A recurring defect included the Caterbus of the Trolls balloon having limped antennas throughout all of that balloon's appearances.
Although the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is a sight to be seen worldwide, things don't always go according to plan. Given the cold and often times treacherous weather late November brings, it can lead to many defects with the Parade's signature balloon characters.
Below, you will find a presumably complete and comprehensive list of balloon defects throughout Parade history.
Balloon Defects[]
1934[]
- Eddie Cantor's left shoe was deflated.
1935[]
- The head of the Donald Duck balloon struggled to stay upright during the character's first Parade appearance. This was caused by the weight of the head compared to the lanky neck, in addition to gusty winds.
1939[]
- For unknown reasons, the Uncle Sam balloon began to leak helium, before it was quickly repaired and returned to fine-flying form.
1946[]
- The Baseball Player balloon's shoes were deflated.
1948[]
- The left foot of the Monkey on the Trapeze balloon was punctured, the ball itself was half deflated.
1954[]
1955[]
- The Gorgeous Gobbler balloon's stomach was partially deflated, due to a helium shortage.
1959[]
- The head on the Spaceman balloon was deflated.
1960[]
- The Happy Dragon sprung a leak before the Parade, but it was quickly repaired in time for his Parade debut.
1973[]
- The fingers on the Bullwinkle balloon were deflated. Additionally, the feet were somewhat low on helium.
- The stomach on the Astronaut Snoopy balloon sprang a leak.
- Mickey Mouse's muzzle was little bit deflated.
1976[]
- Dino's neck was slightly bent.
1977[]
- Kermit the Frog's left arm was bent due to its skinny nature and the weight of his hand.
1978[]
- Linus the Lionhearted's muzzle was slightly deflated.
- Mickey Mouse's Ears were slightly bent.
- Happy Dragon's head & toes would be slightly bent before his incident.
- Kermit's hand was messed up.
- One of Underdog's left fingers were deflated.
1980[]
- Smokey's Shovel was bent and would be for the next year.
- Underdog's Right ear was flopping around and ripped a little, due to age
- Superman's right hand was bent.
1981[]
- Linus's chest was slightly deflated.
- Kermit's right hand and legs were bent.
- Smokey's head and his shovel were bent.
- Superman's right foot was bent.
- Mickey Mouse's left leg was bent.
- Happy Dragon's neck and hands were bent.
1982[]
- Kermit's left hand was bent again.
- Mickey Mouse's ears would be bent and it's position would be messed up.
- Snoopy's tail would deflated during the parade.
- Throughout the route, the Superman balloon's right hand leaked helium, and the hand eventually ended up completely deflated.
1983[]
- Kermit's hands would both be bent, due to the weather.
- Woody Woodpecker was lowered for the entire parade, due to the weather and to be safe. His beak was also slightly deflated.
1984[]
- Underdog's left hand was deflated.
- Woody Woodpecker's right arm was bent.
- Raggedy Ann's collar was deflated.
1985[]
- Yogi Bear's hat would be deflated and wouldn't be noticeable.
- Kermit had his hand bent before his accident.
1986[]
- Kermit's right arm would be bent.
- Baby Shamu's right flipper was low on helium.
- One of the Starfishes bottom left points was deflated.
1987[]
- Superman's arms were bent and by the time he reached Herald Square, his hands were beginning to lose helium.
1988[]
- Baby Shamu lost a large amount of helium during her march.
- One of the Pink Panther's handling lines caused his inner tube to look partially deflated.
1989[]
- Quik Bunny's drum was low on helium
- The paint on Woody Woodpecker's left eye was scrapped off, possibly due to the snow that year.
- The Pink Panther's tube was again partially deflated, possibly due to the snow.
1991[]
- Kermit the Frog's left hand & foot were deflated, most likely due to his age at the time.
- The Pink Panther's tube was once again partially deflated.
- Because of the weight asserted by Bart Simpson's skateboard, his legs looked partially deflated.
1992[]
- Bart Simpson's left hand was slightly deflated.
- Spider-Man's head was slightly deflated.
1993[]
- Snoopy's left earmuff and ear were a little deflated, and Woodstock's right wing was a little deflated
- The Pink Panther's left wrist was deflated.
- Quik Bunny's left wrist was additionally deflated.
- The tip of Snuggle Bear's stocking was missing a small amount of helium.
1994[]
- Snoopy's left ice skate was deflated.
- Due to the balloon's faulty stitching, Bart Simpson's neck was deflated.
- The Pink Panther's left hand was deflated.
- Quik Bunny's left ear was deflated.
- The Cat in the Hat's left hand was also deflated.
1996[]
- Sonic's left sock was deflated.
1998[]
- Along with his jetpack being deflated, Dexter's head was also deflated.
1999[]
- The Honey Nut Cheerios Bee's antennae were bent, this would continue for all three appearances.
2000[]
- Arthur's left arm was deflated.
2004[]
- Spongebob's hands would be bent and would continue for the next 8 years.
- Mr. Monopoly's right arm was bent.
2005[]
- Big Bird's tail was missing a small amount of helium.
- In addition to his left leg getting gouged by a tree at the start of the Parade, Strike Up the Band Barney's nose was also messed up.
- The bottom of the Ice Cream Cone balloon was deflated.
2006[]
2007[]
- The stress put on the Scooby-Doo balloon's handling lines caused his muzzle to deflated.
2008[]
- Beethoven's muzzle was also deflated, possibly due to the balloon's old age.
2009[]
- Dora the Explorer's left foot was deflated due to a handling line.
- Energizer Bunny’s left stick drum was bent.
2011[]
- The paint on Snoopy's left paw started flaking.
- Hello Kitty's muzzle was stressed out, due to the utility vehicle line tugging on the balloon.
- Due to the balloon fabric wearing out, Charlie's legs were missing a small amount of helium.
2012[]
- During preparations, Pikachu's ears were over-inflated. As a result, the expanding helium caused his ears to burst just before entering Columbus Circle.
- SpongeBob's right hand and shoe lost helium overnight, most likely due to the balloon being unable to hold helium because of its old age. Also because of his old age, he looked wrinkly that year.
- Greg Heffley's left leg was bent.
- Buzz Lightyear's helmet had a dent in the bottom. Although, it is common misconception that the helmet tore open.
- As with the previous year, Charlie's legs were partially deflated. Due to this, the balloon was given a redesign for the next parade.
2013[]
- The right ear of Finn's hat was partially deflated due to the inflation net.
- The paint on lower points of both Red "Believe" Stars received major paint damage after scrapping on the pavement due to the strong winds. They were later repainted and fixed the following year.
2016[]
- The Trolls Caterbus' antennae were bent during the parade. This would also occur during the balloon's next appearances.
2017[]
- Scrat's arms were bent after reaching Central Park South, most likely due to the pressure exerted by the handling lines.
- One of Greg Heffley's handling lines caused his right earmuff to deflate.
- Red's right eyebrow was deflated.
2018[]
- A chamber inside the Pillsbury Doughboy had busted during preparation, leading to minor damage on the balloon's mouth. Despite this, the balloon still appeared in the Parade.
- Jett's right arm was slightly bent.
- One of Charlie Brown's right fingers was deflated.
- One of the Yellow Macy's Stars had lost 15% of its helium due to the frigid temperatures.
- The Elf on the Shelf was seen with the brim on his hat slightly deflated, mainly due to the cold weather conditions.
- Hugg's right ear was left deflated during preparations.
2019[]
- As with the previous year, Jett's right arm was once again bent due to the windy conditions. Additionally, the right arm was also low on helium, and looked a bit deflated due to this.
- The star emblem and brim on Harold the Fireman's helmet were slightly bent.
- One of the Go Bowling pins was having trouble standing upright along the route, and had to be supported by two handlers.
- One of the cherries on the Ice Cream Cone was deflated.
- Much like 2017, Greg Heffley's earmuffs were deflated due to the pressure exerted by the handling lines. Also, much like 2012, one of his legs were bent.
- Due to the strong winds, Sam and Guy's necks were bent, and were struggling to straighten up.
- The stems on Wiggle Worm’s antennae were deflated, possibly due to the stress put on the balloon during the overnight gusty winds.
- The surviving Blue & White Macy's Star was somewhat low on helium due to the pressure of the strong winds, and looked a bit deflated because of this.
- SpongeBob's left leg was bent.
- The Elf on the Shelf's left sole was deflated due to the pressure of the handling lines.
- The surviving Gold Macy's Starflake was also somewhat low on helium for the same reason as to that of the Blue & White Macy's Star.
- The Red & Green Candy Cane was a tad bit bent, possibly due to the pressure of the handling lines as well as the strong wind gusts.
2021[]
- Ada Twist, Scientist's head was slightly deflated.
- Greg Heffley's head was slightly deflated, with his mouth being the most damaged part.
2022[]
- Much like the previous year, Ada Twist, Scientist's head was slightly deflated.
- One of the Baby DINO balloonicles' neck was losing helium, making the Baby DINO look woozy and tired.
- Stuart's right arm was bent.
2023[]
- Uncle Dan lost helium in its left wing in became deflated at the start, due to winds.
- One of the Poinsettia Ornaments were partially deflated, possibly due to stress or the winds.
2024[]
- Gabby's Dollhouse left hand deflated.