The Blue & White Macy's Stars are a pair of novelty balloons from the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.
History with the Macy's Parade[]
Blue Macy's Stars (2003-2006)[]
The Blue Macy’s Stars made their debut in the 2003 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade as a representation of the iconic five-pointed Macy’s logo and celebrating the famed red star that guided R.H. Macy to shore during his days as a seaman.
The first pair of Blue Macy’s Star balloons were made in-house by the balloonatics of Macy’s Parade Studio and appeared in four consecutive parades, measuring 25 feet tall, 24 feet wide, and 12 feet deep. One of the balloons also appeared in the 2004 Macy’s Holiday Parade.
On May 20, 2012, the Blue Macy’s Star balloons were featured at Ithaca College’s graduation ceremony, bearing the establishment’s logo. The pair of balloons flanked Amy Kule—Ithaca alumni and at-the-time executive producer of the Macy’s Parade—who was the commencement speaker at the event.[1]
Blue & White Macy's Stars (2017-2019, 2021-Present)[]
The current Blue & White Macy’s Stars made their debut in the 2017 Parade, kicking off the procession with the colossal Olaf balloon. Like their predecessors, the balloons measured two stories tall as they shot down the parade route. In 2018, the balloons served as a sky background to the Little Cloud balloon.
In 2019, one of the Blue & White Macy’s Stars was punctured when it was thrown by a gust of wind into a nearby on 77th Street just before step-off resulting in its removal. Kenneth Drake, a member of the Flight Management Program, said there was “a big pop sound” and the balloon deflated immediately.[2]
The Blue & White Macy’s Stars were part of an initial lineup for the reimagined 2020 Parade, though they were later cut from the lineup in an effort to reduce the number of participants in response to rising cases of COVID-19 in the New York area. The balloons returned to the line of march in 2021, and again in the following year. Only one of the Blue & White Macy's Stars was flown in the 2023 Parade.
Trivia[]
- One of the Blue & White Macy’s Stars appeared on stage with Céline Dion during her 2019 Parade performance.
- One of the Blue & White Macy’s Stars appeared in a May 2020 Facebook post from Macy’s, giving an update on the Parade Studio crew as they produced more than 10,000 disposable face shields for local hospitals.[3]
References[]
- ↑ "2012 Commencement" Ithaca College, YouTube.com
- ↑ Facebook comment from Kenneth Drake on Balloon Handlers for Macy's.
- ↑ Facebook post from Macy's.