Santa Claus, alternatively named Saint Nicholas or Kris Kringle, is a legendary figure of Western culture and international symbol of Christmas. He is commonly depicted as a portly, joyous old man in a red-and-white outfit who brings Christmas gifts to the homes of well-behaved children and children at heart, as determined by lists of people throughout the world whom he categorizes according to their conduct. He delivers Christmas presents, toys, and candy to every well-behaved person in the world, and coal to all those who have misbehaved, on the night of Christmas Eve; he accomplishes this feat with the aid of his wife, Mrs. Claus, his elves at the North Pole, and a sleigh pulled by Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and eight flying reindeer.
History with the Macy's Parade
In addition to his live appearances at the conclusion of the parade, Santa Claus was briefly given a balloon likeness which debuted in 1939. The balloon made subsequent appearances in 1940 and 1941. But during the 1941 Parade, the balloon leaked helium and collapsed to the ground when it reached 106th Street which may have been the reason for his retirement. The balloon along with many others were scrapped and donated as portions of the 650 pounds of rubber donated to war efforts during the United State's involvement with World War II.
In 2016, an animated, modernized version of the Santa Claus balloon appeared in a Macy's commercial called Old Friends, which symbolizes the connection that the Santa balloon has with a long-time spectator for 90 parades. Snoopy and Woodstock, Pikachu with Pokéball, Tom Turkey and a pair of generic Red Stars also make cameo appearances in the commercial.