The Goldfish was a Macy's original character who originated as a giant helium character balloon in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade back then when it was known as the Macy's Christmas Parade.
History with the Macy's Parade[]
Goldfish made his Macy's Christmas Parade debut in the 1928 Parade, as one of the first-ever giant helium balloons to float down the Great White Way. New York-born artist Tony Sarg designed the giant goldfish, and the balloon was constructed in Akron, Ohio at the headquarters of the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company.
The balloon led from Harlem to Herald Square by King Neptune and a group of twenty pirates, all dressed in yellow with blue bandannas. The Goldfish swam his way down the Parade route as a 35-foot long specimen, proclaimed as the "biggest goldfish ever".[1]
Upon arriving at the Parade's culmination point at 34th Street, the ballooning behemoth was released from its handling lines and flew thousands of feet up in the air; it was planned to remain afloat for seven to ten days, with citizens able to return the rubber carcass for a $500 reward.
Following the 1928 procession, the Goldfish was retired from the line of march shortly after being released to the air but was later found, and the individual was given the $500 reward.
As such, the balloon later reappeared for the first Santason Parade in 1929, but was disposed of shortly after.