Flying Fish is an original Macy’s character who appeared as a balloon in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
History with the Macy's Parade[]
Rainbow Trout (1950-1952)[]
The Rainbow Trout balloon, also referred to as simply the Fish, made her first appearance in the 1950 Parade. Billed as “The World’s Largest Fish,” the balloon had proportions closer to a whale than that of an actual fish.[1] The 60-foot flounderer swam her way down Broadway with the help of 6,500 cubic feet of helium, and a team of pirate handlers that kept the balloon at bay.
The fish-out-of-water was also part of a contest sponsored by Macy’s that year, which awarded whoever could come up with the best name for the balloon with a 1951 Ford convertible and a 19-inch television set.[1] Names were submitted (along with a donation) to the Damon Runyon Cancer Fund. The judges for the contest were Walter Winchell, Jimmy Durante, and Bert Parks.[2]
In 1951, the balloon was hooked by a lamp post at Columbus Circle, puncturing it. The balloon continued to lose helium until it eventually wilted to the pavement below at Eighth Avenue, where it was taken out of the lineup.[3]
The balloon returned the following year, flying swimmingly from beginning to end. After making three parade appearances, the Rainbow Trout balloon was retired.
Goldfish with Pinkish Fins (1953-1954)[]
In 1953, the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company refurbished the Rainbow Trout balloon at their Akron, Ohio plant, giving her a fresh coat of paint and transforming her into the Goldfish with Pinkish Fins.
The repainted balloon only appeared twice, and was retired after the 1954 Parade.
Flying Fish (1996-1997, 1999-2001, 2003-2008, 2013)[]
As a part of the Parade’s 70th anniversary celebrations, a recreation of the original Fish balloon debuted in the 1996 Parade. Reimagined as Flying Fish, the happy halibut was one of two earliest heritage balloons created by Macy’s. Measuring 30-feet long and puffed up with 2,950 cubic feet of helium, the sea of people in the Parade crowd was the only sea big enough for Flying Fish.
Prior to appearing in the 70th annual procession, the Flying Fish balloon appeared at a Macy’s Parade Balloon Exhibit in October 1996 in Miami, Florida. The event was part of a week-long celebration that heralded a new Macy’s store in The Falls shopping mall.[4]
In 1997, the Flying Fish balloon experienced damage that prevented it from flying. Balloonatic Jim Artle said the balloon was shredded by an overnight gust of wind;[5] a later recount said the balloon was “ripped to pieces.”[6]
The balloon returned for the 1999 Parade with the playful youth of a young guppy. It continued to make regular appearances in the event through 2008, only skipping in 2002. Flying Fish also made annual appearances in Macy’s Holiday Parade at Universal Orlando Resort between 2002 and 2004, and later at an event celebrating the 350th anniversary of Staten Island in 2011.[7]
The Flying Fish balloon took its most recent holiday swim in the 2013 Parade, wishing spectators a fin-tastic Thanksgiving. Following the balloon's retirement, it appeared at a Balloon Field Training session in October 2016, and was part of the initial lineup for the 2018 Parade before eventually being replaced by Arrtle the Pirate.[8]
See also[]
- Flying Fish/Gallery
- Silly Seaside Clowns & Sea Creatures
- Rocking Lobster, a toy float that traditionally accompanied the balloon.
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Newspaper clipping from Daily News, November 22, 1950
- ↑ File:You Name It.png
- ↑ Grippo, Robert (2004), Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, Acadia Publishing
- ↑ Newspaper clipping from The Miami Herald, October 3, 1996
- ↑ Hays, Tom "Cat-in-the-Hat Balloon at Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade in New York Knocks Down a Light Pole and Injures Four Spectators" Associated Press, November 27, 1997
- ↑ Jones, Kathy "I Love A Parade" Newsweek, November 24, 2000
- ↑ SmugMug album from KAdamsbaum
- ↑ "Goku Joins the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade" YouTube, PlanetSenzu
