Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade Wiki

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Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade Wiki
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The 61st Annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade was held on November 26, 1987, in New York City, and shown to viewers live on NBC and CBS that same day from 9 a.m. to 12 noon EST, with the NBC broadcast being hosted by Willard Scott and Mary Hart. The participating celebrities included the likes of Rita Coolidge, The Oak Ridge Boys, Bobby Vinton, Phylicia Rashad, Judy Kaye and Jill Schulz.

Overview[]

The weather for the 1987 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade proved to be picture perfect for the several thousand participants that brought the 61st "Holiday Treat for Children Everywhere" to life. The 2.1-million spectators that lined the streets took a course in balloon watching as 10 giant balloons flew above them, four of which were new - Spider-Man, Ronald McDonald, Snoopy, and Snuggle. The debutants joined the balloon versions of Garfield, Woody Woodpecker, Superman, and a myriad of other helium giants.

Following the Albertville High School Aggie Band's entrance into the concrete canyons was a cavalcade of merry marchers, fantasy floats and comical clowns. The hit musical, Les Misérables, performed a number for the NBC telecast, and Rita Coolidge sang "Your Love Is Lifting Me Higher" from high atop the Turkey float. Jim Henson and Willard Scott were also honored with a Macy's-sanctioned Rollie Award - Henson for 11 years of Muppet participation in the Parade, with Willard's Rollie for seven years of Parade participation. Patrick Swayze trotted down Broadway on his very own Arabian stallion, and Bobby Vinton rode--or flew, rather--an airplane float from Trans World Airlines.

Capping off the morning of fantasy-filled fun was Santa Claus, as always, who wished everyone a happy holiday season from his snow goose sleigh to start the 1987 holiday season.

Parade Lineup[]

Listed below are the Parade elements that appeared in the 1987 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, and * indicates a Parade element that was retired after the 1987 procession.

Balloons[]

Giant Balloons[]

Novelty Balloons[]

Floats[]

Specialty Units[]

Toy Floats[]

Marching Bands[]

Guest Stars[]

Costumed Characters[]

Performance Groups[]

Pre-Parade Acts[]

  • NCA Superstar Drill Team
  • Cabaret, performed "Willkommen" and "If You Could See Her"
  • Les Misérables, performed "Look Down", "Castle on a Cloud", and "Bring Him Home"
  • Starlight Express, performed "Rolling Stock"
  • Clifton Davis, sang "Before the Parade Passes By"
  • Mary Hart, sang "Pure Imagination"
  • Teddy & Alice, performed "Wave the Flag!"

Clowns[]

Clown Props[]

Trivia[]

  • NBC's broadcast was notable for several events:
    • Lynda Lopez took over announcing duties for the NBC parade broadcast that year, replacing Bill Wendell.
    • Additionally, it was the first NBC broadcast to feature host Willard Scott, who replaced Pat Sajak. He would continue to host the NBC telecast of the Parade until 1997.
  • At 62°F (16°C,) it was the warmest Macy's Parade to be held in the 1980s.
  • 1987 marked the introduction of numerous notable parts of the Parade:
    • the introduction of banners for the giant balloons, a feature used to this day.
    • the introduction of Macy's Holiday Ambassador campaign.
    • the first Parade since the pre-World War II Parades to feature a balloon with sound.
    • four new giant balloons, the most new giant balloons since the 1945 Parade.
    • Singer-songwriter Tiffany was planned to make an appearance aboard the Doodlebug. However, she would be unable to show up, so a generic clown took her place. In addition, Petula Clark was also going to make an appearance that year. However, she wasn't able to make it for unknown reasons.

See also[]

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