Conceived during the Parade’s infancy, the giant character balloons have become a signature of the annual celebration.
Since 1927, the world’s most popular characters have been transformed into high-flying art in the sky.
Originally inspired by marionettes, the Parade’s balloons first debuted as upside down puppets filled with air which were carried down the Parade route on sticks.
The design later evolved to include helium, making them high-flying giants.
Over time Macy’s artists innovated creating several types of inflatables including balloonheads (inflated heads sitting atop of a costumed participant), balloonicles (hybrid inflatables with vehicles inside) and most recently, trycaloons (tandem tricycles with an inflated balloon character).
Here’s a look at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day 2022 Parade Balloon Lineup.
Giant Character Balloons
Ada Twist, Scientist – Netflix
Ada, the pint-sized scientist from the popular Netflix series Ada Twist, Scientist, sets off on another Parade adventure this Thanksgiving.
This balloon version of Ada is as big as her giant-sized curiosity!
With a pen tucked behind her ear & sporting her signature lab coat, Ada shows us the magic of SCIENCE all around us!
Balloon Dimensions: 41-feet long, 29-feet wide, 51-feet tall
Fun Fact: If you lined up 27 real pens, they would equal the length of the pen behind Ada’s ear!
Astronaut Snoopy, Peanuts Worldwide
Celebrating the wonder of space flight, Snoopy–the longest running giant character balloon in the Macy’s Parade–will return to the sky above New York City decked out in astronaut gear.
This balloon design marks the eighth version of Charles M. Schulz’s treasured comic character & was built to celebrate the legacy of Peanuts’ relationship to the Apollo missions and future space missions including Artemis 1, where Snoopy returns to space as the Zero Gravity Indicator.
Balloon Dimensions: 43-feet long, 29-feet wide, 49-feet tall
Fun Fact: This year’s appearance will be Snoopy’s 43rd, the most of any balloon!
His very first balloon was the 1968 Flying Ace, and a year later he was reworked as an Apollo astronaut.
Bluey, BBC Studios
Bluey arrives from Australia to explore the Big Apple for the very first time.
This lovable pup from the global hit series is excited to bring families together year-round—and not just on holidays—by sharing the power of creativity and imaginative play. Wackadoo!
Balloon Dimensions: 51-feet long, 37-feet wide, 52-feet tall
Fun Fact: Bluey was hand painted by a team of artists with approximately 50 gallons of blue paint!
The Boss Baby, Dreamworks Animation
The adorable suit-wearing, briefcase-carrying Boss Baby returns to the Parade this year.
Don’t let his cute looks fool you, this big baby is all business when it comes to completing any secret mission he is assigned.
Balloon Dimensions: 32-feet long, 28-feet wide, 48-feet tall
Fun Fact: The Boss Baby is carrying a briefcase so big it can hold 540,000 crayons!
Diary Of A Wimpy Kid®, Abrams Books
Greg Heffley, the mega-popular star of the best-selling book series Diary of a Wimpy Kid®, appears in the Parade for the 13th time this Thanksgiving. Beware of the Cheese Touch!
Things get cheesy in the third edition of this balloon as it makes its Parade debut to celebrate the release of the 17th book in the series, Diper Överlöde, on October 25.
Balloon Dimensions: 45-feet long, 23-feet wide, 39-feet tall
Fun Fact: Wimpy Kid’s backpack is large enough to hold about 2,000 regular backpacks inside of it.
Dino and Baby Dino, Sinclair Oil
Sinclair Oil & DINO (pronounced DYE-NO), America’s most famous Apatosaurus, return to NYC with an all-new Baby DINO friend to celebrate Sinclair’s growing family.
Balloon Dimensions: 68-feet long, 26-feet wide, 49-feet tall
Fun Fact: Baby DINO is a separate balloon and is attached to DINO’s back from several connection points.
Goku, Toei Animation
Goku, the legendary hero of the Dragon Ball franchise returns to the streets of Manhattan for another Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade® appearance.
Dragon Ball, a Japanese anime series that first aired in the U.S. over 25 years ago, focuses on Goku, a Saiyan warrior who is peaceful, good-natured, loving & honest–many adjectives that describe the celebration of Thanksgiving!
Balloon Dimensions: 70-feet long, 36-feet wide, 56-feet tall
Fun Fact: The balloon depicts Goku in his Super Saiyan Blue form as seen in the hit movie, Dragon Ball Super: Broly.
Grogu™, Funko and Lucasfilm
The fan-favorite Funko Pop!-styled Grogu™ balloon commemorates the beloved Star Wars™ series The Mandalorian™ bringing adorableness back to our galaxy!
This larger-than-life “precious cargo” is inspired by the Funko Pop! collectible.
Balloon Dimensions: 29-feet long, 37-feet wide, 41-feet tall
Fun Fact: Grogu’s 37-foot ear span is longer than a telephone pole is tall!
Paw Patrol®, Nickelodeon
Hailing all the way from Adventure Bay, PAW Patrol’s Chase takes to the sky this Thanksgiving.
This fearless rescue pup from the globally beloved preschool series, PAW Patrol, is ready to come to the ruffruff-rescue & show the citizens of New York that “no job is too big, no pup is too small.”
Balloon Dimensions: 60-feet long, 36-feet wide, 43-feet tall
Fun Fact: Chase’s hat could cover an actual police squad car and his paws are larger than two full-grown Great Dane dogs.
Pillsbury DoughboyY™, Pillsbury™
Inspiring Thanksgiving bakers across the U.S., the classic Pillsbury Doughboy (full name: Poppin’ Fresh) takes flight down the Parade route to celebrate with millions of Americans as they enjoy both his cheerful giggle & home-baked holiday treats and sides.
Balloon Dimensions: 54-feet long, 34-feet wide, 46-feet tall
Fun Fact: It would take more than four million Pillsbury™ Crescent Rolls to create a “dough-sized” version
of the balloon.
Pikachu™ & Eevee™, The Pokemon Company International
Returning in their Poké Ball-inspired sleigh are Pikachu & Eevee, bringing smiles to everyone’s faces for the 22nd consecutive appearance of Pokémon in the Parade.
An adventure is always better with friends &
These two popular Pokémon are all smiles as they adorably sled down the route & into the holiday season.
Balloon Dimensions: 48-feet long, 23-feet wide, 34-feet tall
Fun Fact: Each blade on the sleigh is about the same length as a semi-trailer truck!
Red Titan From “RYAN’S WORLD”, Sunlight Entertainmen and Pocket. Watch
Swooping in to save the day this holiday season is Red Titan, the brave and kind alter-ego of Ryan from Ryan’s World.
This larger-than-life, pint-sized superhero is making his third Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade appearance this year.
Balloon Dimensions: 51-feet long, 28-feet wide, 42-feet tall
Fun Fact: The Red Titan’s cape is the largest in the Parade, with over 15 gallons of red paint used!
Ronald McDonald®, McDONALD’S® USA
The world’s most famous clown returns to the Big Apple with a new look.
This is his fifth design since he first joined the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in 1987!
In this version, Ronald is sharing his heart at a time when we all need some extra love & smiles as he inspires spectators to, “see a smile, share a smile.”
Balloon Dimensions: 68-feet long, 31-feet wide, 40-feet tall
Fun Fact: It took 2,629 hours to complete the Ronald balloon at Macy’s Studio and over 50 gallons of paint!
The Smurfs™, Nickelodeon
Dancing his way down the route again, decked out in his signature red hat and trousers, is Papa Smurf!
Clutching his cane & clicking his heels to the delight of fans who are thrilled that The Smurfs series is
back on screens with all-new adventures on Nickelodeon, proving once more that “you can’t keep a good Smurf down.”
Balloon Dimensions: 43-feet long, 36-feet wide, 51-feet tall
Fun Fact: There is nothing small about this version of Papa Smurf; he is taller than a four-story building!
Spongebob Squarepants & Gary, Nickelodeon
This optimistic sea sponge—so popular he’s mentioned on social media every four seconds—is all smiles
as he returns on Thanksgiving for his 19th appearance.
SpongeBob is accompanied by pet snail Gary, so get ready for some F-U-N!
Balloon Dimensions: 46-feet long, 36-feet wide, 44-feet tall
Fun Fact: This is SpongeBob’s third balloon in the Parade; he made his first appearance in 2004 and was
redesigned for his second balloon in 2013. SpongeBob was also the first square balloon in the Parade!
Stuart The Minion, Illumination
New Minion Stuart from Illumination’s blockbuster comedy, Minions: The Rise of Gru, causes a little
mischief as he makes his way down the Parade route for the first time.
If you happen to be dressed as Stuart’s favorite food—watch out! He has a craving for bananas that even a Thanksgiving feast can’t quash.
Balloon Dimensions: 40-feet long, 28-feet wide, 37-feet tall
Fun Fact: This balloon features Minion Stuart holding an animated man in a banana suit and is the first
Parade balloon to ever use details created by a 3D printer.
Novelty and Heritage Balloons Balloonicles
Baby Dinos, Sinclair Oil
The three newborn Baby DINOs from HF Sinclair are anything but prehistoric!
The adorable Apatosaurus trio came straight from the nest to once again join the DINO balloon in this year’s Thanksgiving celebration.
Fun Fact: Like the DINO balloon, the Baby DINO balloonicles appear in life-size form.
Go Bowling™
Ready to roll a strike with Parade fans once again, the Go Bowling™ balloonicles are the biggest game you’ll see on Thanksgiving–literally!
Did you know that bowling is one of the safest and most fun activities for families nationwide?
Fun Fact: With 16-foot-tall pins and a 12-foot diameter bowling ball, this Balloonicle is sure to score!
Striker, The U.S. Soccer Star Fox Sports
Striker the U.S. Soccer Star effortlessly executes an iconic bicycle kick in celebration of the FIFA World Cup that is sure to have fans cheering on the United States Men’s National Team on FOX Sports.
Balloon Dimensions: 25-feet long, 10-feet wide, 25-feet tall
Fun Fact: This scene is a completely unique addition to the Parade and is comprised of a balloonicle and
a string of balloons to showcase the iconic bicycle kick.
Heritage Balloons
Dolly Universal Orlando Resort
Dolly’s Hot Air Balloon is one of four balloons in the Christmas unit of the Holiday Parade.
The balloon depicts the namesake character riding beneath a hot air balloon on a swing
Fun Fact: The hot-air balloon itself is based on the design of a traditional Chinese lantern.
Smokey Bear
U.S.D.A. Forest Service
Smokey Bear returns Thanksgiving morning to celebrate another year as the star of the longest-running public service advertising campaign in American history, & his message is extremely important since nationally nearly 9 out of 10 wildfires are started by humans.
Balloon Dimensions: 16-feet long, 25-feet wide, 51-feet tall
Fun Fact: Smokey Bear made his Parade debut as a giant character balloon in 1966.
Tiptoe
The star of Macy’s holiday campaign, Tiptoe, is making her second Parade appearance as a balloon puppet this Thanksgiving. With the help of puppeteers, her head bobs & legs move as this courageous reindeer prances through the streets of New York City encouraging spectators to believe in themselves.
Fun Fact: In 2021, this larger-than-life version of Tiptoe was the first-ever balloon puppet to march down
the route.
Toni, The Bandleader Bear
Showing everyone how to march to their own beat this Thanksgiving, is Toni, Macy’s very own band leader bear.
This beary big balloon, named for pioneer Tony Sarg, was designed, built & painted entirely in-house by the incredibly talented Macy’s Studio Team.
Balloon Dimensions: 28-feet long, 24-feet wide, 39-feet tall.
Fun Fact: The iconic Macy’s star appears a few times on this balloon. Toni’s eye has the top leg of the star hidden in its diamond shape.