Big Turk is an original Macy's creation that originated as a giant helium character balloon in the Macy's Christmas Parade (now known as the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade), notable for being the first ever giant helium character balloon in the Macy's Parade.
History with the Macy's Parade[]
The Big Turk balloon made its Macy's Christmas Parade debut in the fifth annual procession in 1928. The plumped-up helium creation was created by artist Tony Sarg and brought to larger-than-life reality by the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company in Akron, Ohio. The balloon features a fat man 14 feet around the belt riding on his "freak horse" (though some sources claim the creature to be a sea cow), which measured 30 feet long.
Ushering the historical cavalcade to Macy's 34th Street department store, the balloon rode down the six-mile long Parade route as the lead balloon. A merriment of soldiers guided the balloon down the street by ropes like the Graf Zeppelin.
The Big Turk balloon was retired after making only one appearance, and was disposed of not long after its Parade appearance.