Freida the Dachshund

Dachshund
Years active	1949-1951, 1953 1954-1955
Sponsor	Macy's
Type	Giant Balloon
Designer	Elizabeth Rodgers (1949)
Manufacturer	Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company
Length	63 feet
Width	15 feet
Weight	200 lbs.
Helium Volume	3,500 cubic ft.

Freida the Dachshund
Man's best friend takes to the skies during the 2009 Parade. (Photo: ses7)
Years active	2003-2005, 2009, 2011
Sponsor	Universal Orlando Resort (2003) Macy's (2004-2005, 2009, 2011)
Type	Novelty Balloon
Designer	Jennifer Palmer
Manufacturer	Raven Aerostar
Height	21 feet
Length	52 feet
Width	14 feet
Helium Volume	2,600 cubic ft.
Handlers	14

Freida the Dachshund is an original Macy’s character who appeared as a giant helium character balloon and a novelty balloon in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

History with the Macy's Parade

Dachshund (1949-1951, 1953, 1954-1955)

The original Dachshund balloon made its debut in the 1949 Parade, barking its way from Central Park West to Herald Square. The top dog measured 63 feet long and was 200 pounds of pure pedigree pup. Despite experiencing issues at 47th Street, the balloon was quickly repaired and returned to fine flying form.

The balloon continued for two more years until upon its temporary hiatus following the 1951 Parade.

Following an absence after 1952, the dazzling, dimpled Dachshund balloon returned in 1953 with a fresh coat of paint. Its legion of “dog walkers” guided the helium hound down Broadway for three years before permanently retiring after the 1955 Parade. Not long after its final appearance the balloon was disposed of.

Freida the Dachshund (2003-2005, 2009, 2011)

In 2003, a recreation of the Dachshund balloon was produced as part of the Parade’s heritage balloon program, which reinvents classic Macy’s characters for a new audience. Given a new identity as Freida the Dachshund (named after one of Jean McFaddin's dogs), the hottest hound-about-town measured 52 feet long, 21 feet tall, and 14 feet wide. 2,600 cubic feet of helium were fed to the pumped-up pooch to prepare it for its morning stroll down Broadway with its 14 balloon handlers.

The balloon was sponsored by Universal Orlando Resort to promote their Macy’s Holiday Parade, where Freida and a contingent of other Macy’s balloons would fly south for the holiday season. The balloon continued to fly in the Holiday Parade through 2007.

Freida the Dachshund was temporarily retired after the 2005 Parade, but continued to make appearances at Macy’s Flower Show in 2006 and 2007. The balloon briefly returned to the lineup for the 2009 Parade, strolling down the route in search of a balloon fire hydrant.

In 2011, Freida the Dachshund, alongside many of her balloon contemporaries, were inflated on Staten Island to celebrate two milestones; the 85th anniversary of the Macy’s Parade, and the 350^th anniversary of Staten Island. Later that year, Freida returned to the lineup to celebrate the festivities.

Since then, the Freida the Dachshund balloon has not made another public appearance, though it was last confirmed to exist in November 2016 through a balloon inventory chart.

Trivia

• The recreation of the Dachshund balloon was named after Freida, a dog owned by former Parade director Jean McFaddin.
• Freida the Dachshund has been a recurring character found on Macy's Parade collateral and advertising. In some instances, Freida is depicted as a hip-and-happening hound who loves skateboarding and hot dogs.
• The Freida the Dachshund balloon made appearances at the annual Petacular Fair as part of Macy's Flower Show in 2006 and 2007.
• The Dachshund balloon was represented by an "augmented reality balloon" on Verizon's livestream of the reimagined 2020 Parade.

See also

• Freida the Dachshund/Gallery
• Fritz the Dachshund, a precursor to the Dachshund balloon