Monkey D. Luffy is the main protagonist of the manga and anime series One Piece. As the captain of the Straw Hat Pirates, Luffy and his crew set out to find the “One Piece”—a legendary treasure left by former King of the Pirates, Gol D. Roger—that is foretold to make its finder the next Pirate King. Luffy is depicted in the series as a high-energy, carefree teenager with great ambition to find the One Piece and is shown to have a massive appetite by comically gorging himself.
History with the Macy's Parade[]
Monkey D. Luffy debuted as a giant helium balloon in the 2023 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, setting sail down the streets of New York City instead of his usual home in the sea. Luffy’s signature grin and high-energy personality was on display as the balloon is guided along the route by a pirate crew of skilled handlers—all honorary Straw Hats for the day. The balloon measures 50 feet tall, 43 feet long, and 39 feet wide, making Luffy the widest balloon in the Parade lineup. 20 unique colors of paint were used to bring the Luffy balloon to life.
The balloon's scale model was featured in Toei Animation’s New York Comic Con 2023 booth to promote the balloon's debut. Toei Animation also encouraged fans to share their excitement with the hashtag #ThanksLuffy.
During its parade debut, the balloon’s signature Straw Hat was punctured by trees at 75th Street and Central Park West. Consequently, the balloon was moved to the other side of the street, where it nearly hit a light fixture. One handler attributed the incident to the large number of handlers who were not assigned to a handling line, and who did not hear the Pilot’s orders to move right.[1]
Despite the hat’s brim being almost entirely deflated, the Luffy balloon completed its flight without further incident, causing the term “Bucket Hat Luffy” to trend on social media. The captain of the Straw Hat Pirates was then repaired just in time for 2024, to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the One Piece anime series.
References[]
- ↑ Facebook post from Chris Lloyd. Facebook.com. November 27, 2023.
See also[]
- Monkey D. Luffy/Gallery
- Goku, another Toei Animation-sponsored character balloon.