Anthony "Tony" Frederick Sarg (April 21, 1880 – March 7, 1942) was a German-American puppeteer and illustrator who was described as "America's Puppet Master" and the father of modern puppetry in North America.
History with the Macy's Parade[]
In 1928, he designed, and his protégé Bil Baird built tethered helium-filled balloons up to 125 feet (40 m) long, resembling animals, for New York City's 5th Annual Macy's Christmas Parade of Macy's department store. This work involved a number of puppetry-related principles. In 1935, he undertook the puppet-related work of designing Macy's elaborate animated window display, which was shown between Thanksgiving and Christmas.
List of Sarg's Parade Designs[]
Giant Balloons[]
- Big Turk by Macy's (1928)
- Wobbly Head by Macy's (1928)
- Goldfish by Macy's (1928)
- Sky Tiger by Macy's (1928)
- Giantess by Macy's (1928)
- Early Bird by Macy's (1928)
- Humming Bird by Macy's (1928)
- Sky Elephant by Macy's (1928)
- Horse and Rider by Macy's (1929)
- Lap Dog by Macy's (1929)
- The Katzenjammer Kids by King Features (1929)
- The Turk by Macy's (1929)
- The Inspector by King Features (1929)
- Gobble the Turkey by Macy's (1929)
- Old Man Dragon by Macy's (1929)
- Joe Jinks by The New York World (1930)
- Boob McNutt by Macy's (1930)
- Benny by Macy's (1930)
- Barney Google by King Features (1930)
- The Goops by Macy's (1930)
- Hippopotamus by Macy's (1931)
- Tom Cat by Macy's (1931)
- Cat by Macy's (1931)
- Two-Headed Giant by Macy's (1931)
- Tiamat the Dragon by Macy's (1931)
- Fritz the Dachshund by Macy's (1932)
- Jerry the Pig by Macy's (1932)
- Andy the Alligator by Macy's (1932)
- Felix the Cat by Macy's (1932)
- George the Giant Drum Major by Macy's (1932)
- Willie Red Bird by Macy's (1932)
- Tom the Cat by Macy's (1933)
- Gulliver the Gullible by Macy's (1933)
- The Colicky Kid by Macy's (1933)
- Rabbit by Macy's (1933)
- Mickey Mouse by Disney Enterprises (1934, along with Walt Disney)
- Practical Pig by Disney Enterprises (1934, along with Walt Disney)
- Pluto by Disney Enterprises (1934, along with Walt Disney)
- Eddie Cantor by United Artists (1934)
- Horace Horsecollar by Disney Enterprises (1934, along with Walt Disney)
- The Big Bad Wolf by Disney Enterprises (1934, along with Walt Disney)
- Indian by Macy's (1935)
- Donald Duck by Disney Enterprises (1935, along with Walt Disney)
- Turkey by Macy's (1935)
- Harpo Marx by Macy's (1935)
- Morton the Nantucket Sea Monster by Macy's (1936)
- The Two-Headed Pirate by Macy's (1936)
- Father Knickerbocker by Macy's (1936)
- Officer SOS 13 by Macy's (1937)
- The Man On The Flying Trapeze by Macy's (1937)
- Pinocchio by Macy's (1937)
- The Christmas Stocking by Macy's (1937)
- Ferdinand the Bull by Munro Leaf (1938, along with J.F. Cooper)
- The Tin Man by Metro Goldwyn Mayer (1939)
- Santa Claus by Macy's (1939)
- Hippopotamus by Macy's (1940)
- Laffo the Clown/Clarence the Clown by Macy's (1940)
- Superman by Detective Comics, Inc. (1940)
- Elephant by Macy's (1941)
- Goldfish by Macy's (1941)
- Sea Serpent by Macy's (1941)
Floats[]
- Dinosaur by Macy's (1927)
- Little Piggies That Went to the Market by Macy's (1927)
- Puppet Show by Macy's (1927)
- Robinson-Crusoe Desert Island by Macy's (1927)
- Little Red Riding Hood and the Wolf by Macy's (1927)
- Christmas Tree by Macy's (1927)
- Santa's Sleigh by Macy's (1928, 1929, 1930, 1933, 1934, 1935, 1936, 1941)
- The Old Lady Who Lived in a Shoe by Macy's (1936)
- Jack the Giant Killer by Macy's (1936, 1940)
- Humpty Dumpty by Macy's (1936)
- The Cow That Jumped Over the Moon by Macy's (1936)
- Rub-A-Dub-Dub Three Men In a Tub by Macy's (1939)
- Popeye's Boat by King Features Syndicate (1939)