Pac-Man (stylized in all caps for branding purposes) is the titular protagonist of the Pac-Man video game series made by Bandai Namco Entertainment in addition to being the company's mascot. The character debuted in 1980 with the release of the eponymous arcade game, created by Japanese game designer Tōru Iwatani. The character battles ghosts, Blinky, Pinky, Inky, and Clyde, needing to eat all of the dots in the enclosed maze to progress.
Pac-Man is one of the most famous video game characters of all time and is widely considered the first-ever video game mascot. He has since expanded to other game genres, and would go on to be the focus of various animated series, toys, food products, and music.
History with the Macy's Parade[]
Long before taking to the skies, Pac-Man made his Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade debut as a special walking character in the 1982 Parade alongside his wife, Ms. Pac-Man. The couple would make a reprise appearance for the following year in 1983 alongside their child, Baby Pac-Man.
More than four decades later, Pac-Man traded his usual diet of cherries for helium as he made his debut as a giant helium character balloon in 2025, celebrating his 45th anniversary and the release of Pac-Man World 2 Re-Pac. The balloon features Pac-Man running down the Parade route with cherries in his right hand— an homage to the first fruit found in the original game—measuring 37 feet and 3 inches tall, 40 feet and 5 inches long, and 38 feet and 9 inches wide. To guide the yellow chomper throughout the 2.5 mile long maze, 90 balloon handlers dressed as the arcade game's ghostly antagonists, Binky, Inky, Pinky, and Clyde, were needed to brave through the obstacles along the way.
The partnership between the balloon's sponsor—Bandai Namco—and Macy's have also included an immersive pop-up experience in Macy's Herald Square, which includes a variety of free-to-play Pac-Man arcade games and products.
Trivia[]
- Pac-Man is the seventh video game character to be featured as a balloon in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, following Sonic the Hedgehog (1993 and 2011), Pikachu (2001, 2006, 2014, 2021), Skylanders' Eruptor (2014), Angry Birds' Red (2015), Eevee (2021), and fellow 2025 newcomer Mario.
- Although Pac-Man did not appear in the 2014 Parade, sound effects from his debut game were sampled in the "Video Game Salute" number performed by the Spirit of America Dance Stars.