The Young Man on the Flying Trapeze is a Macy's original character who appeared in the form of a giant helium balloon in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.
History with the Macy's Parade[]
The Young Man on the Flying Trapeze balloon made its Parade debut in 1945, as one of five new balloons to be made after the Parade's three year hiatus from World War II.
The balloon features a young man in a Macy's-branded bodysuit, as he dangles dangerously below a trapeze that is colored blue, yellow, and red-orange.
The balloon was retired from the main Parade shortly after this appearance.
The balloon would make a comeback in 1947, but was once again retired.
Two months later in January 1948, the Young Man on the Flying Trapeze balloon would travel across the country to appear in that year's March of Dimes Parade in Los Angeles, California. Five other balloons including the Panda Bear; the Gnome; the Pirate; the Pumpkin, and the Comical Cop were inflated and floated down Wilshire Boulevard. The balloons were on loan to Warner Bros for this appearance.
Later that year, the balloon would be recycled into the Monkey on the High Trapeze in 1948, with the figure of the young man being replaced by a figure of a dapper monkey.