Finn and Jake are the main characters of the popular Cartoon Network series Adventure Time. The two brothers live in the post-apocalyptic Land of Ooo, where they battle monsters, save princesses, and just hang with their friends. Finn happens to be the only surviving human on Earth after the events of a global thermonuclear war known as the Mushroom War. Jake is his adoptive brother, who can stretch into any shape.
History with the Macy's Parade[]
On July 19, 2013, a collaborative effort between Macy's and Cartoon Network was unveiled in the form of a brand-new Adventure Time balloon for that year's Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. The balloon was unveiled at a special Adventure Time panel at San Diego Comic-Con 2013, with members of Macy's Great American Marching Band taking part of the special announcement instead of usually revealing it from a news media like other balloons.
After months of negotiation with Cartoon Network's creative department, the Macy's Parade Studio yielded a 57-foot-long balloon, featuring the show's inseparable duo, Finn and Jake, as they bring the epic tale of their heart-pounding escapades all over the mystical Land of Ooo, right to the heart of New York City.
The balloon would make a flawless test flight at BalloonFest 2013 — with the exception of Finn's deflated left ear. Finn's right ear was also deflated during their debut on Thanksgiving of that year. To celebrate the balloon's debut, Cartoon Network aired a special Adventure Time marathon that day, entitled the Adventure Time "Balloon-a-Thon", which started at 2:00pm ET/PT. The balloon would fly again in the 2014 Parade, having no defects unlike the previous year. The balloon was retired following the 2015 Parade, making three appearances.
The balloon was seen for the first time in almost five years on September 26, 2020, when it was used as a test subject for a new balloon handling method that required a five-vehicle framework in lieu of handlers. The balloon would also appear at a test flight the following week on October 4, flying alongside a Gold Macy's Starflake. The balloon was seen most recently at another test flight which was held on October 24, 2020.
Trivia[]
- Finn and Jake are the second and third characters respectively, from a Cartoon Network show to get a balloon in the Parade, with the first being Dexter from Dexter's Laboratory in 1998.