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The 59th Annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade was held on November 28, 1985 in New York City, and shown to viewers live on NBC that same day from 9 a.m. to noon EST. It was hosted by Pat Sajak, Bert Convy, and Phylicia Ayers-Allen. The lineup featured 9 giant helium balloons, 17 novelty balloons, 12 marching bands, 17 floats, a host of celebrity appearances, and the one-and-only Santa Claus.
Listed below are the Parade elements that appeared in the 1985 line of march. Each element is listed in their respective categories/sub-categories, with sponsors in bold.
Bold indicates a new Parade element, underline indicates an element that was brought back after an absence, strikethrough indicates an element that was removed from the lineup, and * indicates a Parade element that was retired after the 1985 procession.
The 1985 Parade marked the introduction of novelty balloons.
This would be a memorable Thanksgiving Day for Phylicia Ayers-Allen, as shortly after the parade's conclusion; NBC sportscaster Ahmad Rashad, covering the Thanksgiving Day game between the Detroit Lions and New York Jets for NBC's "NFL '85" pregame show, proposed at the end of Rashad's pregame report.
According to testimonies from Pat Sajak, him wearing an improper pair of shoes in the damp weather led to him having to be "carried out sideways."
NBC's coverage of this Parade established their tradition of showing archival footage in place of removed balloons; previously, they would simply skip the balloon if it failed to appear, making one exception in 1971 when none of the giant balloons were able to fly.
Balloon Incidents[]
The list in the hands of Snoopy fell off the balloon after arriving on 34th Street.
Kermit the Frog's stomach was torn by trees along Central Park West. Although the balloon remained in the lineup, it was flown very close to the ground due to the loss of helium.
Olive Oyl and Superman suffered damages before the Parade began and were unable to be repaired in time.
Woody Woodpecker's legs deflated during march by an unknown obstacle.
Notes[]
↑The 1985 Parade marked the Snoopy balloon's first apperance since 1982.
