Sour Patch Kids are a soft candy with a coating of invert sugar and sour sugar. It's slogan "Sour. Sweet. Gone.", refers to the sour-to-sweet taste of the candy. Sour Patch Kids were originally created by Frank Galitollie of Jaret International, under the name of Mars Men. In the late 1970s Cadbury and the MalacoLicorice Company of Sweden formed the Allen Candy Company in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, in order to produce them. In 1985, they were renamed to Sour Patch Kids.
History with the Macy's Parade[]
Starting in 2015, concepts for a Sour Patch Kids float or balloon were addressed many times by the Parade Studio Team. These ideas were not brought fully into fruition until 2017 when Sour Patch Kids decided on their inclusion in the Parade with the inclusion of a brand-new float in that year's Thanksgiving Day Parade.
Rising almost three-stories high and more than 32 feet long, the "Parade Day Mischief" float portrays Sour Patch Kids characters doing what they do best - causing shenanigans as they take over a replica of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. The colorful, confetti-spilling marvel brings to life an imaginative interpretation of how the Kids celebrate their Thanksgiving Day. In addition to dozens of animated Kids, the float featured a recreation of the Hobo Clown balloon from the 1949 Macy's Parade, as well as awe-inspiring depictions of New York City's breathtaking skyscrapers.
The float went under a minor refurbishment in the summer of 2018. During this refurbishment, the Hobo Clown was replaced by a hot-air balloon, which bore the candy's signature colors of yellow, green and orange. The newly-refurbished float added to the chaos, with the Kids attempting to escape the Parade route with the help of the aforementioned hot-air balloon. The float appeared once again in 2019, and was retired afterwards, having made the usual tenure of three appearances. In 2021, the float was disposed of, with the yellow Sour Patch Kid being used as a decoration at the Macy's Parade Studio.
Guest Stars[]
Listed below are the guest stars that have performed/appeared on the float, alongside the respective songs which they sang during the NBC Telecast.
- 2017 - Nicky Jam sang "El Amante"
- 2018 - Bad Bunny sang "Estamos Bien"
- 2019 - Ozuna sang "Hasta Que Salga El Sol"