What was the first balloon to ever take part in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade? Explained
Felix the Cat rose to fame during the silent film era and was a fixture in newspapers nationwide with his comic strip when he made his inaugural appearance at the Thanksgiving Day Parade in 1927, marking the event’s first inclusion of cartoon character balloons. With no established plan for deflating the colossal balloon, organizers of the NYC parade allowed Felix to drift into the sky. Tragically, the Felix the Cat balloon became entangled in telephone wires and ignited. After an absence of nearly 90 years, Felix returned to the parade in a triumphant comeback in 2016. Mickey Mouse did not join the parade until 1934, while Snoopy and Uncle Sam were later additions in subsequent years.