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The 32nd Annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade (1958) | The 33rd Annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade (1959) | The 34th Annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade (1960) | 
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The 33rd Annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade was held on November 26, 1959, in New York City starting at 9:45 a.m. and shown to viewers live on NBC that same day from 11 a.m. to noon. It was hosted by Bill Wendell and Gene Rayburn. The lineup feature three giant helium balloons, 15 floats, 10 marching bands, thousands of participants, and the one-and-only Santa Claus.
Parade Lineup[]
Listed below are the parade elements that appeared in the 1959 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. They are categorized by unit type, with their respective sponsors in bold. Home locations of talent ensembles are featured in brackets, and guest star’s float appearances are indicated in bold.
Bold denotes a new parade element, underline indicates an element that returned after an absence, and an asterisk (*) signifies an element that was retired after the 1959 Parade.
Balloons[]
- Gorgeous Gobbler (Macy's) - 5th time
- Spaceman* (Macy's) - 7th time
- Popeye (King Features) - 3rd time
Floats[]
- Storybook Float* (Macy's) - 1st time
- Transparent Gift Box* (Radio City Music Hall) - 1st time
- Pumpkin Coach* (Macy's) - 1st time
- Mother Goose* (Macy's) - 2nd time
- Roller Skating Queen (Roller Skating Foundation of America) - 2nd time
- Old King Cole* (Macy's) - 2nd time
- Circus (Macy's) - 1st time
- Hercules* (Embassy Pictures) - 1st time
- Carousel (New York City Center Light Opera Company) - 1st time
- The Good Ship Emily Morgan* (Macy's) - 1st time
- Santa's Sleigh (Macy's) - 2nd time
Specialty Units[]
- NYPD Mounted Unit - 33rd time
- "Macy's Holiday Treat for Children Everywhere" Banner* (Macy's) - 1st time
- 1960 Ford Skyliners* (Macy's) - 1st time
- Comedy Ford (Macy's)
Push Floats[]
- Rocking Horse (Macy's) - 2nd time
- Three Men In a Tub* (Macy's) - 2nd time
- The Old Lady Who Lived In a Shoe* (Macy's) - 2nd time
- Hi Diddle Diddle (Macy's) - 2nd time
- Little Miss Muffet (Macy's) - 2nd time
Marching Bands[]
- Charleroi High School Band (Charleroi, PA), performed "March of the Steelmen"
- The Monroe High School Girls Drum & Bugle Corps (Monroe, GA)
- Westbrook High School Band (Westbrook, ME)
- Suitland High School Band (Suitland, MD)
- Prince George High School Senior Band (Prince George, VA)
- Reilly Raiders Drum and Bugle Corps (Philadelphia, PA)
- Picayune High School Band (Picayune, MS)
- Skyliners Drum and Bugle Corps (New York, NY)
- Mainland High School Buccaneer Band (Daytona Beach, FL)
- Washington Carver Drum and Bugle Corps (Newark, NJ)
- Cloverleaf String Band (South Avalon, NJ), performed "The Alabama Jubilee"
- Bergenfield High School Marching Band (Bergenfield, NJ)
Guest Stars[]
- Shirley Temple (Storybook Float)
- Chuck Connors on Horseback
- Lodi Hometown Chorus, sang "Old-Fashioned Song Medley" (1960 Ford Skyliners)
- Radio City Music Hall Rockettes (Transparent Gift Box)
- Connie Francis (Pumpkin Coach)
- Pat Carroll (Mother Goose)
- Audrey Sorenson (Roller Skating Queen)
- Dolores Gray on Horseback
- Jules Munshin (Old King Cole)
- Angelita and Betty Gorum (Circus)
- The Puckers (Circus)
- New York City Center Light Opera Company, sang "A Real Nice Clambake" (Carousel)
- Bobby Clark and Emily Severance Grinnell (The Good Ship Emily Morgan)
- Santa Claus (Santa’s Sleigh)
Costumed Characters[]
Trivia[]
- The NBC broadcast of the 1959 Parade is currently the oldest Parade-related telecast to be found in a full recording.
- The 1959 NBC broadcast was the final to be broadcast in black-and-white. The following year the Parade would air in full color for the first time.
- The Toy Soldier and Observation Balloon were part of the initial lineup, however they were later removed.
- The head of the Spaceman balloon was somewhat low on helium.