Nutcracker and Mouse King are a pair of trycaloons from the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.
History with the Macy's Parade[]
The Nutcracker and Mouse King trycaloons first appeared in the 2012 Macy's Parade, as the second-ever pair of trycaloons—cold-air inflatables mounted on tandem tricycles—in Parade history. The trycaloons feature whimsical balloon characters from Tchaikovsky's classic ballet The Nutcracker. The titular Nutcracker is peddled down the Parade route by Clara, as his nemesis Mouse King scurries along the Parade route atop a block of cheese accompanied by one of his furry-tailed soldiers.
The trycaloons debuted to promote the annual run of Macy's Holiday Parade at Universal Orlando Resort (who sponsored the trycaloons), where they would later appear daily during the holiday season. Here, they were joined by Puppeteer Stilt Walkers with marionettes inspired by The Nutcracker.
In the coming years, the trycaloons continued to pedal their way down both Broadway and the streets of Universal Orlando. In 2016, Mother Ginger from the aforementioned ballet joined the trycaloons in the form of a balloonicle, who too would travel south for the holidays; all three appeared in the Holiday Parade until the procession was rebranded into Universal's Holiday Parade featuring Macy's in 2017.
In 2018, the Nutcracker trycaloon was sidelined only a block before its appearance on the NBC broadcast after the performer for Clara caught her dress on the pedals, tearing it. The next year, the Nutcracker fought against tough winds and was nearly knocked over along Central Park West.
Though the Nutcracker and Mouse King trycaloons were a part of the initial 2020 Parade lineup, they were later pulled after a further reduction of participants in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. They were able to return in 2021 despite a missed year and continue to appear in the lineup as of 2023.
Trivia[]
- Duplicates of the trycaloons were created and appeared in the My Macy's Holiday Parade in Seattle for three years between 2017 and 2019.
See also[]
- Tough Guy and Bulldog, another pair of trycaloons
- Mother Ginger, who appeared with the duo in 2016
- The Nutcracker, a balloon counterpart