Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade Floats & Falloons

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade Floats and Falloons

No NYC parade would be complete without floats and falloons. Like the massive, helium-filled balloons that accompany them, the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade floats and falloons are lovingly and thoughtfully crafted over the course of each year.

The magic all begins at the Macy's Parade Studio in Hoboken, New Jersey. There, under the direction of John Piper, Vice President of Annual Events/Parade Studio, a team of builders, painters, animators, and electricians works year-round to create floats that are not only spectacularly creative, but architecturally sound. Each float is constructed piece by piece, then painted and weatherproofed. All floats are engineered in such a way that, once collapsed, they can be safely transported through Lincoln Tunnel. Once they have been transported, by truck, from the Parade Studio to the starting line at 77th Street and Central Park West, these magical floats will be assembled overnight for their parade appearances.

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade Falloon Characters

While new falloon characters are introduced every year, many crowd favorites remain.

Allegedly coined in the early 1970s by Macy's Day Parade float and balloon designers, the term "falloon," a portmanteau of "float" and "balloon," denotes a cold-air balloon tethered to a parade float. While new falloon characters are introduced every year, many crowd favorites remain. Here are a few of our favorite Macy's Day falloons:

• Kool-Aid Man: What's cooler than Kool-Aid? First created in 1927 by Edwin and Kitty Perkins, Kool-Aid is Nebraska's official soft drink. This cool Macy's Parade falloon features none other than Kool-Aid's official mascot, the Kool-Aid Man.
• The Grinch: Each year at the Macy's Day Parade, the grumpy, miserly, and categorically unpleasant star of Dr. Seuss's classic children's book rides down the streets of New York City on his colorful, Seussical sleigh. Adults will laugh and children will cheer when they first lay eyes on this iconic green antihero.
• Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: As the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade marks the official beginning of the Christmas season, it is fitting that Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer make an appearance. First introduced in 1997, this classic falloon made a notable appearance in 1999, when it bore actress Florence Henderson of The Brady Bunch down the parade route.