Cartonella is an educational short-film created by famous puppeteer Bil Baird in 1972. The film was a typical 'Damsel in Distress' story which featured the eponymously named "Cartonella", who was a fortune-telling cow. this character would later become one of Baird's most popular characters, even having her own float during the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade for only two years.
History with the Macy's Parade[]
The short-film, Cartonella, was first represented in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in 1974, when Bil Baird partnered with Macy's to premiere a brand-new float based on Cartonella in that year's Parade. The design of the float features a large tree at the back, with the titular character, Cartonella, standing in her fortune-telling booth, as she tells various children and calves the importance of milk, with a large milk carton positioned just above them. The float would make another appearance in 1975, and was retired shortly after.