Goku, Little Cloud, and Netflix Elves: Meet the new balloons in Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade

November 9, 2018

With just under two weeks to go until the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade takes to the streets, preparations are in full swing. Earlier this week Macy’s revealed a series of new balloons that will be joining the cast of old favorites at this year’s event, as AM New York reports. Among them will be a giant rendition of Goku from Dragonball Z (towering over spectators at 70 feet long, 56 feet tall and 36 feet wide) and the first Netflix characters: Fleck, Bjorn, Jojo and Hugg, elves from the forthcoming movie “The Christmas Chronicles” which debuts on the streaming service on Thanksgiving Day.

As part of Macy’s Blue Sky Gallery series—an ongoing initiative that invites artists to design parade balloons—artist collective FriendsWithYou created a rendition of their beloved Little Cloud, an adorable character that figures prominently in their work and is meant to evoke feelings of “light, tranquility and unconditional love with a soft power radiating positivity and lightheartedness” as the artists have stated.

GoBowling will present a playful balloonicle (balloon/vehicle hybrid) which will see 16-foot-tall bowling pins being chased by a 12-foot-wide bowling ball along the parade route. Sunny the Snowpal, a character designed by Macy’s, is also joining the ranks and will headline the store’s holiday campaign.

Over-the-top, animal-shaped balloons have been a key feature of the parade—which celebrates its 92nd anniversary this year—since 1927, when they replaced the live animals that were used in the first years of the parade. Get in the mood for this year’s festivities by reading up on the parade’s fascinating history.

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All photos courtesy of Macy’s