Beethoven the Dog is a fictional character in a 1992 family comedy film directed by Brian Levant. He is a St. Bernard dog named after the German composer Ludwig van Beethoven, who is adopted by George and Alice Newton (Charles Grodin and Bonnie Hunt respectively) after being stolen from a pet shop by a pair of dog robbers.
History with the Macy's Parade[]
Beethoven made his Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade debut in 1993, in the form of a giant helium balloon. Designed by the magicians at the Macy's Parade Studio and crafted at Raven Aerostar headquarters, the Beethoven balloon debuted to help promote his brand-new feature film, Beethoven 2nd. The balloon made two more appearances in 1994 and 1995 before he was originally retired.
Over a decade after the Beethoven balloon's original retirement in 1995, the balloon returned to the line of march in 2008 to promote the new direct-to-DVD movie, Beethoven's Big Break.
During this appearance, the balloon sprung a leak in its muzzle at Times Square as a result of the balloon's old age.
The balloon was permanently retired after the 2008 Parade and was never seen again.