Fritz the Dachshund is a giant helium character balloon that appeared in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.
History with the Macy's Parade[]
Fritz the Dachshund made his first Macy’s Parade appearance in the 1932 procession. Measuring fifty feet from snout to tail, Fritz was described by the New York Times as having “tried to roll over on his back and kick his clumsy feet in the air”[1] as he sailed across the Great White Way. Following the release of the balloons that year, Fritz landed nearby in the East River and was recovered by a tugboat, the first of the balloons that year to be found[2].
For his return to the parade in 1933, Fritz, bearing a new coat of “fur” and autographs from the tugboat crew [3], was one of several balloons outfitted with sound by way of disguised truck, allowing for the colossal canine to bark much like a real dog [4]. Though high winds buffeted the balloons, Fritz finished the parade without incident. This would mark his last Macy’s Parade appearance, though the balloon is known to have been used in at least one other parade of the era before being disposed of.