November 29, 1934 – The First Set of Disney Balloon Joins the Macy’s Christmas Parade
Image credit: Disney Parks Blog
“See gigantic balloons designed by none other than Walt Disney, creator of Mickey Mouse himself!”
On November 29, 1934, Disney characters made their debut in Macy’s Santa Claus Parade (later renamed the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade). Although Mickey had been a big star since 1928, it wasn’t until 1934 when Disney characters were featured, including Mickey Mouse. The effort of bringing the Disney characters to the parade was due to the efforts of Walt Disney and Tony Sarg of Macy’s.
The Mickey balloon was over 40 feet tall and was held by 25 handlers in Mickey and Minnie Mouse costumes. Balloon Mickey had a giant Macy’s star on his chest in a bit of cross-promotion. Other Disney characters featured were Pluto, the Big Bad Wolf (measuring at 34 feet), one of the Three Little Pigs (measuring at 31 feet), and Horace Horsecollar (measuring at 12 feet).
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