Rex is the protagonist of We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story, a 1987 children's book written and illustrated by Hudson Talbott, as well as the 1993 animated movie of the same name. Once a simple-minded predator, Rex is given sentience by the alien Vorb, who sends him and several other dinosaurs millions of years into the future, landing in modern-day New York. In the animated film, Rex is voiced by John Goodman.
History with the Macy’s Parade[]
Rex made his Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade debut in 1993, as one of four new balloons produced by Raven Aerostar for that year's parade, in order to promote the animated movie. The balloonified beast measured was over twice the size of a real-life Tyrannosaurus Rex; in fact, at 85 feet, Rex was the longest balloon in the lineup.
In a case of recursive promotion, the film featured a sequence in which the dinosaurs disguise themselves as attractions at a fictionalized version of the Parade. Although the facade initially succeeds, their cover is blown when Rex accidentally punctured a purple version of the Dino the Dinosaur balloon. This fact especially pleased Parade director Jean McFaddin, who mentioned the scene in a 1993 interview, saying "I think it's great we have Rex."[1]
Following his test flight at the inaugural Balloonfest, Rex soared through the canyons of Manhattan for the first time on Thanksgiving 1993, just one day after the film's release. High winds buffeted the Parade route, however, and Rex would wind up crashing into a light pole in Columbus Circle, cutting the balloon's head open. Rex remained in the route for the rest of the parade, although archive footage was primarily used for his appearance on the NBC telecast of the parade. Dany Jones, former Macy's balloonatic who was piloting the balloon, said, "I can fix him, I can fix him. I've fixed worse."[2]
Rex was retired from the parade lineup following the 1993 Parade. Although the balloon exceeded size limits implemented by organizers in 1998, Macy's said it would allow the balloon to fly again in future Parades, but only if it was first cleared by the NYC Department of Transportation. Officials added that the decision was made as a result of much of the balloon's length coming from Rex's tail, which "probably wasn't as risky."[3]
Though still able to fly, the Rex balloon remained dormant and deflated at the Macy's Parade Studio, with its current whereabouts remaining unknown.