Sinclair Oil Corporation

Dino the Dinosaur
The original Dino the Dinosaur balloon after its completion at Goodyear's Arizona plant. (Photo: Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company)
Years active	1963-1976
Sponsor	Sinclair Oil Corporation (1963-1968) Macy's (1969-1976)
Type	Giant Balloon
Manufacturer	Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company
Height	28 feet
Length	60 feet
Width	20 feet
Weight	295 lbs.
Helium Volume	7,840 cubic ft.
Handlers	26

Exciting World of Dinosaurs
Years active	1966
Sponsor	Sinclair Oil Corporation
Designer	Manfred Bass
Type	Float

DINO
The second Dino balloon makes a Dino-Mite appearance in the 2016 Parade. (Photo: Macy's, Inc.)
Years active	2015-2021
Sponsor	Sinclair Oil Corporation
Type	Giant Balloon
Designer	Laura Duphiney
Manufacturer	Raven Aerostar
Height	36 feet
Length	72 feet
Width	24 feet
Weight	349 lbs.
Helium Volume	11,370 cubic ft.
Handlers	90

Baby DINOs
Years active	2018-present
Sponsor	Sinclair Oil Corporation (2018-2022) HF Sinclair (2023-present)
Type	Balloonicle
Designer	Laura Duphiney
Manufacturer	Signs & Shapes International
Handlers	12

DINO and Baby DINO
The third Dino balloon at Balloonfest 2022 (Photo: Eugene Gologursky)
Years active	2022-present
Sponsor	Sinclair Oil (2022) HF Sinclair (2023-present)
Type	Giant Balloon
Designer	Joseph Ammons
Manufacturer	Macy's Parade Studio
Height	49 feet
Length	68 feet
Width	26 feet
Handlers	90

Sinclair Oil (formerly known as Sinclair Oil Corporation) is a petroleum company owned by HF Sinclair with executive offices in Salt Lake City, Utah. Sinclair owns and operates two refineries in Wyoming along with a network of both crude oil and finished product pipelines and terminals in the Rocky Mountain and mid-continent regions. The company markets fuel in 25-states, supplying high quality fuels to 1,500 branded stations, featuring Dinocare, Top Tier Gasoline. Sinclair Oil and Gas Company manages the exploration and production portfolios by participating in major oil and gas development projects in the U.S.

Sinclair also owns and operates the five-diamond Grand America Hotel in Salt Lake City, the Little America Hotel chain, the Westgate Hotel in San Diego, the Sun Valley Resort in Idaho, and the Snowbasin Resort in Utah.

History with the Macy's Parade

Dino the Dinosaur (1963-1976)

The Sinclair Oil Corporation’s involvement with the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade dates back to 1963, when its dinosaur mascot, Dino, debuted as a giant helium balloon. Its introduction promoted Sinclair’s Dinoland exhibit at the 1964 New York World’s Fair in Queens, New York, which featured life-size replicas of various dinosaur species.

The original Dino balloon was constructed throughout the summer of 1963 in Litchfield Park, Arizona, at the plant of the Industrial Products Division of the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company, with approximately 350 square yards of neoprene-coated nylon and 20 gallons of green paint utilized in its creation. Once construction was completed, the balloon measured in at the same size as a real-life Apatosaurus; 60-feet long 28-feet tall and 20 feet in diameter, with a tail that stretched 20 feet long.

Dino was given a trial flight in the fall of that year at the Goodyear plant in Akron, Ohio alongside fellow World’s Fair ambassador and balloon debutant, Elsie the Cow of the Borden Company.

With the 1963 Macy’s Parade saluting the following year’s World Fair, Dino was chosen as the leadoff balloon, soaring closely behind a float that featured a replica of the Unisphere featured at the Fair.

The following year, the Dino balloon returned to the streets of Manhattan with a banner that proclaimed “Here Is Dino - Sinclair Dinoland at the N.Y. World’s Fair,” once again promoting Sinclair’s exhibit at the Fair. During this appearance, the balloon was punctured by the tip of a lamp post, which left the balloon without a substantial amount of helium in its body chamber. Despite the accident, the balloon continued to fly low to the ground without any further damages.

Parade organizers initially estimated the Dino balloon to last five Parades, however “he outlived all expectations” according to balloon captain Bernie Campbell in a 1977 interview with the Daily News. The Dino balloon continued to delight spectators until its final flight in the 1976 Macy’s Parade, with its retirement as a result of organizers fearing the balloon would cause problems if used any further.

In commemoration of the Dino balloon’s 13 years of service, the inflatable dinosaur was inducted as an honorary member of the Museum of Natural History, being displayed inside of the Museum’s Theodore Roosevelt Rotunda weeks before the 1977 Parade festivities. The 8,000 cubic feet of helium was replaced with air as the sauropod was displayed from November 9th through November 13th.

The Dino the Dinosaur balloon was kept in storage at the Goodyear plant in Akron, Ohio for nearly a decade before being moved to the Macy’s Parade Studio in spring 1984. It was here that the balloon sat for several more decades, before being taken out in 2005 for an inflation test. The original Dino, like a lot of his Goodyear contemporaries, was unable to hold air nor helium, and as a result was cut into swatches.

The Exciting World of Dinosaurs (1966)

In 1966, the Sinclair Oil furnished a series of floats that sought to replicate life on earth 165 million years ago, with replicas of various dinosaur species. The replicas (sculpted by Louis Paul Jonas Studios of Hudson, New York) were borrowed from Sinclair’s Dinoland attraction which had closed the previous fall, with the Macy's Parade being a stop on the dinosaur's nationwide tour. The three floats featured the likes of a Brontosaurus, a Tyrannosaurus Rex, an Ankylosaurus and a Stegosaurus on skirted flatbeds, all surrounded by lush greenery. Costumed cavemen and cavewoman escorted the floats.

DINO (2015-2021)

Nearly 40 years after the original Dino balloon retired, the Sinclair Oil Corporation reintroduced their iconic Apatosaurus mascot as an all-new giant helium balloon in the 2015 Macy’s Parade, to celebrate the company’s 100-year anniversary in 2016 and to boost the recognition of its name amid an expansion of its gas stations into the East Coast.

The new DINO balloon evolved from its prehistoric predecessor, measuring 72-feet long, 36-feet tall and 24-feet wide. Constructed by Sioux Falls-based Raven Aerostar, 50 gallons of paint were used to give Dino his unique green color. The balloon’s design is “a classic example of a classic pose,” according to former vice president of Macy’s Parade Studio John Piper, who later compared the new DINO balloon to the original, saying “he has more character. His head is turned, his neck is bent, and so is his tail.”

Amy Kule, then-executive producer of the Macy’s Parade, commented on the new DINO balloon’s debut in a news release, saying “the Macy’s Parade has always been rooted in history and tradition, and what better way to honor that legacy as we gear up for our 90th anniversary, than to look back at our history and re-introduce a classic character and fan favorite to a new generation.”

That November, Sinclair launched the 'Dino2NYC' sweepstakes, in which a fiberglass likeness of DINO was driven across America in full display. The statue stopped at select Sinclair gas stations across the country, where fans were invited to take selfies with Dino himself and enter the drawing for a trip to the Macy’s Parade the following November. Random selections of selfie photos taken at these events were displayed on the Sony digital screen in Times Square on Thanksgiving Day. The Dino2NYC sweepstakes have since been held annually.

The second DINO balloon returned to the lineup for the reimagined 2020 Parade. However, the balloon was unable to make a live appearance due to reduction of Parade participants as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, and was instead showcased on the NBC telecast through archival footage from the balloon’s previous flights in 2017, 2018 and 2019.

The DINO balloon returned for the 2021 Parade, marking their return live to the streets of NYC. Following this appearance, the second DINO balloon was retired, making a total of seven appearances. This would not be the last time it was seen, as the balloon appeared at a Balloon Field Training session in October 2022 at MetLife Stadium, alongside a brand-new pair of Pumpkin novelty balloons.

Baby DINOs (2018-present)

In 2018, Sinclair introduced a trio of brand-new Baby DINO balloonicles. The balloonicles designs feature three baby dinosaurs popping out of speckled eggs, meant to represent growth for Sinclair Oil now and in the future. The Baby DINOs are notable for being some of the first balloonicles to utilize a motorized wheelchair for its drive system, a feature that was also used in the Go Bowling balloonicles. The small size of the balloonicles allow for the drivers to nod the sauropod’s heads, wiggle their feet and wave their hands.

The Baby DINOs were one of few parade elements to make an appearance in the reimagined 2020 Parade, appearing without the DINO balloon as mentioned above. The balloonicles made their most recent appearance in the 2023 Parade. During the parade route, one of the Baby DINOs was removed before the parade started, so only two were present in the parade route.

DINO and Baby DINO (2022-present)

Following the acquisition of Sinclair Oil by HollyFrontier, and its subsequent rebranding into HF Sinclair, a new DINO balloon was introduced to the lineup for the 2022 Parade. The balloon featured DINO himself giving a ride to a Baby DINO friend, celebrating Sinclair's growing family. The Baby DINO seen is a separate balloon, attached to Dino's neck through a series of connection points.

The new DINO balloon measures 49 feet tall, 68 feet wide, and 26 feet tall. Jack Barger, senior vice president of marketing for HF Sinclair, expressed his gratitude to have a new balloon flying down the streets of Manhattan, saying the company was "honored to once again be part of this heartwarming tradition."

During BalloonFest 2022, however, the Baby DINO's right arm was deflated shortly after the balloon had its netting discarded. Despite this, the balloon would continue its test flight, and would be repaired shortly afterwards. The third DINO balloon would make a successful appearance at the 2022 procession with no difficulties.

Dino appeared again with the Baby Dinos in the 2023 parade.

Trivia

• Dino the Dinosaur, alongside Popeye, are the only two giant balloons in Parade history to be honored with a retirement party.
• The first two Dino balloons, in addition to the Rex and Clifford the Big Red Dog balloons, are the only four "life-sized" balloons that have been made for the Macy's Parade.
• The original Dino balloon made a cameo in Stephen Spielberg's animated 1993 film, We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story, alongside Quik Bunny and Clifford the Big Red Dog.

See also

• Sinclair Oil Corporation/Gallery