For many families across America, the holiday season officially kicks off withThe Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Once Santa reaches 34th Street, it’s time to play that infamousMariah CareyChristmas track! But, before that big moment, the parade has to go off without a hitch.In the 100-year history of the New York staple, there have been countless instances where disaster reigned.
From balloon fiascos to on-camera gaffs with a year with no balloons in between,The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Paradehas been no stranger to a holiday mishap nearly as terrible as a fried turkey explosion. With so many moments to include,here are ten of the biggest disastrousMacy’s Thanksgiving Day Parademishaps!
10No Balloons on Thanksgiving
In 1971,The Macy’s Thanksgiving Dayparade had a fabulous lineup of entertainers and new balloons making their debut. For the Walt Disney Company, it was set to be a big year as they were presenting a new float, The Disney World Castle, in conjunction with their newest theme park in Orlando, Florida. Additionally, one of the two new balloons was everyone’s favorite Disney character,Mickey Mouse! Per usual, the parade balloons were to be inflated the evening before.Despite the horrible weather and blustery winds, the crew was on a mission to make tradition happen.
Unfortunately, due to the elements, a number of the balloons were damaged.Happy Dragon’s head was punctured,Smokey the Bear’s hat was damaged, and poor Snoopy ended up getting wrapped around the cab of a helium truck. For safety reasons,the team at the parade made the official decision not to fly the balloons, opting to recycle video from the previous year. Of course, that meant Mickey would not be able to make his debut until the following year. The rest of the parade went on, despite the extreme weather.
9Matt Lauer Makes Ill-Timed Joke
With NBC being the host network forThe Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, viewers expect their favorite personalities from The Today Show to welcome the holiday season as their hosts. The 91st parade was hosted by anchorsMatt Lauer, Savannah Guthrie, andAl Roker. With a line-up featuring legacy balloons, new faces, and celebrities galore, it was one remark that set off a firestorm of controversy.
What Matt Lauer believed was an innocent joke resulted in an uncomfortable exchange.While introducing a performance fromMiracle on 34th Street,Lauer said, “We’re gonna take you back to the days of black and white now.” He then followed it up with a glance at Al Roker, who said, “Don’t go there.” Social media believed Lauer’s comment was ill-informed about segregation. For Lauer, this was his final broadcast ashe was fired from NBC for accusations of sexual misconduct.
8Tom Cat Balloon Nearly Causes Plane Crash
When it comes toThe Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, it’s an operation that runs like clockwork. Believe me, I worked behind the scenes for the parade for many years. But in 1932, one element that would often occur caused a near-death occurrence. The balloons were meant to be released following the march down the streets.
Knowing that there would be heavy airspace, Macy’s officials released a warning to pilots that there would be no reward for balloon “recovery.” One daredevil namedAnette Gibsonand her flight instructor,Hugh Copeland, saw theTom Catballoon in their path.Gibson steered directly into the balloon, which got caught in the left wing of the aircraft,causing a terrifying tailspin and subsequent crash.Things needed to change after that moment.
7Felix Goes Up in Flames
1927 was a monumental year forThe Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. This was the first year that the celebrated parade featured the infamous balloons. Only a couple of years later,Felix the Catexperienced a fate worse than balloon death.
With the tradition of letting the balloons loose as they would deflate naturally, not everything went according to plan. When the crew let Felix free,the balloon got caught in a high-tension wire after it was released.It caused the iconic cartoon to burst into flames.
6Kermit the Frog Deflates
It takes a lot of helium to bring these balloons to life. But sometimes, it’s not enough to last the entire route. During the 1985Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade,Kermit the Frogflew over Columbus Circle, where it began to deflate. But in a parade of this capacity, once you’re on the parade route, there are not many options of where to go besides forward. The team decided it was best to keep the balloon in the parade rather than attempt to remove it. As it continued to continue,the deflating frog began to tearas it crashed into several trees.
The balloon ultimately came crashing to the ground, becoming waterlogged and completely unrecognizable. By the time the parade reached Herald Square, it was hostPat Sajakwho declared that Kermit “looked as if he passed out.” Hopefully, no children were traumatized by the fallen Muppet. And don’t worry, this would not be the only year Kermit had parade woes. 1991 was just as bad.
5The NYPD Stabs Barney
Barneyis a dinosaur from our imagination. But I’m pretty sure that watching the purple dinosaur die right before our eyes was not one of the stories we remember. In 1997, with two million people gathered in the city that never sleeps, some gusty winds took down some of the beloved floats.According to the New York Times, “At times, the balloons were not gliding but instead were careering as their handlers on the ground struggled to keep control in winds that reached as high as 43 miles an hour.
For a while, the balloons seemed to be falling like flies. Barney suffered extensive damage and had to be removed at 51st Street.The Pink Panthersuccumbed at 42d Street.Nesquik BunnyandThe Cat in the Hatlimped away at 36th Street.” To prevent more destruction, the NYPD was forced to stab and stomp the Barney balloon to prevent further chaos…which we’ll discuss at number 1.
4Sonic the Hedgehog Goes Careening Into a Lamppost
With years and years of experience, the team behindThe Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Paradedoes everything possible to prevent disaster. While they may not be able to control the elements, they are fully aware of the parade route. Nothing really changes. Traffic lights and lampposts are present year after year.
Yet, those lampposts have proven pesky throughout the parade’s history. In 1993, the parade welcomed a plethora of new balloons, includingIzzy, the Atlanta Summer Olympics mascot, andRexfromWe’re Back! A Dinosaur’s Story, and the face of SEGA,Sonic the Hedgehog. But the blue video game star did not make a fantastic debut.Sonic knocked into a lamppost and completely ripped, then popped.While it was never shown during the broadcast, an amateur videocaptured the encounter.
3Buzz Lightyear Vehicle Runs Over Woman’s Foot
Everyone knowsBuzz Lightyear’s infamous line fromToy Story: “To infinity and beyond!” Unfortunately, Buzz’s appearance in the 2013 parade caused a major debacle on the parade route.Keri O’Connell, a school teacher from Long Island, was caught in the wrong place at the wrong time.
As one of the rope-holders for the Buzz Lightyear sequence,she told the New York Post, “It hit me from behind." She continued, “I was holding the balloon. I was in front of the car. All of a sudden,I was pulled down, and the car was on my foot.‘I was like `Get it off, get it off, get it off!’" The 2013 parade also saw a puncturedSpider-Manlimp his way through the streets of New York City.
2M&M’s Balloon Injuries Two Sisters
Everyone loves M&Ms, but that is until it causes you immense injury! During the 2005Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade,a sudden burst of wind caused the M&M balloon to strike a light pole in Times Square, injuring two spectators.According to the New York Times, “As the balloon collapsed, it pulled off a light fixture, which crashed to the ground amid a crowd of spectators.”
The injured spectators were sistersMary and Sarah Chamberlain. Mary, who uses a wheelchair, received a bruised forehead and was given a CAT scan. Sarah suffered a chipped tooth and was cut on the back of the head, resulting in nine stitches. Their father stated he was relieved that his daughters weren’t seriously hurt, following up by saying, “We plan to go back to the parade next year.”
1The Cat in the Hat Causes a Coma
1997 will forever be considered the worst year for balloons atThe Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. As mentioned earlier, Barney received a dishonorable demise. The reason is because of what happened withThe Cat in the Hat. With high winds taking over,The Cat in the Hat struck a lamppost which came crashing down on a parade-goer.The destruction was near-tragic asthe woman suffered serious injuries that resulted in a month-long coma.
According to CNN,Kathy Caronna"Suffered a skull fracture from falling debris and was in a coma for nearly a month. Caronna, who is still recovering and says the accident caused permanent brain damage, filed a $395 million lawsuit against the city, Macy’s, and the lamppost manufacturer." Following this disastrous year,parade officials were forced to change the requirementsfor the balloons and why high winds will ground them.
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