Thanksgiving Day traditions include turkey, stuffing, cranberries, football and lots of time with family members.
Another Turkey Day tradition is the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, held annually in New York since 1924. It’s the second-oldest Thanksgiving Day parade, behind Philadelphia’s parade by four years and more than just a warm-up for all the Black Thursday/Friday shopping.
In addition to the high school marching bands, the celebrities waving from atop floats and Santa Claus (not the naughty St. Nick though) bringing up the rear, part of what makes the Macy’s parade stand out from the rest is the huge colorful balloons they float down the concrete canyons. These giant recreations of Snoopy, Hello Kitty, Kermit and Shrek bring joy to the thousands of people lining the streets and the millions of kids camped out in front of their televisions. It’s a perfect way to spend the morning before sitting down at the table for the Thanksgiving meal, which will now cost the average family 13 percent more. If you watch the parade this year, keep an eye out for arguably the worst Black Friday commercial ever.
What goes into the creation and preparations before inflating these giant helium-filled cartoon characters? Science Friday goes behind the scene to talk to the “balloonatics” in the video below.
Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!