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Jeeves is the former mascot for the question answering-focused e-business, Ask.com (formerly known as Ask Jeeves). The character of Jeeves was introduced in 1996 as a slightly chubby and balding English butler, depicted as the “gentleman’s personal gentleman” who fetched answers to any question asked. The character was named after Jeeves, Bertie Wooster’s Valet in the fictional works of P. G. Wodehouse.[1]

The Jeeves character was retired in 2006 following the company’s buyout by e-commerce conglomerate InterActiveCorp, who felt the character did not represent the company in a way they would approve.[2]

History with the Macy's Parade[]

Ask Jeeves and Macy’s first partnered in 1999 to produce an all-new float for that year’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Executives of the company originally wanted a balloon of their trademark character, Jeeves, to fly in the 1999 Macy’s Parade after hearing the success the Rugrats balloon brought to Nickelodeon. When Ask.com called Macy’s in June, however, they were informed that the balloon would not be finished in time, resulting in the company settling for a float.[3]

The Ask Jeeves float featured a 16-foot tall sculpture of the dapper butler reading a book in his morning clothes and a whirlwind of knowledge. The rising star of the world wide web sat on a collection of books, surrounded by all of the world’s curiosities; a monarch butterfly resting on a flower, a spaceship circling Jupiter, bubbling science beakers and the world of fine art. Featured prominently on the float were just some of the many questions Jeeves answered on a daily basis, such as “Why is the sky blue?”, “What is the meaning of life?” and “Why is New York called the Big Apple?”. Senior vice president of Ask Jeeves, Ted Briscoe, envisioned the float as “an opportunity to make Jeeves a pop icon, to move him off the Internet into the living rooms of America.”[3]

Following the 1999 procession, the Ask Jeeves float was retired. Set pieces from the float, however, continued to be used. The monarch butterfly was used for Maytag's Mother Earth float the following year, and the giant pencil and protractor was seen in the Macy’s Parade Warehouse in spring 2014.[4]

Jeeves himself would subsequently appear as a giant helium balloon in the 2000 Macy’s Parade. The debut of the knowledgeable valet marked the first time that an Internet-born character had been immortalized as a giant balloon,[5] a record that would be held until 2020, when the Red Titan from Ryan’s World balloon debuted.

The Jeeves balloon measures 70-feet long, 39-feet tall and 25-feet wide, needing 12,700 cubic feet of helium (and knowledge) to reach fine-flying form.[6] The balloon depicts Jeeves strutting his stuff down Broadway in a pin-striped suit, red tie and 19-foot shiny black shoes. In his left hand, Jeeves holds the “Golden Keys of Knowledge,” which he uses to answer all the 4.4 billion questions he is asked everyday.

In 2001, Jeeves appeared on the Toon Balloon-Abration! float alongside other balloon alumni as they celebrated the Parade’s diamond jubilee anniversary.

The Jeeves balloon initially made three appearances and was retired following the 2002 Parade.

The dapper dan of dot-coms made his much anticipated return to the line of march in the 2004 Macy’s Parade. With an all-new hairdo and a tan, Jeeves spread the wealth of knowledge with Parade spectators along the two-mile route. Guaranteeing that Jeeves finds his way from the Internet to Herald Square, a team of more than fifty balloon handlers were at Jeeves' service.

Following this reprise appearance, the Jeeves balloon was permanently retired, and Jeeves nor Ask.com have had any association with the Parade ever since.

See also[]

References[]


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