The Blue Starflakes are a pair of novelty balloons from the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.
History with the Macy's Parade[]
The Blue Starflakes made their first appearance in the 2019 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade as a variant of the "starflake" balloon that were introduced two years prior. Designed by Jerry Ospa, each balloon features a large snowflake in the center, surrounded by smaller, ornate snowflakes. According to Macy's, the starflake balloons were so cold in 2018, that they turned blue.
The balloons joined The Nutcracker balloon during their debut, and were set to reprise their appearance in the reimagined 2020 Parade with Santa hats as the Santa Starflakes. However, rising cases of COVID-19 caused most mid-sized balloons to be completely pulled from the lineup, including the Santa Starflakes.
The festive flyers returned for the 2021 Parade, though still under their Blue Starflakes name. They appeared alongside the Santa Express, a magnificent replica of a vintage steam locomotive that carries with it a bunch of excited elves. The Blue Starflakes made their final New York appearance in the 2022 Parade, accompanying the Dolly balloon from Universal's Holiday Parade featuring Macy's.
In 2023, the Santa Starflakes were introduced to the Holiday Parade and replaced the Blue Macy's Starflakes in Universal's Holiday Parade featuring Macy's, which had been the lead balloons since its debut in 2017. The following year, the Santa Starflakes were ultimately retired with the Blue Macy's Starflakes retaining their lead position.