Garfield

Garfield
The original Garfield balloon at Macy's Tap-O-Mania in 1993. (Credit: Malcolm Clarke)
Years active	1984-1989, 1992-1999
Sponsor	United Feature Syndicate (1984-1986) United Media (1987-1989, 1992-1993) PAWS, Inc. (1994-1999)
Type	Giant Balloon
Designer	Rod Reuter
Manufacturer	Raven Aerostar
Height	35 feet
Length	61 feet
Width	35 feet
Weight	398 lbs.
Helium Volume	18,907 cubic ft.
Handling Lines	36
Handlers	50
NBC Underscore	"What's New, Pussycat?" (1984, 1986-1988, 1993, 1996) "Alley Cat" (1994-1995, 1997-1999)

Garfield
The second Garfield holds Pooky close during his debut. (Credit: Macy's, Inc.)
Years active	2003-2006
Sponsor	Paws, Inc. (2003-2004) 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2005-2006)
Type	Giant Balloon
Designer	Jennifer Palmer
Manufacturer	Raven Aerostar
Height	48.5 feet
Length	49.5 feet
Width	34.5 feet
Helium Volume	14,000 cubic ft.
NBC Underscore	"What's New, Pussycat?" (2003-2005) "Alley Cat" (2006)

Garfield is the titular character of the Garfield comic strip created by cartoonist Jim Davis. Born in the kitchen of Mama Leoni’s Italian Restaurant, the lazy, fat, cynical orange tabby cat is known for his love of lasagna and napping; he also has a particular disdain for Mondays, exercise, and dieting. Garfield lives in Davis’ hometown of Muncie, Indiana, with his socially awkward owner, Jon Arbuckle, and his dimwitted dog, Odie.

Since his debut in 1978, Garfield has been featured beyond the comic strip in television shows, animated specials, video games, merchandise, and feature films. In 2002, the Guinness Book of World Records named Garfield the world’s most widely syndicated comic strip.

History with the Macy's Parade

Live Appearances

Garfield made his first Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade appearance in 1983. Here, he appeared as a costumed character on the “America’s Comic Stars” float, a tribute to comic strip greats that included Snoopy, Marmaduke, Sluggo, and Nancy. Odie joined Garfield on the float the following year.

In 2001, Garfield rode on Macy’s Toon Balloon-Abration! float alongside other characters that flew as balloons in the Parade as part of its 75^th anniversary.

Garfield (1984-1989, 1992-1999)

Garfield debuted as a giant helium balloon in the 1984 Parade, soaring not too far behind his costumed counterpart. The balloon was the second produced by Aerostar Industries in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and unlike its first—Raggedy Ann, which took six months to build—Garfield was finished in just two. Engineer Rod Reuter designed the fabric patterns used in its creation, referring to a Garfield stuffed animal.

The 61-foot long, 35-foot tall, and 35-foot wide balloon featured Garfield pouncing down Broadway with his signature 20-foot grin. He was lauded as the fattest balloon in the Parade, showing off his famous appetite by gobbling 18,907 cubic feet of helium for Thanksgiving breakfast and tipping the scale at 398 pounds. The 50 balloon handlers wore “Garfield gold” coveralls and a specially molded cat headpiece with hand-painted stripes.

In its debut, the balloon nearly pounced onto the roof of the New York Historical Society and later had its front left paw deflated on Central Park West. Despite these gaffes, it became one of the most popular character balloons in the lineup in the years to come.

Garfield led the 1986 Parade and experienced turbulence due to high winds. Gusts caused the balloon to puncture its front right paw during preparations, and its rear left paw on a Central Park tree.

In 1988, Garfield led the Parade for a second time to celebrate his 10th anniversary. The balloon was temporarily retired from the lineup after 1989, though it appeared in the Macy’s-Egleston Christmas Parade in Atlanta with Spider-Man and Raggedy Ann later that December.

The Garfield balloon returned in 1992 as the lead balloon in observation of the character’s 15^th anniversary the following year. As part of the anniversary celebrations, the 1993 Macy’s Tap-O-Mania event was billed as a “Happy Birthday salute to Garfield,” which assembled thousands of tap dancers underneath the Garfield balloon on 34^th Street to break the world record for the largest assembly of tap dancers to perform a single choreographed routine in unison—in this case, the “Stray Cat Strut.”

The balloon continued to fly throughout the 1990s and was soon distinguished as the Parade’s senior balloon. It also made special appearances at Macy’s Balloon-A-Thon in 1995 and 1996.

In 1997, Garfield was damaged by some of the heaviest winds in Parade history. He became a "bobcat” after his tail was deflated overnight and remained flat; he also had his rear right leg punctured after catching on a corner. Despite the incidents, the balloon was one of only seven giants (out of 14) to complete its march without being sidelined.

Heavy winds and rain affected the 1998 Parade; Garfield was the first of four balloons to be removed after a vital chamber had unexpectedly burst inside the balloon on 77^th Street. Its appearance (which celebrated the character’s 20^th birthday) on the NBC telecast was filled with pre-recorded footage of the balloon from two years earlier.

The fat cat would make one last appearance in the 1999 Parade, this time unaffected by the rainy conditions. The original Garfield balloon was retired permanently after this, as the long-running balloon had succumbed to wear and tear. By 2005, the balloon was disposed of and swatched at Macy's Studios.

Garfield (2003-2006)

Garfield returned to the skies of Manhattan for the 2003 Parade, commemorating his 25^th anniversary and the following summer’s release of Garfield: The Movie. The new balloon depicted Garfield, joined by his best pal Pooky, enjoying life in the laid-back lane and giving the Parade a big thumbs-up. Measuring 49.5 feet long, 34.5 feet wide, and 48.5 feet tall, Garfield needed 14,000 cubic feet of helium (equivalent to 37,000 pans of lasagna) to satiate his enormous hunger.

In celebration of his 25^th birthday, Garfield was honored as Macy’s Holiday Ambassador for 2003. The promotion kicked off with Garfield arriving at Macy’s Herald Square aboard the Santaland Express, where he was given the keys to the store and welcomed fans inside for a meet-and-greet experience. The title also granted him the final balloon position in the Parade lineup, a cold-air inflatable on the memorial marquee of Macy’s Herald Square, and a plush toy—including an Odie Reindog mini plush and the Garfield’s Night Before Christmas mini book—sold exclusively at Macy’s stores for $16.95 with any purchase of $35 or more.

The following summer, Cartoon Network publicized Garfield: The Movie with a sweepstakes that awarded one grand prize winner a trip to see the Garfield balloon live in New York City. Two hundred runner-ups were also given a prize pack that included a Garfield watch and the film’s novelization. The balloon returned for its second appearance later that year, advertising the film’s home media release undeterred by having its right paw punctured by a lamp post in Times Square.

The second Garfield balloon made its final appearance in 2006, promoting the home video release of Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties.

Trivia

• The original Garfield balloon made a cameo appearance in 2024’s The Garfield Movie; while attempting to freight hop a moving train, Vic accidentally launches Garfield through a boxcar’s open sides, causing him to catapult from tree to tree before bouncing off his balloon likeness.
• Pooky was the size of 700 real teddy bears.
• The cold-air inflatable created for the 2003 Holiday Ambassador campaign featured Garfield sitting on a present and wearing a Santa hat, reading “Twas the Night Before Christmas.”
  • After 2003, the inflatable appeared at Universal Studios Florida as part of the Balloonopolis attraction until 2008. It was then used as a holiday decoration—generally outside a facade of the New York Public Library—at the theme park until 2016.
  • The wooden Odie Reindog that was part of the marquee is a decoration in one of the paint spray booths at Macy's Studios.

See also

• Garfield/Gallery
• United Feature Syndicate