggedy Ann in 1984,” Kule said.

Walt Disney himself worked on the first Mickey Mouse balloon

A Mickey Mouse balloon is led along Central Park West during the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in 1973.NY Daily News/Getty Images

NY Daily News/Getty Images

“The first time Mickey flew was in 1934, and we designed him withWalt Disney,” Kule said. “We’ve had four versions of Mickey since.”

Macy’s donated its balloons toward World War II efforts

A turkey float during the 93rd annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on Nov. 28, 2019, in N.Y.C.Theo Wargo/Getty Images

When World War II began in 1942, a shortage of rubber and helium canceled the annual parade until its conclusion in 1944.Per Daily Mail, Macy’s even gave the government 650 lbs. of rubber from their deflated balloons to assist the effort.

SpongeBob SquarePants is a challenging balloon

A SpongeBob SquarePants balloon is seen at the 92nd annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on Nov. 22, 2018, in N.Y.C.James Devaney/WireImage

James Devaney/WireImage

“Balloons typically want to be round,” Kule said. “When you have a square balloon, it’s generally difficult because there are so many handling ropes in order to keep the square shape. So we added a Christmas hat last time to give [SpongeBob SquarePants] better lift.”

For each balloon, there are anywhere from 45 to 70 handlers.

Snoopy made way for Charlie Brown in 2016

An Astronaut Snoopy balloon is led down the street during the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in 2022.Cara Howe/NBC

Cara Howe/NBC

“Snoopy has been in the parade in seven different forms since 1968, but we haven’t seenCharlie Brownsince 2012,” Kule said.

AsThe Wall Street Journalreported, Charlie Brown replaced Snoopy in 2016 — and he was determined to fly his kite, which was tangled around him. In 2019, a Snoopy balloon in his astronaut costume replaced Charlie Brown.

The balloons may be set free again in the future

A Paddington Bear balloon is seen at the 90th annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on Nov. 24, 2016, in N.Y.C.Noam Galai/Getty

Noam Galai/Getty

“I do hope to let them go up in the air again in 2026 to celebrate the 100th parade!” Kule said.

source: people.com