Big Man Santa is a novelty balloon from the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. He was created by former Parade director Robin Hall.
History with the Macy's Parade[]
Big Man Santa made his debut in the 83rd edition of the Parade in 2009. This is also the second balloon likeness of Santa Claus to appear in the Parade, dating back to the original balloon's appearance from 1939 through 1941. The exception compared to the original balloon is that it is smaller in terms of the size, and is designed with a large round body and small arms and legs. The same year of its debut, he also debuted in the 2009 edition of the Macy's Holiday Parade.
The balloon was retired from the Parade after 2012, but remained as a staple of the Macy's Holiday Parade, and was given a new balloon in 2014. This version of Big Man Santa was nearly identical to the previous, with the only exception being the arms and legs moving more to the front of the balloon. This balloon continued to make appearances at Universal up until 2016 when he was retired altogether alongside everything else to help make way for Universal's Holiday Parade Featuring Macy's.
After over a decade of being absent from the Thanksgiving Day Parade, the Big Man Santa balloon made its grand return in 2024, helping lead the way for the real Santa Claus.
Trivia[]
- Big Man Santa was originally scheduled to re-appear once again in the 2013 Parade, but ended up getting booted off and retired for unknown reasons.