The ABC Bouncing Balls are a trio of novelty balloons that flew alongside the first Big Bird balloon.
History with the Macy's Parade[]
The ABC Bouncing Balls made their first Parade appearance in the 1988 Parade, pairing up alongside the newly introduced Big Bird balloon. The three balloons are based on wooden alphabet blocks, with the first three letters of the alphabet, A, B, and C, respectively. On the rear of the balloons, there was a character correlating with the letter on the front (i.e. A for alligator, B for Bert, and C for Cookie Monster). The balloons continued to make appearances with the Big Bird balloon throughout the 90's, but there were issues. In the 1992 Parade, The "C" balloon was deflated from a lamppost, though it was able to continue and was lowered to the ground. In the 1997 Parade, The "C" balloon was deflated again, but this time, it was removed. The ABC balloons continued until their retirement along with Big Bird shortly after the 2000 Parade.
After a brief retirement, the ABC Bouncing Ball balloons were brought back in the 2002 Parade, now following behind the Sesame Street float. The balloons made their final appearance in the 2003 Parade and were retired permanently shortly thereafter.
Despite their retirement, the ABC Bouncing Balls still reside in the Macy's Parade Studio, in 'Parade Ready' condition.