Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade Wiki

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Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade Wiki
Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade Wiki
98 PARADES AND COUNTING!
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Ronald McDonald

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Ronald McDonald is the clown mascot of the McDonald's restaurant chain. The original Ronald McDonald character was played and created by the late radio and television personality Willard Scott, who portrayed Ronald as a fun-loving, "Hamburger-Happy" clown who was always cheerful. Scott portrayed the character until 1965, when the clown was given a revamp by McDonald's themselves.

The newly-branded Ronald McDonald character would first debut in television commercials in 1965. The character would later launch into global fame with the introduction of the McDonaldland franchise and line of commercials, which featured Ronald McDonald going on adventures with Grimace, Birdie the Early Bird, Hamburglar, Mayor McCheese and the Fry Kids. Though the brand was discontinued by the 2000s, Ronald McDonald continues to promote the restaurant chain at live events, as well as on social media.

Ronald McDonald also serves as the face of Ronald McDonald House Charities, an independent nonprofit organization whose stated mission is to create, find, and support programs that directly improve the health and well-being of children, giving them "a home away from home".

History with the Macy's Parade[]

Live Appearances[]

Ronald McDonald made his first Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade appearance in 1966 on the McDonald’s-sponsored "Fantasyland" float, marking the first time the character was seen on national television.[1] For this appearance, Ronald was portrayed by Michael “Coco” Polakovs, a clown from the Ringling Brothers Circus credited with reinventing the character into the one seen today.[2]

He returned the following year on the three-ring Circus float,[3] and again in 1969 piloting the Airplane toy float.[4] In 1984, Ronald boarded the Showboat float with seven gold medal Olympians, in conjunction with McDonald’s major sponsorship of the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games. He also marched alongside the McDonald’s All-American High School Band from 1986 until the band’s final appearance in 1989, and again with the Ronald McDonald balloon in 1990, 1993, and 1994.

Since 2000, Ronald McDonald has appeared in his Big Red Shoe Car alongside the talented McKids and his McDonaldland friends Grimace, Hamburglar, and Birdie the Early Bird.

Ronald McDonald (1987-1990, 1993-1994)[]

Ronald McDonald debuted as one of four new giant balloons in the 1987 Parade, chosen because of his status as “the best-known clown in America.”[5] The balloon was designed by Manfred Bass and McDonald’s art director Jerome Walker,[6] featuring Ronald doing a handspring with a bouquet of three 10-foot balloons. It measured 68 feet (or 544 hamburgers) tall and 32 feet wide, requiring 12,220 cubic feet of helium. 50 balloon handlers dressed in Ronald’s signature red, yellow, and white kept him and his size 264 shoes afloat.

Before appearing in the Parade, the balloon made its first public appearance at the Dallas Galleria on October 14, floating above the mall’s iconic ice rink in celebration of Macy's second anniversary at the mall. The real Ronald McDonald, Grimace, and Hamburglar appeared at the nearby Macy’s store and entertained patrons.[7]

The first Ronald balloon appeared in four consecutive parades and was retired after 1990. Despite this, it appeared at that year’s Macy’s-Egleston Christmas Parade in Atlanta alongside Spider-Man, Baby Shamu, and assorted novelty balloons.[8]

In 1993, the Ronald McDonald balloon returned as part of a marketing push by McDonald’s that encouraged children to share the joy of reading.[9] A smaller, two-balloon bouquet also replaced the three-balloon bouquet. The following year, plans were made to retrofit the balloon with an NBC camera to give television viewers a balloons-eye view of the Parade,[10] though the feature went unproduced.

Ronald McDonald (2000-2008)[]

The second Ronald McDonald balloon made its debut in the 2000 Parade, facing into the wind with outstretched arms ready to embrace those in need while sporting his signature smile and colorful clown suit. The balloon measured 44 feet tall, 63 feet long, and 29 feet wide, strutting down the route in shoes similar in size to the Big Red Shoe Car. With such big shoes to fill (with helium), 10,900 cubic feet of the gas helped the Ronald balloon soar, in addition to 55 balloon handlers.

In 2001, Ronald suffered a deflated left arm caused by a broken seam at around 9:15 a.m. The balloon was lowered due to safety concerns and nearly hit an apartment building but reached the finish line without further incident.[11] Spokesperson Ronnie Taffet later explained that Ronald had “tried to flex his muscle and he popped right through his shirt," attributing it to "Too many hamburgers!"[12]

During its time in the Parade, the balloon touted the educational and community outreach efforts made by McDonald’s, including school visits from Ronald, his promotion to Chief Happiness Officer, donations made for World Children’s Day, and the Get Moving with Ronald and Go Active with Ronald McDonald live shows.[13] This was the longest-lasting balloon iteration of Ronald McDonald, having made nine consecutive appearances before it was retired in 2008.

Ronald McDonald (2009-2014)[]

In 2009, Ronald McDonald returned as an all-new balloon, strapping on the world’s largest pair of ice skates (which presented “more than a few technical challenges”)[14] and keeping warm from the New York City winter elements with a green-and-red scarf. The balloon was one of the largest in the Parade[15] at 76.4 feet long, 28.8 feet wide, and 48.6 feet tall, needing 13,650 cubic feet of helium to help Ronald glide through the air with the greatest of cheese.

Sometime after its debut, a blown-glass ornament inspired by the balloon was sold at McDonald’s restaurants nationwide, with a portion of the proceeds benefiting Ronald McDonald House Charities.[16]

In 2011, Ronald accidentally skated into a tree at 77th Street and Central Park West, injuring and deflating his right foot, but continued down the Parade route without incident. During preparations the following year, Ronald’s hair was caught and torn open by a metal crate that was carrying sandbags across 81st Street. Because the incident occurred so soon before the balloon’s scheduled launch, the inflation crew taped up the gash, reinforcing it with clamps. Though fixed, Macy’s asked NBC to avoid showing the balloon’s damages on the telecast.

The ice-skating Ronald balloon appeared until its retirement in 2014.

Ronald McDonald (2015-2020)[]

Ronald McDonald was reintroduced with a new balloon in 2015 for McDonald’s 60th anniversary. The balloon, described as “less barnyard, more boardroom,”[17] depicted the spokes-clown in his new suit that debuted in advertisements a year earlier.[18] Ronald—at 67 feet tall, 61 feet long, and 29 feet wide—marched through the skies in size 1,400 Big Red Shoes and gave spectators his signature thumbs-up. The humanoid appearance of the balloon meant the concave areas sculpted around Ronald’s eyes and smile had to be pulled into place by internal tie-ins.[17]

During the balloon’s penultimate appearance in 2019, its left shoe was torn open by a tree branch on 77th Street. Two Parade officials conducting last-minute check-ups on the balloons noticed the gash, but were unable to find tape to repair it. Though it did not initially alarm the balloon handlers, the three-inch tear worsened as the Parade progressed due to the high winds—particularly at Columbus Circle—and due to handlers tugging frantically on the handling lines until the entire leg deflated into, as one handler stated, “a big piece of fabric.” The balloon was eventually sidelined at 42nd Street not for safety purposes, but for “aesthetic reasons,” according to a Macy’s spokesperson.[19]

In 2020, the Ronald McDonald balloon appeared virtually on the NBC telecast due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was initially planned to be flown with a specially-created five-vehicle framework[20] that reduced the number of handlers to only 25, however an increase in cases meant several balloons (including Ronald) were demoted to pre-recorded appearances, using footage from its last two successful flights.

Ronald McDonald (2021-Present)[]

The fifth and current Ronald McDonald balloon debuted in 2021, celebrating McDonald’s many charitable giving projects.[21] It features Ronald sharing his heart at a time when we all need some extra love and smiles—a symbol of his role in bringing happiness and joy to communities around the world. It took the balloonatics at Macy’s Studios 2,629 hours and over 50 gallons of paint to complete the balloon,[22] which measures 40 feet tall, 68 feet long, and 31 feet wide. Like its previous incarnations, the Ronald balloon's humanoid appearances presented challenges in development, particularly when determining surface area versus its lift volume.[21]

The balloon made a surprise appearance at MetLife Stadium following Balloonfest 2022. According to a balloon captain on the scene, Ronald did not pass an earlier test flight and needed a patch; he was eventually cleared to fly and was handled by a team of McDonald’s employees.[23][24] His Parade appearance that year was dedicated to those crew members, inviting customers to support McDonald’s Thank You Crew program.[25]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ↑ Post from filming in McDonaldland. Facebook.com. October 3, 2017.
  2. ↑ "Michael Polakovs, Coco the Clown and creator of fast food character Ronald McDonald, dies in America aged 86." CCTV.com. December 29, 2009.
  3. ↑ Christopher Seufert. "New York City Thanksgiving Parade, 1967 8mm film stock footage 101d." YouTube.com. October 14, 2023.
  4. ↑ File:RangleMcDangleAirplane.webp
  5. ↑ Blythe, Paul. "Macy's new breed of high-tech balloons." The Palm Beach Post. November 24, 1987.
  6. ↑ Post from Filming in McDonaldland. Facebook.com. May 5, 2018.
  7. ↑ "McHuge balloon to tower over Galleria." Fort Worth Star-Telegram. October 13, 1987.
  8. ↑ File:The Atlanta Constitution Sun Nov 25 1990 .jpg
  9. ↑ Schneider, Dick. "1993 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade." NBC. November 25, 1993
  10. ↑ Seitz, Sharon. "Fair tether friends." The Central New Jersey Home News. November 18, 1994.
  11. ↑ Robin, Joshua. "A Patriotic Thanks." Newsday. November 23, 2001.
  12. ↑ Grace, Melissa. Ingrassia, Robert. "A day of thanks for 1-of-a-kind parade." Daily News. November 23, 2001.
  13. ↑ BryCrowell. "Macy's Parade Balloons: Ronald McDonald (Version 2)." YouTube.com. November 2, 2021.
  14. ↑ Critchell, Samantha. "For Macy’s parade guru, it’s Thanksgiving all year." HoumaToday. November 25, 2009.
  15. ↑ Halvorson, Gary. "The 83rd Annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade." NBC. November 26, 1999.
  16. ↑ File:Ronald-Ornament.jpg
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 Gallivan, Joseph. "These vintage Macy’s balloons are getting a makeover." New York Post. November 23, 2015.
  18. ↑ Luckerson, Victor. "America’s Most Terrifying Mascot Is Getting a Total Makeover." TIME. April 24, 2014.
  19. ↑ Konig, Joseph. Musumeci, Natalie. Lapin, Tamar. "Ronald McDonald balloon partially deflates at Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade." New York Post. November 28, 2019.
  20. ↑ Macy's Inc. "Macy’s and the City of New York Announce Plan for Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade Celebration." macysinc.com. September 14, 2020.
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 Ammons, Joey. ArtStation - Ronald McDonald Giant Balloon. artstation.com.
  22. ↑ "2024 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade Balloon Lineup." Macy's Inc. press release. November 1, 2024.
  23. ↑ Post from The Big Parade History Project. Facebook.com. November 5, 2022.
  24. ↑ Post from The Big Parade History Project. Facebook.com. November 5, 2022.
  25. ↑ de Moraes, Ron. "The 96th Annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade." NBC. November 24, 2022.
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