Each year, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade debuts a handful of brand-new balloons, whether they feature brand-new characters or a new take on designs for established favourites. Several balloons are retired annually to prevent the Parade from becoming stale and monotonous. Nonetheless, there are a few characters that have stood the test of time and made dozens of appearances in different balloon formats.
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Which Balloon Character Has Flown In The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade More Times Than Any Other?
It’s possible that the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is the most out-of-the-ordinary yearly American television event. Even if it is undoubtedly good, it is clearly defined by corporate interests. When you take away the celebrities and the famous actors, all that’s left is folks who pretend to like marching bands and musicals.
If the parade has a strong point, it’s when it tries to cash in on a trend but ultimately fails, like when Mr. Peanut did an uncomfortable dab or when a Cartoon Network show Rickrolled the country. Three delirious hours of the procession are like the segment on “The Today Show” where Smuckers Jam bids folks over 100 a happy birthday.
Isn’t that Raining on the Parade a Little Too Much?
It’s entertaining, the ratings are great, and Snoopy makes an appearance, so it must be wonderful, right? There is nothing more innocent and good-natured than the limelight being shone on America’s favourite beagle.
In an interview with collectSPACE, John Piper, vice president of Macy’s Parade Studio, revealed that more Snoopy balloons had been created than those of any other character. For the eighth year in a row, he’ll be a brand-new creation for the Thanksgiving Day parade.
Ready to Blast Out into Space
Snoopy’s first parade appearance was in 1968, and he was designed to look like his “world-famous flying ace” persona from the Peanuts comic strip. His first trip in space began with a balloon ride in the 1969 parade, the same year that Charlie Brown and Snoopy soared to the moon as the names of the Apollo 10 command and lunar modules and the Apollo 11 moon landing occurred just two months later.
To create new designs, “back then Macy’s would often take a balloon and change it into a new design by altering the head and sometimes the pose,” Piper explained. In his next incarnation, “Snoopy the Flying Ace” became “Snoopy the Astronaut.”
Last Words
A white spacesuit, blue boots, and a “Snoopy” communication cap were once featured on the Astronaut Snoopy balloon. Snoopy the Astronaut has updated his look after 50 years to mimic the Orion Crew Survival System, which will be worn by astronauts on future Artemis missions to the moon and Mars.
