The 100th Anniversary of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

The Underdog balloon in 1965

For many Americans watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on television is a Thanksgiving tradition. And I have to think that going to see the parade in person is a Thanksgiving custom for many people in New York City. The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade has become very much a part of American popular culture, It was one hundred years ago on this day, on November 27 1924, that the first Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade took place, although it originally it was called the Macy's Christmas Parade.

It should come as no surprise that the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade originated as a bit of promotion for the Macy's department store in New York City. It was earlier in the year that a Seventh Avenue addition was made to Macy's Herald Square. This made what Macy's had proclaimed as early as 1895 to be "the world's largest store." The store's executives wanted to celebrate this achievement and as  a result Macy's advertising manager James A. Goold came up with the idea of the Macy's Christmas Parade. Of course, the fact that it could boost holiday sales for Macy's was never far from his mind. It was James A. Goold who directed that first parade. As is still the case today, the store's employees played a large role in the parade.

That first parade at 9:00 AM Eastern Time at 145th Street and Convent Avenue in Harlem. It was lead by an escort of mounted police. The parade then made its way to Broadway and then to 34th Street. It was at 34th Street that the parade ended. The first parade featured such floats as "The Old Woman Who Lived in the Shoe," "Three Men in a Tub,"  and "Little Miss Muffet," As has always been the case, it ended with the arrival of Santa Claus in his sleigh. Animals from the Central Park Zoo also appeared in the parade, and included elephants, tigers, bears, and donkeys.

The Macy's Christmas Parade proved to be such a success that it was held again in 1925 and again in 1926. The animals from the Central Park Zoo would be a part of both the second Macy's Christmas Parade in 1925 and 1926. They would not return for the parade in 1927. The zoo animals had proven problematic from the beginning. The large crowds who came to watch the parade meant many people could not even see the animals. On top of this, after the long six-mile parade route, many of the animals would become restless. The growls, roars, and snarls of many of these restless animals would then scare children.

Zoo animals no longer being featured in the parade would not be the only change that would be made for the fourth parade in 1927. It was that year that the Macy's Christmas Parade was finally given the more fitting name of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. It was also in 1927 that the first giant balloons were introduced. The very first character balloon was popular cartoon character Felix the Cat. Originally, at the end of the parade the balloons would be released into the sky. That would end in 

Starting in 1928  puppeteer and illustrator Tony Sarg and his apprentice Bill Baird designed balloons and balloons for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Among the notable balloons he designed for the parade were the Katzenjammer kinds in 1929, Eddie Cantor in 1934, Donald Duck in 1935, the Tin Man from The Wizard of Oz in 1939, and the original Superman balloon in 1940. Tony Sarg designed his last balloons for the parade in 1941 and he died the following year.  As might be expected, the release of the balloons at the end of the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade did cause problems. When the balloons were first released, they  all exploded before they reached the top of the Macy's building because helium expands as it gets higher in the atmosphere. The balloons would be released the following year, but safety valves were added to prevent them from exploding. Macy's offered a $25 reward to anyone who captured a balloon and returned it. As might be expected, this created its share of problems. n 1932 a woman learning to fly tried to capture a giant cat balloon. Instead she collided with the balloon. She and her instructor survived, but the balloon did not.. Macy's then stopped releasing the balloons at the end of the parade, which would actually work out for the best. The balloons could be deflated and reused the next in the next parade.

Starting in 1928 the balloons in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade would be made by Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company. They would continue to make balloons for the parade until 1980, with their final balloon being the third Superman balloon. Since then Kemp Balloons Inc. (1981-1984) and then Raven Aerostar Industries would make the balloons. for the parade. Over the years famous characters have been licensed for balloons in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, including Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Mighty Mouse, Bullwinkle, Underdog, Smokey Bear, Kermit the Frog, and yet others. Over the years there would be accidents involving the balloons. In 1956 the Mighty Mouse balloon went down before it even reached Columbus Circle, and in 1975 the Underdog balloon collided with a light pole. Sadly, some of the balloon accidents would cause injuries. Among these was an incident in 1997 in which he Cat in the Hat balloon actually knocked a lamppost into a crowd of spectators and injured a woman. Afterwards the City of New York passed laws restricting balloons to a size of 70 feet high, 78 feet long, and 40 feet wide and requiring more handlers.

Marching bands and other performers have been a part of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade from its earliest days. For instance, the New York 71st Regiment Marching Band performed at the parade in 1926. The parade also featured its share of dancers and drill teams, the most famous of which may well be the Radio City Rockettes, who have become a tradition at the parade. They first performed at the parade in 1958. Originally, the Rockettes walked the entire length of the parade along the other acts, the floats, and the balloons. Fortunately, this would eventually change so that the Rockettes would the opening act of the parade. While the past few decades the Rockette have usually been the opening act of the parade, there would be two exceptions. In 2020 and 2023 they served as an honor guard of sort for Santa Claus.

Beyond the Rockettes there have been many other celebrity performers in the history. The first celebrity performance during the parade occurred in 1958 (the same year the Rockettes made their debut) was given by the Benny Goodman sextet. Since then such performers as Connie Francis, Paul Anka, Dionne Warwick, Brenda Lee, Rick Springfield, Shari Lewis, The Muppets, Patti LaBelle, Chicago, Kool & the Gang, Lou Bega,  Good Charlotte, Kiss, and others.

The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade would continue to grow throughout the Thirties, as would its fame. The parade was first broadcast on radio in 1932 by local New York City stations. Because of World War II the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade would not be held from 1942 to 1944. It would return in 1945 and afterwards would become even more famous It was in 1947 that a classic movie would be give the rest of the world its first real tastes of the parade. The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade figured prominently in the movie Miracle on 34th Street (1947), as did the department store itself. The parade would first be broadcast nationally on television in 1948, although strangely enough it would not be on NBC, the television home of the parade for decades. Instead, it would be CBS. It was in 1953 that NBC became the official broadcaster of the parade and it has remained such ever since.

Over the years broadcasts of the MAacy's Thanksgiving Day Parade have been hosted by various people. Among the longest running and among the most familiar to Baby Boomers and Gen Xers are Lorne Green and Betty White, who hosted the parade from 1963 to 1972. Ed MacMahon of The Tonight Show fame hosted the parade with various co-hosts form 1974 to 1981. It was in the late Eighties that personalities from NBC's Today Show started hosting the parade, and they have done so ever since.

Of course, here it must be pointed out that the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade was not the first Thanksgiving Day Parade. The oldest Thanksgiving Day parade is actually the one held in Philadelphia. It began in 1920 and sponsored by one of Macy's rivals, Gimbals. Gimbals continued to sponsor it until 1986 when the department store folded. Since then it has had various sponsors. There are also parades in  Chicago, Detroit, Seattle, St. Louis, and other cities.

The Macy's Thanksgiving Day has long since become a part of popular culture, well beyond being featured in Miracle on 34th Street (1934). The parade appears towards the beginning of the 1966 The Man From U.N.C.L.E. episode "The Jingle Bells Affair." The parade would also appear in a 1973 television movie remake of Miracle on 34th Street. Props from the parade appear in the climax of the comedy Somebody Killed Her Husband, which takes place in the basement of Herald Square. The parade figures in the movie Broadway Danny Rose (1984). While the parade does not appear in the Friends episode "The One Where Underdog Gets Away," first aired in 1994. In the episode the Underdog balloon is accidentally released (here it must be mentioned that the Underdog balloon was retired in 1984. It was also in 1994 that the parade was referenced in the Seinfeld episode "The Mom and Pop Store." "Macy's Day Parade" is also the title of a Green Day song and the first single from their 2000 album Warning. The song is essentially a protest against consumerism.

The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade has undergone many changes over the years. Its fame has grown since it began, and it has since become a Thanksgiving Day institution. It is safe to say that it will continue as Thanksgiving tradition in many years to come.