If you could be any one of the amazing balloons floating over the skyline of Manhattan, which one would it be? Which helium-filled star in Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade best represents your highest flying daydreams?
Think carefully.
Would you choose Popeye of spinach-chomping fame? In 1957, his rain-filled sailor cap spilled and drenched parade spectators over and over. This may have been the origin of the phrase “wash, rinse and repeat.”
A safer choice might be Snoopy, one of the most universally loved dogs of all time. The world’s favorite make-believe mutt holds the record for Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade appearances with 39 flyovers since 1968.
We love the Pink Panther, but we recommend a pass on this suave feline. High winds on a 1997 Thanksgiving Day sent him diving down into startled spectators. Quick-thinking police officers deflated the danger by stabbing his poor pink torso. Barney the Dinosaur and the Cat in the Hat met similar fates that day.
Let’s think big. What could you do if you were the very tallest character in this parade of world-famous characters? You could leap tall buildings in a single bound because you would be the 80-foot Superman balloon.
Your imagination can take you anywhere on parade day, but reality puts you directly under the action. If you weigh at least 120 pounds, you can man the bones. That’s the insider name for the ropes tethered to the balloons. Imagine your crew guiding Charlie Brown around Manhattan.
If you have a knack for aerodynamics and engineering, you could be an official Balloonatic. These high-tech balloonologists design and assemble all the moving parts that go into making incredible parade dirigibles.
Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade lets you be a volunteer on the ground or Dora the Explorer sailing boldly overhead. You can flounce your feathers as Big Bird or spin heroic webs as Spider Man.
Why not start a new tradition? Gather everyone around the TV and transform the parade into a high-flying holiday game. Take turns and feel free to change your mind as often as you like.
It is all a part of the festive Thanksgiving fun when you play “Which Balloon Do You Want to Be?”