Cracker Jack is an American brand of snack consisting of molasses-flavored, caramel-coated popcorn and peanuts, well known for being packaged with a prize of trivial value inside. The Cracker Jack name was registered in 1896. A slogan, "The More You Eat The More You Want", was also registered that year. Some food historians consider it the first junk food.
History with the Macy's Parade[]
Cracker Jack made its Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade debut in the 2014 Parade, rolling out an all-new float. The debut of the float capped of Cracker Jack's "The Surprise Inside Project", which took place throughout summer 2014 and encouraged parents around the country to bring small, but meaningful surprises for their families. The Cracker Jack float continued the project's theme of bringing surprises to life by incorporating unexpected elements that add a modern twist.
Inspired the most famous American pastime, the "At the Ball Game" float features a baseball theme that builds on the tradition of Cracker Jack snacks and family experiences at the ballpark. The grand-slam stadium features an infield, outfield and bleacher seats adorned with giant sculptures as well as live-action cameras capturing the children and performers on the float, as well as spectators along the Parade route, which are displayed larger-than-life LED screen.
In a contemporary nod to everyone's favorite photo opportunity, the float includes a family taking a "selfie" with an American flag waving proudly in the background. Hot dog and ice cream vendor stilt walkers escort the float down the Parade route with larger-than-life vendor carts. Rounding out the float, pyrotechnics launched at the finale of musical performances held underneath the jumbotron.
The Cracker Jack float made consecutive appearance in both the 2015 and 2016 processions, and was retired after the latter. After that the float was disposed of in 2021.
Guest Stars[]
Listed below are the guest stars that have appeared/performed on the Cracker Jack float, alongside the respective songs which they sang during the NBC Parade telecast.
- 2014 - American Authors, sang "Best Day of My Life"[1]
- 2015 - Andy Grammer, sang "Good To Be Alive (Hallelujah)"
- 2016 - Johnnyswim, sang "First Try"
Notes[]
- ↑ Hillary Duff was initially chosen as the guest star for the 2014 Parade, however scheduling conflicts caused Duff to withdraw her Parade appearance. Her appearance on the float was later replaced by American Authors.