Top 10 Things that Should Be Featured as Floats or Balloons at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
Happy Thanksgiving to everyone as of the time I write this list! Now based on what you see from the title of this list, we should all know about the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade that takes place on every Thanksgiving of every year in New York City, USA. While there have been many franchises and characters represented as balloons and/or floats at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, there are still many franchises and characters out there that have yet to even be featured as one or the other of those things. So this list will be counting down some of the things I feel deserve to be featured as floats or balloons at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.Keep in mind that as the years go on, some of these items may actually get their own balloons or floats in the future. That said, feel free to vote and add to this list.
P.S. DO NOT submit things that were already featured at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in previous years. This list is meant solely to list things that should be featured at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in the future. Also, I highly encourage submitting items that are popular in America and are family-friendly. So please, no things like anime or content targeted towards older and mature demographics.
Mario, originally named Jumpman, is the main character of the Super Mario Bros. franchise, created by the creative director and video game designer at Nintendo of Japan, Shigeru Miyamoto. Mario has appeared in almost every Mario game, including games in spin-off series as a playable character, with few exceptions including New Super Luigi U, Luigi's Mansion games, Yoshi's Island games, and similar counterparts. He is the most iconic character in video game history and is Nintendo's unofficial mascot. His franchise has grown to be the most successful video game franchise of all time. Sonic the Hedgehog is best known at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade for being the first video game character to be featured as a balloon at the event in all of parade history. And even with that milestone, the only video game characters we have ever seen be featured as balloons at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade are Sonic the Hedgehog and Pikachu. That's it. Which begs the question: WHY HASN'T MARIO GOTTEN HIS OWN PARADE BALLOON YET?! The sole reason I even made this list in the first place was because of this fact. It's already been more than 10 years since Sonic broke the mold for what parade balloons can be at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, and no other video game mascot other than Sonic and Pikachu has been featured since. And you know what's sad? That even though Nintendo is on board with featuring the mascot of the Pokemon franchise at this annual Thanksgiving Day parade event, they haven't even thought of featuring THEIR OWN FLAGSHIP MASCOT at the parade. Super Mario ...more
Super Mario would be so cool. Why do Sonic and Picachu get their floats all to themselves Mario deserves better.
ALL Nintendo characters should get their own floats, especially Meta knight.
That would be amazing to have. The last parade was yesterday.
The Loud House is an American animated television series created by Chris Savino for Nickelodeon. The series revolves around the chaotic suburban everyday life of a boy named Lincoln Loud and his ten sisters, to which he survives as the middle child and only son in a large family of eleven children. Originally set to premier on January 2016, the series instead premiered on May 2, 2016, with the episodes Left in the Dark and Get the Message. Now just for the record, I am completely aware of the sexual misconduct allegations against Chris Savino that were pressed this year and I in no way approve of Savino's acts of sexual harassment against those he may have victimized. However, I still do think that in spite of the controversy The Loud House and Nickelodeon just endured this year, The Loud House still does deserve some spotlight as a parade balloon or float at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. I mean, considering it's Nickelodeon's most successful show next to SpongeBob and the fact that it's getting a theatrical movie in 2020, I don't see why they can't at least feature this at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. The only other Nicktoon other than SpongeBob to be featured at the event was Rugrats, and we all know that's long since been ditched from the current lineup of Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade balloons. Ever since then, only the sponge has been holding down the fort as Nickelodeon's iconic cash cow franchise. I ...more
Hey, remember the last time Pixar has ever received a balloon for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade since the Buzz Lightyear one back in 2008? Yeah, I thought so. Why is it that Pixar only got one balloon while DreamWorks gets to milk every last cubic inch worth of helium volume with balloons featuring Shrek, Kung Fu Panda, How to Train Your Dragon, and Trolls (I like the first three, but as for Trolls, not so much.)? You're probably thinking to yourself why I even put The Incredibles on this list. Well, DUH! The Incredibles is getting a sequel next year in 2018. So this year would have been the perfect year to have Pixar get its own parade balloon based on one of its most beloved movie franchises yet! Maybe have Bob be the main parade balloon or even feature the whole Incredibles family on a parade float. But who knows? Maybe they can get another chance to feature The Incredibles at next year's parade.
Kirby is a fictional character and the protagonist of the Kirby series of video games owned by Nintendo and HAL Laboratory. His first game was created in 1992, and the pink puffball has made his way into the hearts of fans of all ages. While he's not as popular as other Nintendo franchises like Mario, Pokemon, or The Legend of Zelda, the cute and utterly adorable appearance of Kirby himself is solely just enough to make him eligible as a candidate for a Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade balloon! And whoever said he wasn't popular? He's had some pretty consistently good handheld games on the 3DS ranging from Triple Deluxe and Planet Robobot. And while it's been a long time since he ever had an animated series like Kirby: Right Back at Ya!, he's still pretty beloved by longtime Nintendo fans including myself as well. So a parade balloon wouldn't hurt. Maybe even feature Meta Knight, King Dedede, or Bandana Dee alongside Kirby? Eh, a guy can dream.
The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade has indeed featured comic book superheroes like Superman from DC and Spider-Man from Marvel. However, those are the only two I know of that are really featured at the parade. What about Batman? But then again, he's not really the kind of superhero you'd turn into a parade balloon... So what about using his Lego counterpart? PERFECT. After all, Lego is still a relatively highly popular toy franchise that still does well with kids to this day, and with all these Lego movies and animated T.V. series, I think it's safe to say Lego isn't going anywhere anytime soon. I was thinking about putting Lego Ninjago on here, but I feel kids are more familiar with Lego and Batman, so that's why I feel Lego Batman would be a good choice for a parade balloon. Plus, lots of people love The Lego Batman Movie, so why not?
DuckTales (2017) is an American animated television series that serves as a reboot of the original 1987 series. It features the adventures of Scrooge McDuck and his grandnephews Huey, Dewey, and Louie as they seek treasures and fight villains. The series has been lauded for its modern updates, deep character arcs, and layered storytelling. DuckTales has successfully attracted a new generation of viewers while also pleasing fans of the original show. I'd say it's a bit of stretch that there's a chance this could get a parade balloon or float since it airs on Disney and not the mainline Disney Channel, but hey, it's doing well with critics and I can see it doing well with merchandise and both older and younger demographics if Disney handles it well. While characters like Mickey, Donald, and Goofy have gotten their times to shine at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, I kind of feel that DuckTales at least deserves some spotlight. You could probably have Scrooge McDuck and his grandnephews be featured as the front line balloons of the franchise or have the entire 2017 main cast be set on a parade float for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Again, I just think it deserves to be featured at the parade. However, I'm not sure if it will ever have a chance of doing so. I mean, Gravity Falls never got one, so maybe not DuckTales. But hey, never say never.
The Moomins is a stop motion animated children's television series based on the Tove Jansson's Moomin series of books which was produced by Se-ma-for and Jupiter Film between 1977 and 1982 for Polish, Austrian and German television. Considering it got a stop-motion Christmas special that was even considered for an Oscar at the upcoming 90th Academy Awards, it would be quite interesting to see one of them get featured at next year's Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.
It seems quite a bit silly that I'm putting a cereal mascot on this list, but hey, it's the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. They'll make balloons or floats based on just about anything that's a beloved franchise or staple in the United States of America. And considering other cereal mascots like Honey Nut Cheerios Bee got their own balloon, I don't see why Kellogg's hasn't already tried to get one of their cereal mascots to be featured at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Granted, Tony the Tiger may not be as relevant (well, I'm a teenager, so how should I know? ) as he used to be back when T.V. advertisers were more prominent and weren't overshadowed by online dominance. But hey, if the cereal still sells, then so does the mascot I guess. I mostly just put Tony on this list since I needed some entries from this list and he was a part of my childhood since Frosted Flakes was my favorite cereal brand. Not to mention his commercial slogan, "They're gr-r-reat! "
Good idea we can even have Chuck E. and his friends in front of the balloon as well
Where a kid can be a kid!
Chuck E appeared in the Hollywood Christmas parade and now he must be in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade
Um Jammer Lammy is a rhythm video game developed by NanaOn-Sha and published by Sony for the PlayStation video game console in 1999. Don't remind me of that one particular cutscene from her home game (you know, the one where she eats literally a single slice of pizza, then suddenly turns into this comically overweight Deviantart abomination that gave god-knows-how-many of the game's players inflation fetishes)
If the float makers were deliberately TRYING to irritate the non-balloon-kinked portion of the UJL fandom, however, they totally COULD base Lammy's float off of that infamous scene
Yoshi, once romanized as Yossy, is a fictional anthropomorphic dinosaur who appears in video games published by Nintendo. Often appearing as a sidekick and helper to Mario, Yoshi is most known for his appearances in the Yoshi's Island and the Super Mario franchises. He really should. I mean, he's really popular enough to be a parade float.
Tom and Jerry is an American animated series of comedy short films created in 1940 by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera. Best known for its 161 theatrical short films by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, the series centers on a rivalry between the title characters Tom, a cat, and Jerry, a mouse. Many shorts also feature several recurring characters. Well, I've tried typing in Tom and Jerry in the find bar for Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade floats and balloons on Wikipedia, and guess what? No parade balloon or float for Tom and Jerry. Which kind of surprises me given we've gotten balloons and floats based on Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Bugs Bunny, Woody Woodpecker, Yogi Bear, Garfield, etc. I know it'd probably be irrelevant to have Tom and Jerry as a parade balloon or float given that it'd be just as irrelevant as all those pointless direct-to-DVD crossovers Warner Bros. keeps pumping out, but hey, everyone loves Tom and Jerry. Most would consider it a timeless cartoon in the ranks of Looney Tunes and Mickey Mouse, so why not give it the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade treatment. It wouldn't hurt to just do it one time...
The Amazing World of Gumball is a British-Australian-German-American-Irish children's animated television series created by Ben Bocquelet for Cartoon Network. Yes, The Amazing World of Gumball is still running and going strong in 2017 on Cartoon Network. Been a while since I've seen the show, but based on what I've heard from the show's growing quality, I think it goes without saying that The Amazing World of Gumball is a worthy contender. The show's good, I like the show, others I know like the show, and kids like the show. Like Adventure Time and Regular Show, one thing that makes The Amazing World of Gumball one of the highlights of the Cartoon Network renaissance was its all-age appeal. And from that, I could say that's without a doubt one significant reason as to why this show should have a parade balloon. Seeing Gumball Watterson as a parade balloon or maybe having him star alongside his family on a parade float would be delightful to watch.
Cowboy Bebop is a 1998 anime television series animated by Sunrise featuring a production team led by director Shinichirō Watanabe, screenwriter Keiko Nobumoto, character designer Toshihiro Kawamoto, mechanical designer Kimitoshi Yamane, and composer Yoko Kanno. That... Would not turn out so well, unfortunately. I mean, I respect Cowboy Bebop, but do you really think Spike Spiegel would look good as a parade ballon? A lot of anime use character designs with realistic body proportions, so they wouldn't translate as well into balloon form like characters from Western animation. *Cringes at the image of a Spike Spiegel-shaped parade balloon*
No, I meant the actors as the Cowboy Bebop characters on the parade float and Ein the dog as parade balloon
My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic is an animated children's television series based on the fourth incarnation of Hasbro's My Little Pony franchise. The show follows a studious unicorn (later an alicorn) pony named Twilight Sparkle (Tara Strong) and her friends Applejack (Ashleigh Ball), Rarity (Tabitha ...read more.
Pikachu (Japanese: ピカチュウ) are a species of Pokémon, fictional creatures that appear in an assortment of video games, animated television shows and movies, trading card games, and comic books licensed by The Pokémon Company, a Japanese corporation. A mascot of the Pokemon franchise, it's considered to be the most iconic character of all Pokemon species, as well as a major character in Japanese pop culture, due to its companionship with Ash Ketchum in the anime series. Pikachu has been featured in movies such as Pokemon Detective Pikachu as well as music videos - most notably Katy Perry's "Electric" in 2021. Already in the parade.
LazyTown is an English-language Icelandic children's educational musical action comedy program made by an international crew and performed by a cast from Iceland, the United States and the United Kingdom. Then Stingy would own the parade.
Dragon Ball Super is a Japanese anime television series produced by Toei Animation that began airing on July 5, 2015. It is a sequel show to the Dragon Ball manga and the first Dragon Ball television series featuring a new storyline in 18 years. I know it's too late to post this, but man, never expected Goku to finally get his own parade balloon at the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade this year in 2018. Call it a milestone for anime.
“Digimon” is a term commonly used to describe a variety of Japanese anime series based on the Bandai virtual pet brand “Digimon” (Dejimon). As of 2017, there are 7 series: “Digimon Adventure” (1999), “Digimon 02” (a.k.a. “Digimon Adventure 02”) (2000), “Digimon Tamers” (2001), “Digimon Frontier” (2002), “Digimon Data Squad” (a.k.a. “Digimon Savers”) (2006), “Digimon Fusion” (a.k.a. “Digimon Xros Wars”) (2010) and “Digimon Adventure Tri” (2015). ...read more.
We have seen superheroes be featured. With the Last Jedi coming out later this year I'm kinda shocked
SpongeBob SquarePants is a fictional character and the titular character and protagonist of the American animated television series of the same name. He was already on the parade!
Steven Universe is an American animated television series created by Rebecca Sugar for Cartoon Network. The show's based around a young boy by the name of Steven Universe, who is a hybrid of a gem and a human. He lives with his gem friends, Garnet, Amethyst and Pearl. I was a bit too hesitant on putting Steven Universe on the list since the show has garnered some controversies with its demographics and fandom. But considering the popularity the show has gotten, I think it kind of deserves a parade balloon or float to some degree. Adventure Time did get a parade balloon back in 2013 (and hopefully, it's still part of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade's lineup), so if Cartoon Network is looking to get a new parade balloon based on one of their current shows, Steven Universe is probably one of those shows that deserve it the most. Steven Universe has a pretty simple cartoon character design that will make it easy for him to transfer into balloon form and it's not like there aren't any kids who watch his show and like him. But then again, considering the show's older demographic shines more in the fandom, that may be a reason why Steven Universe hasn't been featured as a parade balloon yet. Well, guess we'll have to wait and see.
