- Title: Giants balloons are inflated for Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
- Date: 23rd November 2016
- Summary: NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES (NOVEMBER 23, 2016) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF WORKERS INFLATING TRIXIE THE DOG BALLOON VARIOUS OF HELIUM DISPENSER MORE OF WORKERS INFLATING TRIXIE BALLOON HELLO KITTY BALLOON VARIOUS OF PIKACHU BALLOON VARIOUS OF CHARLIE BROWN BALLOON (SOUNDBITE) (English) AMY KULE, EXECUTIVE PRODUCER OF MACY'S THANKSGIVING DAY PARADE, SAYING: "Charlie Brown is brand new this year. He is clutching his kite, he had no success in flying it, so he is just holding on to it. This is in fact our second Charlie Brown balloon, the first one flew back in 2002. We have got a brand new Trolls balloon which is for the first time four characters in one balloon. And we have got a brand new Greg Heffley balloon from the Diary of a Wimpy Kid, and this is the second time Greg Heffley has flown with the parade, the difference is that this year, he is in total, beautiful outfit, he is full of color. And our first Greg Heffley balloon was actually black and white." VARIOUS OF FELIX THE CAT BALLOON (SOUNDBITE) (English) AMY KULE, EXECUTIVE PRODUCER OF MACY'S THANKSGIVING DAY PARADE, SAYING: "Felix the Cat was the first balloon that set the stage for all of our balloons. Felix was the first character balloon to appear in the parade, and that happened back in 1927. And back in the twenties we didn't use helium in the Macy's parade, so Felix came down the parade route hoisted on sticks. And we have recreated that exact balloon, and bringing him down the parade route that way. We didn't actually start using helium until 1928." VARIOUS OF WORKERS INFLATING PADDINGTON BALLOON HAPPY HIPPO BALLOON VARIOUS OF WORKERS INFLATING RONALD MCDONALD BALLOON ONLOOKERS TAKING PICTURES PEOPLE WALKING ON STREET (SOUNDBITE) (English) DAKOTA NAGEL, 8-YEAR-OLD ONLOOKER, SAYING: "Today is the blowing up of the balloons. And it is really exciting because every year there is something different and I live right down there. So I see it every year and it's really fun." (SOUNDBITE) (English) CHLOE NAGEL, 6-YEAR-OLD ONLOOKER, SAYING: "I like the balloons" REPORTER ASKING QUESTION: "Which one is your favorite?" CHLOE SAYING: "I like the big duck, and I like Greg's diaries. And I like Trixie,and I like Hello Kitty." VARIOUS OF FAMILY LOOKING AT BALLOONS (SOUNDBITE) (English) SUNNY NAGEL, MOTHER OF CHLOE AND DAKOTA SAYING: "They have been so excited all day. It's just, you can imagine to wake up and to look outside the kitchen window and see a Hello Kitty balloon." VARIOUS OF POLICE OFFICERS NEAR BALLOONS (SOUNDBITE) (English) XEXXON PANJAMAPIROM, ONLOOKER SAYING: "I am concerned about that. That is why we are here today instead of tomorrow. But then New York City Police they do a good job so nothing to be concerned about." VARIOUS OF AFLAC DUCK BALLOON ONLOOKERS HOLDING BALLOONS DIARY OF A WIMPY KID BALLOON CHILDREN SAYING "HAPPY THANKSGIVING"
- Embargoed: 8th December 2016 22:37
- Keywords: Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade balloons floats
- Location: NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES
- City: NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES
- Country: USA
- Topics: Human Interest/Brights/Odd News,Society/Social Issues
- Reuters ID: LVA00159O2TZT
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Giants balloons were inflated in a quiet street in New York's Upper West Side on Wednesday (November 23) ahead of the annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.
The iconic line-up of floats will have familiar characters such as Pikachu, Hello Kitty and SpongeBob Squarepants, although some characters have a new makeover.
"Charlie Brown is brand new this year. He is clutching his kite, he had no success in flying it, so he is just holding on to it," said Amy Kule, executive producer of the festive event, adding that Charlie Brown is making his second appearance in the parade.
Also new this season is a Trolls balloon, which will feature four characters and a color version of Greg Heffley from the Diary of a Wimpy Kid.
This year marks the 90th anniversary of the parade that started in 1924. The parade was suspended from 1942 to 1944 because of World War II.
To celebrate, Kule said that there was a throwback to the 1920's with a classic character that started it all.
"Felix the Cat was the first balloon that set the stage for all of our balloons. Felix was the first character balloon to appear in the parade, and that happened back in 1927. And back in the twenties we didn't use helium in the Macy's parade, so Felix came down the parade route hoisted on sticks. And we have recreated that exact balloon, and bringing him down the parade route that way. We didn't actually start using helium until 1928."
Before 1927, the parade was a procession of live animals from the Central Park Zoo that reportedly scared children.
On Wednesday, tiny onlookers said that they were not scared of the floating animals.
"I like the big duck, and I like Greg's diaries. And I like Trixie (the dog), and I like Hello Kitty," six-year-old Chloe Nagel, who lives on the same block, told Reuters.
"They have been so excited all day. It's just, you can imagine to wake up and to look outside the kitchen window and see a Hello Kitty balloon," Chloe's mother Sunny Nagel said about the event and her children.
Earlier this month militant group Islamic State called on its followers to attack the event with trucks which is a concern for Xexxon Panjamapirom (pronounced: Ekson), who was watching the balloons inflate with three-year-old daughter Anna.
"I am concerned about that. That is why we are here today instead of tomorrow," he said.
The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is annually among the most-watched non-sporting events, with NBC drawing more than 22 million viewers last year.
The holiday celebration, featuring enormous balloons shaped like cartoon characters high above Manhattan, is scheduled to be broadcast nationwide the morning of Nov. 24. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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