Through the Years: Pikachu & the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade

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Today marks Pikachu’s 17th consecutive appearance in the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade! And although seventeen isn’t an especially exciting or important number, I thought we could take a look back at the parade and Pikachu’s multiple appearances! also because #newsdrought

The Parade: A Brief History

The roarin’ twenties were a rather glamorous time in America’s history: flappers were a plenty, speakeasies were open for business, and Macy’s was beginning to become the house hold name it is today with all time high profits. It was 1924 when Macy’s president Herbert Straus realized how big the department store had become, and how it deserved an even larger event to celebrate it. You see, at this point, Macy’s had officially taken over an entire New York City block becoming the biggest store in the world, so Straus’ promise of a “holiday event like nothing the city had seen before” didn’t seem that Farfetch’d. Planned and executed only two weeks before the holiday, the first ever Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade was born! Over the years the parade has evolved and undergone several changes: TV gained interest, broadcasting the annual celebration to millions every year, and massive character balloons slowly became the focus. Watch it or not, you can’t deny the parade has become an American institution and tradition; and reaching close to it’s 100th anniversary, it doesn’t look like it’ll be stopping anytime soon. Fast forward to 2001, and we see Pikachu’s first appearance in the parade…

Flying Pikachu, 2001-2005

Fresh off the “Pokémania” craze of thd late 90’s and early 2000’s, Pikachu made it’s debut at Macy’s 75th Annual Thanksgiving Day Parade! Preceded by a Pokémon themed Volkswagen Beetle, the balloon’s design had the TV audience more in mind with it’s belly down and friendly face shooting straight to the city’s horizon. In the balloon’s first year, due to Pokémon’s crazy popularity, Pikachu had the honor of having a walk-around style mascot costume appearance on the 75th Parade SuperStars float – one usually reserved to showcase characters and properties from retired balloons of parade’s past. The Pokémon themed VW Bug was moved to follow the Flying Pikachu balloon from 2002-2004 until it’s sudden disappearance in 2005 to make room for…

Pikachu & the Pokéball, 2006-2013

Come 2006 a new design of the Pikachu balloon was unveiled! This new balloon featured a more spectator-friendly design (with it facing slightly downwards in a more bipedal position) with light-up cheeks, and an additional Pokéball balloon. Although the Pokéball almost always came before Pikachu, this era had the most “variations” among the three: To celebrate 10 consecutive years in the parade and the upcoming release of Pokémon Black & White in 2010, floats carrying larger-than-life size statues of game mascots Zekrom and Reshiram guided the main balloons along the parade route. And although it’s more of a mistake, Pikachu’s ears weren’t inflated properly in 2012, causing it’s ears to be deflated for most of the parade.

Holiday Pikachu, 2014-Present

Inspired by the facelift Generation VI gave to the main series games, the balloon got another re-design in 2014 bringing Pikachu to its current iteration. This new balloon features a much more cartoon-y style, and is explicitly holiday with its scarf and little Pikachu snowman in hand. With 17 consecutive parades under its belt Pikachu rounds out the the top 5 most appearances by a single balloon character in the last 40 years of the parade – only behind much older brand and character juggernauts like Ronald McDonald (McDonalds), Snoopy (Peanuts), Big Bird (Sesame Street), and Spider-Man (Marvel).

As time has gone on I’m admittedly less and less interested in the parade; What started as me watching godzilla-size versions of all my favorite characters fly by on TV as my parents prepared a turkey turned into the parade passively being on in the background as I checked social media on my phone. Nowadays I tend to just specifically look up the Pikachu balloon up every year to keep my nostalgia in check. Either way, I see our favorite yellow mascot being a parade regular for the past two decades (and the changes it’s undergone) as a testament of Pokémon’s permanent stamp on the past, it’s current influence, and it’s continued evolution as a brand that will forever withstand the test of time.

Anybody else have memories of watching the parade? Which iteration of the balloon is your favorite?

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710 thoughts on “Through the Years: Pikachu & the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade”

  3. Is Type: Null shiny locked this time around? Just wondering.

    And still no spoilers, please.

    I’ll play THE heck out of both US/UM once my class is finished (Dec 4). Just completed exam 5, need to study for a Make-up exam, then for my comprehensive final (ugh).

    Reply

    • Doesn’t seem like Type: Null is shiny locked.

      Do you only have one class for some reason? (also curious as to what class)

      Reply

      • I have one class becaus eI only need two more to graduate with my Bachelor’s. The other class is, unfortunately, not co-requisite. Pre-requisite only (I can’t take them at the same time, I have to get a C or better to take the other one.)

        And it’s all for a business minor. *facepalm.* I’m already done with my major in Information Systems.

        Reply

        • I see. That really sucks. Something similar happened to my girlfriend where her accounting minor is taking longer than she thought because of a bunch of unrelated bs pre-requisite classes she has to take.

          Reply

          • I hate accounting. financial was a pain, but managerial accounting is an even bigger pain. >:(

            At least this professor is ‘easier’ then the last two times I took the first one (who shall not be named).

  6. On Starstorm’s note about Frillish. I was reading a manga and I really hope that they would do another jellyfish evolutionary line that delineate the exact development of a jellyfish. Wait…they have to some extent. I guess this might contribute to why Niheligo is part Rock Type. Look at pictures for explanation. Mainly the first one.

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/085158e4582211e4ccb4ec8bc0f9815e1f97fe5caaf3dd874846186024e38295.png https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/d007aac612d178b0b6e5d90cf07ab2713e63df40e423cc8644b561a7ee106208.png

    Reply

  7. Will be flying back to school today. Break ended too soon. Didn’t really feel like one since it was more stressful than when I was at school. Luckily I will have UM to tide me over during the wait for and the actual flight-which is going to be delayed 1-2 hours for some reason. When I do start playing I will be soft-resetting for (spoiler alert) Totem Salazzle. After that my team will be…

    Astolfo the Brionne Lv. 31
    Punk the Glaceon Lv. 33
    Drunk Ubear the Bewear Lv. 32
    Varazzless the Salazzle Lv. 30

    Also the Hau rival battle at Ula’Ula Island was even more difficult than in SM, so I am quite satisfied with the added difficulty to these games.

    Reply

      • Just nature. I’m not playing the game for now because I am conserving the battery for the airport. Once I get there then I will soft-reset for the nature which shouldn’t take a while.

        Reply

  11. Finally got myself a Marshtomp in a Lure Ball. Been wanting one of those for a while, but was never legit until now i think.

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  12. Well I just got to pet some fluffy alpacas and meet my mom’s boyfriends daughters. Good Day for me

    Oh and for all of you that still have GO, go and catch some Pokémon, we have but 188 million left to catch before Farfetch’d goes global!

    Reply

  13. I’m finally picking up Ultra Moon again, it feels like ages but it’s only been a few days. I’m beginning to think that I legitimately have moderate depression because it’s getting tough for me to do basic things like picking up a video game without feeling sad and exhausted. I’m sure I’ll be fine, but it sure ain’t fun right now…

    Reply

    • I’m feeling the same way to some extent, but it’s tied with some current events of mine so it will probably only be for a couple days. Main Point is we go through tough times, so don’t be hesitant posting in fear of unloading some of that baggage on us, we all know that you are cool person and you will get through this slump.

      Reply

    • That’s unfortunate to hear, I hope you can start to feel like your old self again soon. It sucks to hear you feel tired and sad doing something you loved. Out of curiosity, do you live in a part of the country affected by the cold weather? I know I suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder a lot during these months (thanks Ohio) so maybe it’s that?

      Reply

  16. My second Shiny Drapion
    I am very displeased by the shiny coloration discoloration
    It should be bright crimson instead of the faded magenta

    Reply

  17. Does anyone know the likelihood of shinies in the Ultra Wormhole? Both my brother and I started hunting last night, and he’s gotten 7 shinies so far (while I’ve gotten none >.>).

    Reply

  18. I found out something horrifying; Ultra Ruins is a parallel world of Alola, with that ruin being the ruins of Hauoli City. I found it pretty creepy and terrifying on how the city has become such a garbage-filled ruined area.

    Reply

      • Not so much a theory but a woefully detailed descriptions

        But Nonetheless Ultra Ruins could be seen as a parallel universe of the Alola Region most specifically Mele Mele

        But one thing remains unclear, did Guzzlord cause the problem or the problem attracted because the people…err person of a Ultra Ruins seemed to not hold Guzzlord responsible or fear it

        Reply

  20. The heart of darkness (or whatever it was called in the movie)… It always occurred to me this one scenario

    You see a podium with a pitch black orb of power that contains unlimited dark energy
    Would you take it

    Reply

  21. Well I saw the movie, it was…ok… Not as thrilling especially how worn down the dubbing process does but it just puts things in perspective

    I did shed but a single tear for luxray…

    Reply

  22. Soooooooo excited for next week’s episode of the dub version of the Pokemon anime. Can’t wait to see Ash and co. go to Kanto and for Brock and Misty to come back. I know they won’t be their original voices, but it’ll still be great to see them. I hope at the very least Brock’s voice actor is his last one ad not some new guy that’ll mess it up even further. His last voice actor, while not as great as his original, was alright and by the end got a good handle on the character. I’m not sure what to expect out of Misty.

    Reply

  23. Whelp dvr didn’t get the 2 Kanto eps so now I go on the hunt to find them. Maybe they’re on demand already? We shall see.

    Reply

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