The 84th Annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade (2010)

The 84^th Annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade was held on November 25, 2010, in New York City and shown to viewers live on NBC that same day from 9 a.m. to noon EST. The broadcast was hosted by Matt Lauer, Meredith Vieira, and Al Roker. The lineup featured 15 giant character balloons, 43 novelty/ornament balloons, balloonicles and balloonheads, 27 floats, 12 marching bands, 1,600 cheerleaders, dancers and performance group members, 800 clowns, a host of celebrity performers, and the one-and-only Santa Claus.

Parade Lineup[]

Listed below are the parade elements that appeared in the 2010 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 the 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, a ~~strikethrough~~ signifies a parade unit that was sidelined before or during the march, and an asterisk (*) indicates an element that was retired after the 2010 Parade.

Balloons[]

Giant Balloons[]

Snoopy as the Flying Ace (Peanuts Worldwide) - 5th time
Kermit the Frog (Disney) - 7th time
Diary of a Wimpy Kid (ABRAMS Books) - 1st time
Ronald McDonald (McDonald's) - 2nd time
Sailor Mickey (Disney Cruise Line) - 2nd time
SpongeBob SquarePants (Nickelodeon) - 6th time
"Super Cute" Hello Kitty (Sanrio) - 4th time
Shrek* (DreamWorks Animation) - 4th time
Kung Fu Panda (DreamWorks Animation) - 1st time
Pikachu (The Pokémon Company International) - 5th time
Spider-Man (Marvel Entertainment) - 2nd time
Horton* (Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment) - 3rd time
Buzz Lightyear (Disney·Pixar) - 3rd time
Pillsbury Doughboy (Pillsbury) - 2nd time
Smurf (Lafig Belgium/Sony Pictures Entertainment) - 3rd time

Novelty Balloons[]

Yellow Macy's Stars (Macy's) - 5th time
Pumpkins (Macy's) - 8th time
Uncle Sam (Macy's) - 3rd time
Baseball (Macy's) - 4th time
Basketball (Macy's) - 2nd time
Football (Macy's) - 3rd time
Beach Ball Clusters (Macy's) - 4th time
Arrtie the Pirate* (Macy's) - 4th time
~~Wiggleworm~~* (Macy's) - 3rd time
Geometrics (Macy's) - 2nd time
Kaikai & Kiki* (Kaikai Kiki Co., Ltd.) - 1st time
Planet Earth (Power Rangers Samurai) - 4th time
Harold the Fireman (Macy's) - 15th time
Red Candy Cane (Macy's) - 7th time
Strawberry/Pistachio Ice Cream Cone (Macy's) - 8th time
Big Man Santa (Universal Orlando Resort) - 2nd time
Snow Crystals (Macy's) - 6th time
Virginia (Macy's) - 1st time
Charlie, Kit & CJ Elves (Macy's) - 10th time (Charlie), 7th time (Kit and C.J.)
Red "Believe" Stars (Macy's) - 2nd time
Green "Believe" Star* (Macy's) - 3rd time

Balloonheads[]

Pilgrim Man & Woman (Macy's) - 6th time
Ben Franklin, George Washington, Abraham Lincoln & Mark Twain (Macy's) - 7th time
Mom, Dad & Baby (Macy's) - 4th time

Balloonicles[]

Kool-Aid Man (Kraft Foods) - 1st time
Energizer Bunny (Energizer Battery, Inc.) - 5th time
~~Blue Ornament~~* (Macy's) - 1st time
~~Gold Ornament~~ (Macy's) - 1st time

Floats[]

Snoopy's Doghouse (Peanuts Worldwide) - 5th time
Tom Turkey (Food Network) - 18th time
Woodland Family Gathering (Ocean Spray) - 2nd time
1-2-3 Sesame Street (NAAM) - 6th time
Golden Eagle Express (Macy's) - 22nd time
Mount Rushmore's American Pride (South Dakota Office of Tourism) - 1st time
Statue of Liberty* (Despicable Me) - 18th time
Marion-Carole Showboat (Macy's) - 9th time
Pep Rally (Spirit of America Productions) - 7th time
Jolly Polly Pirate Ship (Macy's) - 14th time
The True Spirit of Thanksgiving (Oneida Indian Nation) - 3rd time
On The Roll Again (Homewood Suites by Hilton) - 1st time
Shine On!* (Jimmy Dean) - 3rd time
Castle of Dreams* (My Princess Academy) - 3rd time
Local Heroes Helping Everyday (Hamburger Helper) - 2nd time
Bridge to the Future (Hess Corporation) - 8th time
Top Hat!* (Apollo Theater) - 1st time
Big Apple (The New York Daily News) - 6th time
Dora's Christmas Carol Adventure (Nickelodeon) - 1st time
International Cele-bear-ation Clock Tower (Build-A-Bear Workshop) - 4th time
Home Baked Goodness (Morton Salt, Inc.) - 1st time
Bountiful Harvest Cornucopia* (Macy's) - 10th time
Elves Raise the Roof (Office Max) - 1st time
Smurf Mushroom House (Lafig Belgium/Sony Pictures Entertainment) - 3rd time
Winter Wonderland in Central Park (Delta Air Lines) - 2nd time
Santa's Sleigh (Macy's) - 2nd time

Specialty Units[]

NYPD Motorcycles - 26th time
"Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade" Banner* (Macy's) - 2nd time
GMC Banner (GMC Truck) - 2nd time
NYC Parks Enforcement Mounted Patrol - 23rd time
Parade Pedicab* (Macy's) - 3rd time
1902 "U.S. Tableau" Circus Wagon (Big Apple Circus) - 4th time
Calliope Wagon (Big Apple Circus) - 3rd time
Big Red Shoe Car (McDonald's) - 11th time
"All the World Loves a Parade" Banner (Macy's) - 2nd time
Takashi Murakami* (Kaikai Kiki Co., Ltd.) - 1st time
Reshiram & Zekrom* (The Pokémon Company International) - 1st time
NYPD Mounted Unit - 84th time
Star Sound Unit #1 (Macy's) - 4th time
STORR Tractor Banner (STORR Tractor) - 2nd time
Star Sound Unit #2 (Macy's) - 3rd time
REO Truck (Macy's) - 14th time
Star Sound Unit #3 (Macy's) - 3rd time
Snow Queen's Sleigh (Macy's) - 1st time

Toy Floats[]

Rocking Lion (Macy's) - 14th time
Rocking Lobster (Macy's) - 25th time
Rocking Turtle (Macy's) - 29th time
Rocking Giraffe (Macy's) - 1st time
Rocking Horse (Macy's) - 37th time

Marching Bands[]

Purdue University "All American" Marching Band (Lafayette, IN), performed "New York, New York" from On The Town
Blue Springs High School Golden Regiment Marching Band (Blue Springs, MI), performed "Bacchanale"
Waukesha North "Northstar" Marching Band (Waukesha, WI), performed "An American Fanfare"
The Pride of Mississippi Marching Band (Hattiesburg, MI), performed "Get Happy"
Seminole Warhawk Marching Band (Seminole, FL), performed "Midnight in Miami"
Lassiter Marching Trojan Band (Marietta, GA), performed "Black Eyes Peas Medley"
Grants Pass High School Marching Band (Grants Pass, OR), performed "A Fantasmic March"
Green Valley High School Marching Band (Henderson, NV), performed "Luck Be A Lady"
NYPD Marching Band (New York City, NY), performed "Space Battleship Yamato"
Banda Musical Latina Pedro Molina (Coatepeque, Quetzaltenango, Guatemala), performed "Three"
Eastern High School Marching Band (Middleton, KT), performed "My Favorite Things"
Macy's Great American Marching Band (Nationwide); performed "Oh When St. Nick Goes Marchin' In"

Guest Stars[]

Parade Officials Robin Hall and Amy Kule
Eric Hutchinson, sang "Best Days" (Tom Turkey)
Alton Brown (Tom Turkey)
Arlo Guthrie and Sarah Lee Guthrie, sang "This Land is Your Land" (Woodland Family Gathering)
Sandra Lee (Woodland Family Gathering)
The Cast of Sesame Street, sang "Music Deep Inside" (1-2-3 Sesame Street)
Grandma the Clown (Parade Pedicab)
Big Apple Circus (1902 "U.S. Tableau" Circus Wagon)
Jimmy Fallon & The Roots, sang "Do They Know It's Christmas Time?" and "What Christmas Means to Me" (Santaland Express)
Ronald McDonald and McKids (Big Red Shoe Car)
Mannheim Steamroller, performed "Deck the Halls" (Mount Rushmore's American Pride)
Miranda Cosgrove (Statue of Liberty)
Miss USA 2010 Rima Fakih (Pep Rally)
Juanes, sang "Y No Regresas" (Jolly Polly Pirate Ship)
Iroquois Dancers and Crystal Shawanda, performed "Let's Come Together/This Is My Land" (The True Spirit of Thanksgiving)
Kylie Minogue, sang "Get Outta My Way" (On The Roll Again)
Gloriana, sang "Wild at Heart" (Shine On!)
Keri Hilson, sang "Pretty Girl Rock" (Castle of Dreams)
Takashi Murakami
Michael Grimm, sang "Try a Little Tenderness" (Local Heroes Helping Everyday)
Big Time Rush, sang "Til I Forget About You" (Bridge to the Future)
Gladys Knight, sang "Settle" (Top Hat!)
Apollo Theater Amateur Night Winners Natahan Foley and Lianah Sta. Ana (Top Hat!)
Kanye West, sang "Lost In The World" (Big Apple)
India.Arie, sang "Nochebuena" (Dora's Christmas Carol Adventure)
Victoria Justice, sang "Freak the Freak Out" (International Cele-bear-ation Clock Tower)
Jessica Simpson, sang "My Only Wish" (Home Baked Goodness)
Betty Buckley, sang "Blue Skies" (Bountiful Harvest Cornucopia)
Stagedoor Manor, performed "We Need a Little Christmas" (Elves Raise the Roof)
Melissa and Cooper Rivers on Horseback
Joan Rivers as the Snow Queen (Snow Queen Sleigh)
Ann Hampton Callaway with the Young People's Chorus of NYC, sang "Yes, Virginia" (Winter Wonderland in Central Park)
Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus (Santa's Sleigh)

Special Characters[]

Charlie Brown, Linus, and Lucy (Snoopy's Doghouse)
Lion Tamer (Rocking Lion)
Captain Macy (Marion-Carole Showboat)
Clown, Band and Macy*s Parade Bears (Marion-Carole Showboat)
The Minions (Statue of Liberty)
Mermaid (Rocking Lobster)
Wompkee
Mother Nature (Rocking Turtle)
Lewis the Duck (On The Roll Again)
Mother Goose
Old King Cole
Bo Peep
Little Miss Muffett
Mary, Mary Quite Contrary
The Fiddlers Three
Pied Piper
Alice in Wonderland
Queen of Hearts
The Wind in the Willows
Princess Skylar (Castle of Dreams)
Power Rangers Samurai
Jungle Girl (Rocking Giraffe)
Dora the Explorer and Boots (Dora's Christmas Carol Adventure)
Bearemy, Pawlette Coufur, Holly and Hal Moose (International Cele-bear-ation Clock Tower)
Candy Girl (Rocking Horse)
Smurfette, Smurf, and Papa Smurf (Smurf Mushroom House)
Skating Jack Frosts
Sleigh Driver Elf (Santa's Sleigh)

Performance Groups[]

U.S. Pizza Team (Nationwide), performed "Tarantella"
Varsity Spirit (Nationwide), performed "California Beach Medley"
Tap City Youth Ensemble (New York City, NY), performed an African-inspired gumboot dance
Arya Dance Company (Parsippany, NJ), performed "Chunari Chunari"
The Young Americans (California), performed "Deck the Halls/Silver Bells/Jingle Bells"
Stepper-ettes (La Vista, NE), performed "Suite" from The Polar Express

Pre-Parade Acts[]

Spirit of American Dance, performed "American Hoedown"
Memphis, performed "Steal Your Rock 'N' Roll"
American Idiot, performed "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)"
Million Dollar Quartet, performed "Folsom Prison Blues," "Who Do You Love," and "Long Tall Sally"
The Sing Off, performed "Beautiful Day"
Elf: The Musical, performed "Sparklejollytwinklejingley"
The Radio City Rockettes, performed "Happy Holidays"

Clowns[]

Hi! Roller Skating Clowns - 6th time
Confetti Clowns - 5th time
Funny Farm Clowns - 17th time
Corny-Copia Clowns - 6th time
Pre-K Clowns - 5th time
Teen Grad Clowns - 11th time
Circus Clowns - 1st time
Western Clowns - 18th time
Patriotic Clowns - 5th time
Teen Baseball Clowns - 9th time
Silly Seaside Clowns - 12th time
Pirate Plankster Clowns - 4th time
Springtime Clowns - 8th time
Holiday Clowns - 6th time
Parade Studio Artist Guild - 7th time
Sleepy Clowns - 11th time
Jester Clowns - 5th time
Gnomes - 2nd time
Spacey Clowns - 2nd time
Funny Firefighter Brigade Clowns - 12th time
Funny Bone Medical Team - 25th time
Keystone Cops & Robbers - 2nd time
Pool Hall Clowns - 2nd time
Safari Clowns - 5th time
Rag Doll Clowns - 5th time
Santa's Toy Box Clowns - 6th time
Half Baked Holiday Sweet Clowns - 3rd time
Malt Shop Clowns - 5th time
Birthday Party Clowns - 16th time

Stilt Walkers[]

Ringmaster - 1st time
Uncle Sams - 3rd time
Jack and the Beanstalk - 1st time
Butterflies - 2nd time
Toy Soldiers* - 1st time
Toy Soldiers - 3rd time

Clown Vehicles[]

Farm Truck - 17th time
School Bus - 5th time
Clown Fire Truck - 6th time
Clown Ambulance - 26th time

Trivia[]

2010 was the final time that broadcast journalist Meredith Viera hosted the Parade's NBC broadcast. The following year, Ann Curry would take her spot in the host's booth.
- The NBC broadcast of the 2010 Parade would also skip the Energizer Bunny balloonicle's planned appearance on the broadcast, likely for time reasons. This is the second time that such an event has happened on the telecast, with the first instance being the Cheesasarus Rex balloon on the 2003 NBC telecast.

The 2010 Parade was the final procession to take place before the move-out of the Macy's Parade Studio in the summer of 2011.
Happy Dragon was considered to make a comeback, but the balloon was not allowed to fly because it can not require utility vehicles, and because of the balloon's age.

Incidents[]

The Kool-Aid Man and Energizer Bunny balloonicles experienced technical difficulties before their scheduled appearances, and were sidelined until they were fixed.
The Blue Ornament and the Gold Ornament balloonicles both deflated and were unable to be fixed in time, resulting in their removal.
The Wiggle Worm balloon was punctured by a ONE WAY sign while its handlers attempted to do a spin maneuver.
The SpongeBob SquarePants balloon snagged a lamppost. Despite this, the balloon was freed, and no damages were given to the balloon.

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade Wiki