T: Is for Macy's Thanksgiving Parade

As adults around the country are getting ready for their families to gather, New Yorkers are getting ready for The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, which has been a national icon ever since its inception in 1924. Back then, it was called the Macy’s Christmas Parade even though it was held on Thanksgiving. This year the parade will step off at 9 a.m. on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, Nov. 26. The Macy's Thanksgiving Parade draws over 3 million spectators to the city itself while another 44 million, tune their television sets to NBC and CBS. As a child in California this parade was a integral part of my wanting to live in New York. I was glued as my television set tuned into giant balloons dancing across the sky as performers from every walk of life gathered. It seemed to appear as if it were seamless. Recently I found out it takes an army to pull off this fantasy of childhood memories. Over 4000 employee's and volunteers give up their diners and their day to create the magic and oh what magic it is.

The Times Square Chronicle had a chance to visit the warehouse that starts it all off. Like Gepeto's workshop Macy's has hidden the creative geniuses inside the former Tootsie Roll factory on Willow Avenue, where floats come to life. The studio has a staff of 24 full-time and 28 part-time employees. However over 300 people are needed the night before the parade On the eve of each Thanksgiving, the staff at the Macy's Parade Studio makes sure that every float and balloon has been safely dismantled and deflated. Once their creations have been sufficiently shrunk, the artists can send the finished pieces on their late-night trek to Manhattan. There are floats that are over three stories high and they must fit through the Lincoln Tunnel. There’s a lot of engineering involved.

This year there are five new floats, including the closing float with Santa. This is the first time in over 40 years that we have changed it stated . Over 3 stories tall It includes two houses (one of which is Santa’s), a North Pole, Santa's reindeer and sleigh flying over the scene and of course a bag full of toys. Ms Claus will be perched on a balcony waving goodbye.

Another float that has been redesigned is the ice skating float that depicts Central Park. Hamburger Helper pays tribute with Local Heroes Helping Everyday float and the cast of Yo Gabba Gabba will show "There's A Party in My City" on their float.

The new balloons include a Pillsbury Dough boy, Spiderman, Ronald McDonald and the new stuff toy this year, Sailor Mickey. Do you know where they test out the balloon to make sure they're ready to take flight? In a remote field in North Dakota, but it's exact location is a secret.

The biggest change this year is that 2.6-mile parade route will bypass Broadway for the first time in its history this year. The parade route beings at Central Park West and 77th Street, then travels down to Columbus Circle and makes a turn onto Central Park South. When the parade reaches Seventh Avenue it will turn and go down Seventh Avenue, taking it through Times Square, to 42nd Street. It will then turn east to Sixth Avenue and travel down to 34th Street and Herald Square by Macy's. The parade will turn at Macy's and end at Seventh Avenue.

The parade will feature 1,500 dancers, cheerleaders, singers and performers; 15 giant character balloons; 800 clowns; 35 novelty or ornament balloons, balloonheads and balloonicles; 24 floats; 10 marching bands; and a slew of celebrity performers.

Wake up this Thanksgiving holiday morning and catch the featured Broadway shows. Bye Bye Birdie star
John Stamos and the Conrad Birdie Fan Club Girls will perform “Put on a Happy Face” on NBC. The cast of Shrek the Musical will perform will perform “I’m a Believer.”

God of Carnage stars Christine Lahti and Jimmy Smits will be interviewed live from Times Square on the CBS. Also on CBS, the 40 member cast of the new Broadway production of Ragtime will perform “The Wheels of a Dream.”

Other performers in the parade include: Bello, Andrea Bocelli, Keke Palmer, Grandma and the cast of the Big Apple Circus, the cast of Hair, Boys Like Girls, DJ Lance Rock, Kermit the Frog and Tiffany Thornton, the cast and Muppets of Sesame Street, Jimmy Fallon and The Roots, cast of Billy Elliot, Sarah Hughes, Jane Krakowski, Ziggy Marley with Judah Marley, Miss America 2009 - Katie Stam, the Radio City Rockettes, Katharine McPhee, Mitchel Musso, The Pizzarelli Quartet, and Jay Sean.

Fun Facts: Live animals including camels, goats, elephants and donkeys were a part of the original Parade, that started at 145th Street and Convent Avenue and traveled 5.5 miles to 34th Street and Herald Square.
In the first Parade horses pulled the floats. A particular white steed, that was to aid in the Ben-Hur float, disappeared at the last minute before the start of the Parade.

In 1925 and 1926, bears, lions and tigers were added to the live animals used but this had to be discontinued because they scared the children along the line of march.

In 1927, Macy's replaced the live animals in the Parade with its now signature giant helium balloons. The first balloons included Felix the Cat, The Dragon, The Elephant and Toy Soldier.

1928 saw the first release of the giant Balloons into the air at the end of the Parade. Equipped with a return address label, in 1929, Macy's began offering prizes for the return of the giant balloons.

In 1931, Clarence Chamberlain an aviator flying above New York City catches the Pig Balloon in mid air in order to claim the $25 reward money. The practice of releasing the Balloons was discontinued in 1933.

Santa Claus has ended the Parade every year except in 1933 the only year when he led the Parade.

The 1933 edition of the Parade was the first ever recorded for newsreels and subsequently shown in theatres around the world.

The Parade was canceled in 1942, 1943 and 1944 due to World War II. At the start of the war, Macy's donated the Balloons (that where made of rubber at the time) to the government’s rubber scrap heap in a ceremony held at New York’s City Hall.

In 1947, the holiday classic, Miracle on 34th Street, brought the Parade’s magic to theatres worldwide.

In 1948 NBC began telecasting the Parade nationwide, as spectators from coast-to-coast began referring to the Parade as the “Macy's Day Parade.”

Due to a helium shortage in 1958, the U.S. Government asked Macy's to go light on the use of the gas. Macy's decided to inflate the Balloons with air and hoist them on trucks with cranes for the journey down Broadway.

The most bittersweet year of the Parade had to be 1963. Less than a week after President Kennedy's assassination, the country was still in mourning. But, it went on so as not to "disappoint the millions of children."

In 1969 the Macy's Parade Studio moved to its current home in Hoboken, New Jersey.

In 1971, the winds were so bad, the balloons had to be cancelled. Television viewers had to settle for clips from the 1970 Parade.

The Dino the Dinosaur Balloon was inducted into the Museum of Natural History in 1975 as an honorary member.

In 1977, the “Parade Lady” Jean McFaddin took the helm of the Parade, which she leads for the next 24 years.

In the 1980’s, the smaller “novelty” balloons were introduced, including the Macy's stars and the 30 ft. triple-scoop ice cream cone.

“Falloons” were also introduced at this time. A combination of float and cold air balloon, a highlight of the creativity of the Macy's Parade Studio.

In 1989, the Parade marched through its very first snowstorm.

The 1990’s the Parade Balloons added new characters from the Internet, videogames and contemporary cartoons. Sonic the Hedgehog, Jeeves and the Rugrats were just a few of these Balloons.

In the past 77 years the Parade has attracted a sea of celebrities including: Harpo Marx, Jackie Gleason, Bob Hope, Diana Ross, Sammy Davis, Jr., Stevie Wonder, Tony Bennett, Barry Manilow, NSYNC, Shania Twain, Ashley Tisdale, Corbin Bleu, Dolly Parton, Miley Cyrus, Jonas Brothers, Sarah Brightman, and Christina Aguilera, among others.

Macy's is the world’s second largest consumer of helium. The United States Government is the first.

In its 77-year history more than 300,000 Macy's employees have participated in the Parade. More than 50,000 clowns have delighted millions of children along the Parade route.

In 2004, Macy's introduces another new Parade innovation. The “Balloonicle,” a combination cold air balloon and self-propelled vehicle.

In 2005, the M&M's chocolate candies balloon caught on a streetlight in Times Square. Two sisters were struck by falling debris, suffering minor injuries. As a result, new safety rules were introduced. Those rules came in handy for the 2006 parade, as balloons were lowered because of rain and high winds. The M&M's balloon was retired after 2006, and replaced by a float saluting Broadway theatre and musicals.

In 2008, Keith Haring's Figure with Heart grazed the NBC booth off camera during the live broadcast, momentarily interrupting the introduction of the next float. Hosts Al Roker, Meredith Vieira, and Matt Lauer were largely silent as viewers heard snippets of their voices. No one was injured

In 2008, a Coca Cola ad aired in the during Super Bowl XLII. The commercial's plot consisted of Underdog and fictional Stewie Griffin balloon chasing a Coke bottle-shaped balloon through New York City. The spot ended with a Charlie Brown balloon holding the Coke balloon. The advertisement won a Silver Lion Award in Cannes.

Now these are Thanksgiving fun F.A.C.T.S