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Opening Of Macy's On 34th Street
Rowland Hussey Macy made a few Macy's stores but they failed. Then, he learned from his mistakes. He moved to New York, and decided to make a new Macy's store. It was on 6th avenue, between 13th and 14th Street. The store outgrew its space, and it was moved to a new location on Herald Square (34th Street), in 1902. Since it was very tall and took up an entire block it became the biggest Macy's store in the world, so they decided to celebrate (see The First Parade). -
The First Parade
In November 27, 1924, the director of Macy's decided to celebrate Macy's being the largest store in the world. So, they had a parade. It was a huge success! Believe it or not, they even took animals like camels and elephants from the zoo, and put them in the parade! There were singers and dancers, and a Santa at the end (no balloons yet)! An estimated 250,000 people saw it! It was such a success, they decided to have again, next year. That was the start of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade! -
They Changed Air To Helium
The first balloons were very different from the balloons in the parade today. For starters, they did not use to have helium in the balloons. Instead, they filled the balloons with air. They held long, strait sticks, and strapped the sticks to the balloons to carry them. This was a problem because the balloons could not be that high. So, the answer was simple. In 1928, instead of filling the balloons with air, they filled them with helium. Now the balloons are way better because they float high. -
They Added the First Balloon
It is 1928. The Thanksgiving Day Parade was now very famous and for some reason, people did not think it was enough. They added balloons to the parade. Balloons later became the stars of the parade. There were children's favorite cartoon characters, right there in a very large form. The first balloon was a huge success. It was a giant copy of a cartoon character, Felix the Cat. There is a photo of it right here. It was an important addition, don't you think? -
Disney Characters Joined
The most famous cartoon characters now is Disney's Mickey Mouse. Disney movies are very well known at this time, but not as much back then. but sure enough, on November 26, 1934, the first Disney balloons showed up at the parade. And the star was: who other than the star of Disney, Mickey Mouse himself! In 1972, Mickey and Donald Duck appeared together in the parade to represent the first anniversary of the company Disney. Today, many Disney characters always show up in the parade! -
Donations Because Of World War II
The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade was loved as usual, but there was a problem. It was 1942, and World War II was the problem. America had a shortage of life rafts and helium, and no one knew what to do. Except the Macy's workers. They decided they had to sacrifice the balloons in the parade, so that is what they did. As you might know, World War II lasted for years, so Macy's donated balloons on 1943 and 1944, too. Thanks to them, America was saved. They got new balloons, which was good. -
It Became a National Event
At this time, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade was more popular than ever. People all across the world watched it on their TV’s every year. Thousands of people saw it in real life each year. Reporters came. The balloons were as popular as ever. It was the late 1950’s, and it was SO famous. So famous, they decided to make it a national event. It now continues on today, still famous, and people still look forward to this great, exciting, amazing, and marvelous experience. -
Balloon Helium Shortage Problem
There was a problem. It was November, in 1958, and Macy's workers were wondering what to do. There was a balloon shortage, meaning there was not enough helium to lift up all of the balloons! Everyone thought that this would be the end of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade this year, but little did they know, they were wrong. Not even a helium shortage would stop the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade from happening. When the big day came, Macy's had cranes. The held up the balloons without helium!!! -
Watching The Balloons Blowing Up
People used to, and still do, love the stars of the parade, the balloons. So why not let people watch the balloons be blown up? That's what Macy's workers thought in 1994. So, on November 25, they did that. They lay the balloons on the streets and blew them up, which took hours. People were allowed to watch the balloons being blown up for as long as they want. It was such a hit that they did it again. And again. And again. It continues to happen now, and people still enjoy to watch them. -
The Parade Now
It is too bad the Corona virus is messing up our plans and ideas of fun. The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade was going to be a big hit, as usual, but the Corona virus messed up the great parade happening today. Now, people are saying and I believe that we are going to do a virtual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. In the parade, cars hold the balloons instead of people. Nobody is allowed to watch it on the streets. Instead, they will have to watch it from home, on devices. No one knows.
