As you notice Christmas decorations popping up around Thanksgiving, you should either thank or curse Macy’s department store. Founder Rowland Hussey Macy was noted for his innovative marketing that included in-store Santas.
In 1924, Macy’s had just completed a huge expansion of the flagship Manhattan store, enlarging it to one million square feet and a full block on 34th street. The Macy’s staff assembled a parade on Thanksgiving Day with animals from the zoo to celebrate the expansion and encourage holiday shopping in the “World’s Largest Department Store.” It followed a six mile-route from Harlem to Herald Square.
The unruly zoo animals were quickly replaced by oversized balloons. In 1930, the featured Mickey Mouse balloon was designed with Walt Disney.
According to CNN, Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade was first broadcast on the radio in 1932. The parade was televised throughout New York state in 1946 and nationally on NBC the next year.
Since its start, the parade has taken place rain or shine and has only been canceled three times in 1942, 1943, and 1944 during World War II. Even Covid did not cancel the parade in 2020. There were precautions taken to end in-person viewing and attendance by out-of-state performers.
The Macy’s balloons are kind of a cultural touchstone. If you want to know which characters are popular watch the parade. In 2021 the parade included Grogu from The Mandalorian, Ada from Netflix’s Ada Twist, Scientist series, and a Pikachu balloon that featured Eevee.
Watch footage of past parades and tune in to this year’s parade to see what Macy’s considers “in” this year.