The Rocking Tortoise (also known as the Rocking Turtle and Mr. Tortoise) is a toy float from Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
History with the Macy's Parade[]
The slow but steady Rocking Tortoise made its debut in the 1979 Macy’s Parade. Based on Aesop’s Fable of The Tortoise and the Hare, the tortoise took part in a Thanksgiving Day race against a variety of forest animals including the Hare.
In 1987, the Racing Hare toy float debuted as a competitor to the Rocking Tortoise; the duo would “race” down Broadway in a marathon officiated by Rowland Rabbit, with the Tortoise ultimately winning at the finish line outside of Macy’s Herald Square. The final race between the Tortoise and the Hare occurred in 1997.
The following year, the golf cart pulling the Rocking Tortoise broke down in Times Square and was subsequently delayed. The tired Testudinata teetered his way down the route through 2004, returning for on-again, off-again engagements, most recently appearing in the 2024 Parade.
Outside of the Parade, the Rocking Tortoise has made several appearances at Macy’s store openings and traveled south for the holidays to appear in Macy’s Holiday Parade at Universal Studios Florida in 2003 and 2004.
Guest Stars[]
Listed below are the guest stars that have appeared/performed on the Rocking Tortoise, alongside the respective songs which they sang during the NBC broadcast of the Parade.
- 1979 - Chuck Woolery
- 1980 - Dean Butler, sang "Don't Fence Me In"
- 1981 - Wendy Holcombe, sang "Rocky Top"
- 1983 - Peter Billingsley, sang "Talk to the Animals"
- 1984 - Danny Cooksey, sang "I'm Just an Old Chunk of Coal"
- 1989 - Chelsea Hertford
- 1992 - Pee Wee Love
- 2002 - Matthew Lawrence
- 2013 - Richard Simmons
Special Characters[]
In addition to guest stars, costumed character riders often accompanied the Rocking Tortoise. These include Alice in Wonderland (1998-2001, 2003-2004), Old King Cole (2003), Miss Muffet (2003), Mother Goose (2004), Queen of Hearts (2004), Queen Bee (2009), Mother Nature (2010, 2016), a Racing Rabbit (2013-2015), and a Gardener (2019).
See also[]