As one of America's most iconic annual traditions, the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is known to have a significant history of its spectacle. Despite this, not all aspects of its history are accurate, likely due to lack of sharp memories from Macy's themselves. Below, you will find a list of false facts and misconception from Macy's about the Parade's history.
Misconceptions[]
- Macy's has stated multiple times that Felix the Cat was the first-ever pop-culture character to have a balloon in the Parade in 1927. However, newspaper clippings and footage from 1927 through 1931 show no indication of Felix appearing in any form, with The Katzenjammer Kids being the true first-ever characters to have a licensed balloon in the Parade.
- It is a common misconception that the original Mickey Mouse balloon appeared in the 1936-1937 Parades (gaining a larger star in the former year), despite officially retiring after 1935.
- The Toy Soldier balloon was stated by Macy's to have debuted in 1927, as shown in the 1920s section of the virtual history simulator on the Parade's website. The balloon in reality, however, actually debuted in 1950.
- It's commonly thought that during the Popeye balloon's debut in the 1957 Parade, the hat got filled with gallons of water, causing him to bend to the side an spill them on the crowd. However, newspapers didn't mention this supposed "accident". It's also thought his hat was replaced the following year due to the accident.
- In Robert M. Grippo and Christopher Hoskins' book about the Parade, it is said that Quik Bunny debuted in 1986. However, this is false, and a giant balloon based on the character wouldn't debut until two years later in 1988.
- It is commonly thought that the 1988 Snoopy balloon was a repaint of the previous year's Skater Snoopy. However, a inventory chart from 1989 shows that they were infact, separate balloons.
- Macy's has stated multiple times that Tom Turkey made his first appearance in 1971, However, he actually made his debut in the 1973 Parade.
- Following Sonic the Hedgehog's demise during its debut in the 1993 Parade and prior to the new balloon's debut in 2011, the balloon was stated to have been permanently retired after the incident, despite being able to fly again the following year with repairs.
- During Woody Woodpecker's NBC appearance in 1995, Willard Scott mentions that Woody makes his 13th appearance that year when really, he made his 13th appearance in 1994. This mistake would also be repeated in 1996.
- When DINO the Sinclair Oil Dinosaur returned to the Macy's Parade in 2015, many people thought he was Arlo from The Good Dinosaur, as the film had just released in theatres around that time.
- A newspaper for the 2016 Parade labeled Rex the Happy Dragon as a new balloon for that year, despite actually debuting four years prior in the 2012 Parade.
- During the 2016 NBC telecast, Savannah Guthrie mentioned that the debut of Charlie Brown's second balloon marked his "first appearance in over ten years". However, this is inaccurate, as his previous balloon made a brief return 4 years prior in the 2012 Parade. It is likely that Guthrie may have forgotten about Charlie Brown's appearance in 2012.
- During the 2023 NBC telecast, Hoda Kotb mentioned that Beagle Scout Snoopy is the tenth Snoopy balloon to appear in the parade. However, it is actually Snoopy's eighth.