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

For millions of Americans, each Thanksgiving begins with the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Ever since the inaugural celebration in New York on November 27, 1924, audiences have seen Broadway shows, colorful balloons and, of course, the arrival of Santa Claus year after year. The tradition lives on, and each parade is more extravagant than the last.

The 98th Annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade will air on NBC on Thursday, November 28th from 8:30am-12pm EST and will be streamed live on the Peacock. Fans can also attend the event in person and watch the parade along New York City’s 2.5 miles of public viewing lanes

While watching the parade has been a family tradition for decades, there are some other things that many may not know about the holiday spectacle. In 2016, then-parade executive producer Amy Kule revealed to PEOPLE some interesting details about the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade balloons.

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

See the Biggest Balloon Mistakes at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade: From Runaway Felix the Cat to Barney’s Infamous Disaster

The first procession had no balloons

The Felix the Cat balloon and other floats and balloons float down Broadway during the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

George Rinhart/Corbis/Getty Images

The inaugural parade in 1924 featured live animals, including lions and camels, from the Central Park Zoo. The first “character balloon” was Felix the cat, which debuted in the parade in 1927.

Balloon creation is approximately a five-month process

The ‘Trolls’ vehicle is driven down the street during the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on November 24, 2016 in New York City

Erik Pendzich/REX/Shutterstock

“There are many different stages, and it depends on how intricate the balloon is,” Kule said. “Round with eyes and a mouth is easy, but a Trolls the four character balloon requires a lot of engineering to bring it to life. About five months is the average time.”

Macy’s owns every balloon

A Ronald McDonald balloon is guided down Broadway during the 79th annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

David Handschuh/NY Daily News Archive/Getty Images

Balloons are not rented or borrowed; they are handcrafted in the official Macy’s Parade studio in New Jersey.

“We have an amazing studio where we design, build and engineer each of the balloons,” said Kule. “It’s a big beautiful space that allows us to blow up the balloons. It’s also where we build the airships and it houses all the costumes that everyone will be wearing in the parade. It really is a magical space.”

At first they didn’t use helium

Felix the Cat balloon is led down the street during the 90th annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on November 24, 2016 in New York City

Peter Foley/Epa/REX/Shutterstock

The original balloons were supported by poles and were not inflated with helium until 1928. In 2016, to celebrate the 90th parade, a replica of the 1927 Felix the Cat balloon walked the streets supported by handlers holding poles.

The balloon was never released – although they used to be released

The fish balloon was run during the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in 1931.

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When asked if any balloons escaped into the air, Kule said: “It’s a fun fantasy!”

“But they are very well insured,” she added. “We actually used to release them at the end of the parade, but then we decided we should keep them so we could use them again. That also became a safety issue. But by 1931, if you found one in your yard, you could bring the tag to Macy’s and get a special gift.”

The first female figure balloon took off in 1929, but female balloons disappeared from the parade until the 1980s.

An olive oil balloon carried down the street during the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City in 1982.

Visions of America/UIG/Getty Images

“The first woman 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 guided along Central Park West during the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in 1973.

NY Daily News/Getty Images

“Mickey first flew in 1934, and we designed it with Walt Disney,” said Kule. – Since then, we have had four versions of Mickey.

Macy’s donated its balloons to support World War II

A turkey float during the 93rd annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on November 28, 2019 in New York Theo Wargo/Getty Images

When World War II began in 1942, shortages of rubber and helium canceled the annual parade until it ended in 1944. According to the Daily Mail, Macy’s even gave the government 650 pounds. tires from their deflated balloons to aid in the effort.

SpongeBob Skockani is a challenging balloon

A SpongeBob SquarePants balloon is seen at the 92nd Annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on November 22, 2018 in New York City

James Devaney/WireImage

“Balloons usually want to be round,” Kule said. “When you have a square balloon, it’s generally difficult because there are so many strings to handle to keep it square. So last time we added a Christmas hat [SpongeBob SquarePants] better elevator.”

There are 45 to 70 operators for each balloon.

Thanksgiving Day Lookback: 14 Legendary Macy’s Parade Photos

Snoopy made way for Charlie Brown in 2016

The Astronaut Snoopy balloon is guided down the street during the annual Macy’s 2022 Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Cara Howe/NBC

Snoopy has been in the parade in seven different guises since 1968, but we haven’t seen Charlie Brown since 2012, Kule said.

As The Wall Street Journal reported that Charlie Brown replaced Snoopy in 2016 — and was determined to let go of his tangled dragon. In 2019, Snoopy’s balloon in an astronaut costume replaced Charlie Brown.

The balloons may be released again in the future

Paddington Bear’s balloon is seen at the 90th annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on November 24, 2016 in New York City

Noam Galai/Getty

“I hope to fly them again in 2026 to celebrate the 100th parade!” Kule said.

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Source: HIS Education