Many us have a favorite character but did you know that there is a parade that feature many of those characters as balloons?   Most Morton East students have never seen what many people call the biggest parade of the year — the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade.

That parade is called the Macy’s Thanksgiving parade.  And, it will air on NBC and livestream on Peacock on Thursday morning, at 7:30 am (Central Time).   You probably heard of it (or maybe not) but in this article, we will learn about the parade, its history and facts about it.

According to Taste of Home, the first couple of years of the parade, from 1924 to 1926, featured handlers marching the route with animals borrowed from the Central Park Zoo. Draped in Macy’s promotional pennants, elephants, donkeys, tigers, camels, and bears paraded down the streets of New York City for the crowd’s enjoyment. However, in 1927, Macy’s decided to replace the live animals with oversized balloon versions due to the children’s fear.

Today, we marvel at larger-than-life characters like Spider-Man, Big Bird, and Minions, but the first-ever character balloon was Felix the Cat in 1927. Felix was not only the first balloon representing a popular movie character but also one of the first oversized balloons in the parade’s history. The inaugural group also included a dragon, an elephant, and a toy soldier. Although Felix has made a few comebacks, the character with the most appearances is Snoopy, featured in a total of 40 parades since 1968 with seven different designs.

During the years 1927 to 1932, handlers had no plans to deflate the balloons at the end of the parade. Instead, they let them fly away into the air. However, in the first year of airborne release, the balloons quickly popped after reaching high altitudes. They were subsequently redesigned to withstand higher altitudes in the following year, marking a new aspect of the parade.

In 1932, an aviation student encountered a tom-cat balloon floating at 5,000 feet. Instead of avoiding the balloon, the student collided with the cat’s neck, getting it caught on the wing and sending the plane careening toward land. Fortunately, the instructor took control of the plane at the last minute, saving them both. After this incident, Macy’s made the decision to halt the popular balloon races.

Large balloons require about 12,000 cubic feet of helium to become fully inflated, making Macy’s the second-largest helium reserve holder after only the U.S. government.

In a survey of 102 students, 23 reported watching the Thanksgiving parade, while 79 indicated that they did not.

What is your favorite part of the Thanksgiving Day parade?

“I don’t watch the parade anymore, but when I was a little kid, I used to watch it with my family, The balloons were my favorite part, ” English teacher Mr. Kent Frankfother said.

What is your favorite balloon in the parade?

“Snoopy is my favorite because he is a classic one. Nowadays you have new balloons that I don’t even know — but teens and younger probably do,”   Mr. Frankfother said.

“My favorite balloon is Snoopy because l watched Charlie Brown as a kid,” Lorenzo Hinojosa, a Morton teacher, said.

Do you watch the parade if not tell me why?

“No, I don’t.  I’ve caught brief glimpses of it when my grandparents watch it but I’ve never stayed and sat or even stood to watch for more than a minute.  It doesn’t interest me in all honesty, I’m just not entertained or engaged.  It’s not one of my favorite holidays,” Lorenzo Hinojosa said.

What is your favorite part of the Thanksgiving Day parade?

“To be honest, the only thing I know about is the balloons,  but I like the characters,” Lorenzo Hinojosa said.