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THE HOLIDAYS ARE HERE!
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The 62nd Annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade (1988)

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The 62nd Annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade was held on November 24, 1988, 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 Willard Scott and Sandy Duncan. The lineup featured 10 giant helium balloons, 26 novelty balloons, 23 floats, 13 marching bands, a host of musical stars, and the one-and-only Santa Claus.

Overview[]

Following 1987’s Parade, Macy’s made a big one for Thanksgiving Day 1988. Akin to the previous year, four new giant balloons were added to the lineup; Big Bird, the beloved character from Sesame Street, was the first, joined by a trio of ABC Bouncing Balls. Following behind was Quik Bunny, the mascot of Nestlé, while a few blocks down The Pink Panther celebrated his 25th anniversary for a swim down Broadway. The final new giant balloon was of Snoopy in a similar outfit to the 1987 balloon, joined with Woodstock, serving as the third incarnation of the beloved beagle. As with the 61 previous parades, Santa ended off the parade to start the 1988 holiday season.

Parade Lineup[]

Listed below are the parade elements that appeared in the 1988 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, an underline indicates a unit that was brought back after an absence, and an asterisk (*) signifies an element that was retired after the 1988 Parade.

Balloons[]

Giant Balloons[]

Novelty Balloons[]

Floats[]

Specialty Units[]

Toy Floats[]

Marching Bands[]

Guest Stars[]

Costumed Characters[]

Pre-Parade Acts[]

  • NCA Superstar Dance Team, performed "Jingle Bells"
  • Godspell, performed "All Good Gifts," "By My Side," and "Day by Day"
  • Suds, performed "I Know a Place," "Color My World," and "Doh Wah Diddy Diddy"
  • Forbidden Broadway 1988, performed "Forbidden Broadway 1988," "Starlight Excess," "Annie II," "Everything's Coming Up Merman," "Never, Never Panned," "The Phantom of the Musical," "George M," and "Give My Regrets to Broadway"
  • Chantal Goya, performed "Pandi Panda, Our Lovely Chinese Bear"
  • American Ballet Theatre, performed "Allegro Brilliante," Polka," and "Ländler"
  • Harry Blackstone, performed magic tricks
  • Clifton Davis, America Sings!, NCA Superstar Dance Team, and Willard Scott, performed "On a Wonderful Day Like Today"

Clowns[]

One dozen other, non-themed clown units were part of the line of march, with several joined by an array of props.

Clown Props[]

Trivia[]

  • This was the only time where Sandy Duncan hosted the parade alongside Willard Scott. The following year, she was replaced by Deborah Norville.
  • Broadway actress Judy Kaye was scheduled to perform from the roof of the New York Marriott Marquee for the official NBC broadcast. Technical difficulties, however, prevented the segment from ever airing. It was planned to fall between Harry Blackstone's magic act and the first hour's grand finale.

See also[]

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