The Strawberry/Pistachio Ice Cream Cone (colloquially known as just the Ice Cream Cone) is a novelty balloon from the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.
History with the Macy's Parade[]
Original (1987-2003)[]
In 1987, the Parade lineup got its "just desserts", in the addition of a 35 by 22 Strawberry and Pistachio Ice Cream Cone balloon. Weighing in at 26 pounds, 10 balloon handlers anchor the floating sweet master piece down the Parade route.
Over the next decade, the larger-than-life confection would become a Parade staple, and would lead the Parade, alongside the White Macy's Stars, every year until 1995, when the Ice Cream Cone was replaced by the newly-refurbished Cloe the Holiday Clown. The Ice Cream Cone balloon would once again lead the Parade in 1997 and 2000 respectively.
This version of the balloon would also make appearances outside the canyons of New York City. In 1992, it was one of few novelty balloons to appear at Macy's New York Christmas, an event that brought the magic of the Macy's Parade to the Walt Disney World Resort's Streets of America. Other novelties at this event included the Poinsettias and variants of the White Macy's Stars. The balloon would also appear in the 2001 and 2002 editions of Macy's Holiday Parade at Universal Orlando Resort.
The first version of the Ice Cream Cone was retired after the 2003 Parade, making it one of the longest-running novelty balloons in the Parade's history. Despite its old age and frequent usage, it remains dormant in the float warehouse as of 2016 as the oldest novelty balloon to still exist.
Duplicate (2005-2006, 2009-2011)[]
A brand new identical clone of the Ice Cream Cone was served for the 2005 Parade, now bearing a more vibrant color scheme. Like its previous incarnation, the Ice Cream Cone became a frequent flyer throughout the early 2000s. The balloon was temporarily retired after the 2006 Parade, but was re-instated to the line of march in the 2009 Parade, and would be permanently retired shortly after the 2011 Parade. This version of the Ice Cream Cone also remains fully intact in the Parade's float warehouse as of 2016.