Joel F. Naprstek (June 1947) is an American painter and freelance artist/illustrator who specializes in automobiles, action and comic book covers, among other subjects. From 2004 to 2020, Naprstek was one of the designers for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Before working for Macy's and its Parade Studio, Naprstek worked at the School of Visual Arts in New York City and the Joe Kubert School of Comic & Cartoon Art for over 20 years.
Naprstek recently displayed a series of his artwork at the Clifton Arts Center, with an exhibition titled "Race Cars, Comics and Flying Tigers—The Dynamic Art & Illustration of Joel F. Naprstek."
History with the Macy's Parade[]
Joel Naprstek joined the Macy's Parade Studio team in 2004, as a concept artist designing balloons, floats and other specialty units for the various Macy's Special Events, such as the Flower Show, Santaland and Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. His earliest design for the Parade was the 1-2-3 Sesame Street float, which he designed alongside John Piper and Louis Henry Mitchell, the creative director for character design at Sesame Workshop.
Naprstek also became an artist for the Parade Studio, painting set pieces for the Flower Show and floats for the Macy's Parade. Notable designs of his include the current Santa's Sleigh float, Macy's Singing Christmas Tree and the 80th Anniversary Hot Air Balloon.
Naprstek left Macy's in April of 2020, now self-employed as a freelance illustrator.
List of Naprstek's Parade Designs[]
Giant Balloons[]
- 80th Anniversary Hot Air Balloon by Macy's (2006)
- Thomas the Tank Engine by Mattel, Inc (2014)
- Skylanders' Eruptor by Activision Publishing, Inc. (2014)
- Ice Age's Scrat and His Acorn by Twentieth Century Fox (2015)
- Angry Birds' Red by Rovio Entertainment (2015)
- Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Abram's Children's Books (2016, with Jeff Kinney)
- SpongeBob SquarePants by Nickelodeon (2019)
- The Boss Baby by DreamWorks Animation and Universal Pictures (2020)
Novelty Balloons[]
- Cloe the Holiday Clown (2005, with Dany Jones)
- Rex the Happy Dragon (2012)
- Macy's Pride Stars (2018, NYC Pride March only)
Balloonicles[]
- Snowbo by Macy's (2005)
- Energizer Bunny by Energizer (2006)
- The Aflac Duck by Aflac, Inc. (2014)
- Go Bowling by Go Bowling (2018)
Trycaloons[]
- Tough Guy and Bulldog (2011, with Laura Duphiney)
Floats[]
- 1-2-3 Sesame Street by Sesame Workshop (2004, with John Piper and Louis Henry Mitchell)
- Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi by Cartoon Network (2005)
- The Polar Express by Warner Bros. Home Video (2005)
- Holiday Lovin' Oven by Pillsbury (2005)
- New York Tin Toy by The History Channel (2006, with Jennifer Palmer)
- Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends by Cartoon Network (2006, with Jim Valeri)
- International Cele-bear-ation Clock Tower by Build-A-Bear Workshop (2007)
- M&M's Chocolate Candies on Broadway by Mars Snackfood US (2007)
- Castle of Dreams by My Princess Academy (2008)
- Local Heroes Helping Everyday by Hamburger Helper (2009)
- There's A Party in My City by Yo Gabba Gabba Live! (2009)
- Santa's Sleigh by Macy's (2009)
- Elves Raise the Roof by OfficeMax (2010)
- Hats Off To Our Heritage! by Macy's (2011)
- It's All Rock & Roll by Gibson Brands (2012)
- Stirrin' Up Sweet Sensations by Domino Sugar (2012)
- The Enchanting World of Chocolate by Lindt (2013)
- Dora and Friends: Aventuras Fantasticas by Nickelodeon (2014)
- The Colonel's Road Trip to NYC by Kentucky Fried Chicken (2015, with Laura Duphiney)
- Heartwarming Holiday Countdown by Hallmark Channel (2015)
- The Cranberry Cooperative by Ocean Spray (2015, with Laura Duphiney)
- The Aloha Spirit by King's Hawaiian (2016)
- Building a Better World by Girl Scouts of the USA (2016)
- Shimmer and Shine by Nickelodeon (2017)
- Universal Playground by Sprout (2017, with Peter Powers)
- Macy's Singing Christmas Tree by Delta Air Lines (2017)
- Macy's Elf Express (2017; Universal only)
- Macy's Pride + Joy by Macy's (2018; NYC Pride March only)
- Fantasy Chocolate Factory by Kinder (2018)
- Elf Pets by the Lumistella Company (2018)
Falloons[]
- Big Apple by New York Daily News (2005)
- Smurf Mushroom House by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2008)
- Shine On by Jimmy Dean (2008)
- P.B Polar Bear by Universal Orlando Resort (2011)
- Goldfish on Parade by Pepperidge Farms (2012)
- Parade Day Mischief by Sour Patch Kids (2017)
- Blue's Clues & You! by Nickelodeon (2019)
Toy Floats[]
- Snail (2006)
Other Designs[]
- Mount Rushmore Ram Truck (2018)
- Santa's Sleigh Ram Truck (2019)
Scrapped Designs[]
- Bob the Builder Balloon by HIT Entertainment (2006)
- Angry Birds Pig by Rovio Entertainment (2015)
- Humpty Dumpty Had a Great Fall by Krazy Glue (2016)
- The Fix-It Flyer by Krazy Glue (2016)