Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade Wiki

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Spider-Man is a fictional superhero appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko and first appeared in the Amazing Fantasy comic book anthology in 1962. He is characterized by his super strength and agility; and his ability to cling to most surfaces, shoot spider-webs using his own wrist-mounted devices, and react to danger quickly.

Spider-Man is one of the most popular and commercially successful superheroes and has become Marvel's flagship character and mascot. He has appeared in various TV series, a newspaper comic strip, and a live-action film series.

History with the Macy's Parade[]

Plans for Spidey to appear in the Parade date back to the mid 1960s, when a costume made for the Parade based on the superhero was planned to appear in either 1964 or 1965's Thanksgiving celebration. The costume never appeared in either.

Nearly two decades later, Spider-Man made his Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade debut during the 1981 Parade, taking to the streets as a costumed character; he would also appear in 1982's Parade.

Spider-Man (1987-1998)[]

Spider-Man would be pumped up to new proportions for the 1987 Parade, making his debut as one of four new giant helium balloons for that year's Parade. The Spider-Man balloon was a technical feat, created with human lifelike muscle tone never achieved in a helium balloon medium. Chief designer at the time, Manfred Bass, referred to the balloon as "a true living, flying piece of sculpture," and is said to be one of his proudest achievements.[1]

The creation of the original Spider-Man balloon was puzzling, as a result of the humanoid form. The former editor-in-chief of Marvel, Jim Shooter, was brought in to assist with the balloon's clay model as he had experience with “3-D things, toys and such".[2] Upon arriving at Macy's Parade Studio, the clay model had, as Shooter stated "proportions of a chubby baby".[2] The sculpture was entirely reconfigured, and a design plan was eventually settled.

The Spider-Man balloon would feature the iconic superhero flying over Parade participants in a "crawling" position, with a small cobweb attached to his underside, and the addition of a 100-foot web extending from his left hand doubling as handling lines while characterizing the balloon further. The balloon was constructed at the Raven Aerostar headquarters in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, requiring several dozen yards of urethane-coated nylon fabric to create. It was painted with gallons of paint, and upon completion was 78 feet long, 36 feet wide, weighted 345 pounds deflated, needing 9,520 cubic feet of helium to help the balloon reach fine-flying form.

Upon making its debut on Thanksgiving Day 1987, the Spider-Man balloon was met with appraisal from children and adults alike, signifying Spidey as a fan-favorite balloon.

Joining the balloon was another Marvel-sponsored Parade element, the Marvel Universe float. The stage-on-wheels depicted a supercity inhabited by heroes and evildoers of the Marvel Comic universe alike. Costumed characters of the Marvel Comics characters provided action-filled entertainment on the float, among them Spider-Man, who slung his way between the towering skyscrapers.

The Spider-Man balloon became a Parade staple over the following decade, being named the "Official Superhero of Macy's Parade" in 1988. That same year, the Spider Man balloon began to utilize a special "Spidey-Cam", which presented viewers of the NBC telecast a bird's eye view of the procession. This feature was used from 1988 through 1992 (though unseen in the latter year).

The Spider-Man balloon expierienced its first major accident in 1989. At some point during the route, the balloon swayed into ice shards, puncturing its left leg, which ended up causing the balloon to "collapse into a heap of rope and nylon." It's unknown when this happened, or if it was removed from the procession.

The balloon would make several appearances outside of the Parade, with its first being the 1989 Macy's-Egleston Christmas Parade. It would later appear at the 1990 event, with it retiring after Macy's stopped being its sponsor beginning in 1991.

The Spider Man balloon would then appear at a special Macy's-sponsored parade during the Mall of America's grand opening in 1992.

In 1993, the Spider-Man balloon would experience its next major incident. Blustery winds along Central Park West made the balloon collide with tree branches, tearing open a hole in the balloon's head. Helium leaked from the wound, however the balloon was able to finish the whole parade route.

The balloon would then appear at the 1995 and 1996 editions of Macy's Balloon-A-Thon.

In 1997, the Spider-Man balloon was flown low as a result of gusty winds, with sources citing Spider-Man appeared as though he was "crushing his handlers." Despite several abrasions along the Parade route including deflated hands, the balloon was able to make it to 34th Street.

High winds and heavy rain affected the 1998 Parade, which weighed down the balloons. Following a major incident the previous year involving the Cat in the Hat balloon, two utility vehicles were attached to the giant balloons in order to maintain stability. Due to the weight of these vehicles, which were anchored to the Spider-Man balloon's stomach, the balloon was torn open. Unable to be repaired in time, the balloon was removed from the lineup.

The original Spider-Man balloon was retired following the 1998 procession, making a total of twelve appearances. The balloon was repaired at Macy's Parade Studio and was kept dormant for over a decade; by the 2000s, the balloon's fabric had begun to fall apart.[3] The balloon was eventually disposed of in 2005.

Spider-Man (2009-2014)[]

Spider-Man would be reintroduced to the Parade over a decade later for the 2009 Parade, debuting as an all-new giant helium balloon. The balloon incarnation of Marvel's legendary crime-fighting web-slinger deferred from the design of its predecessor, now featuring Spidey’s classic web-slinging pose coupled with a more modern look. Patrolling the Parade route and protecting the citizens of New York City. the second Spider-Man balloon was of giant proportions, measuring 78-feet long, 37.8-feet wide and 29.1-feet tall.

Former Parade Director Robin Hall commented on the balloon's inaugural appearance, saying “Spider-Man’s return to the Macy’s Balloon line-up this year is an event of seismic magnitude," adding, “When is Spider-Man coming back? is a question that has been shouted from the sidelines each and every year we inflate our helium giants on Thanksgiving eve. This new, updated balloon, featuring a modern, more defined Spider-Man, will fill a huge void for Parade devotees and will undoubtedly seize the imaginations of a whole new generation of fans.”[4]

Akin to its predecessor, the second Spider-Man balloon became an instant classic and lead the Parade's elite fleet of giant character balloons in 2009.

In 2011, the Broadway-bound production of Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark performed a musical number as a pre-Parade act. The show's ensemble of actors performed an array of songs, written by Bono and The Edge, including "Bouncing Off the Walls" and "A Freak Like Me Needs Company". That same year, a costumed version of Spider-Man accompanied the balloon en route to 34th Street.

The Spider-Man balloon encountered a mishap in the 2013 Parade. Shortly after leaving the balloon staging area at 81st Street, the balloon was blown into a tree branch. The impact caused the balloon's left arm to be punctured, though was able to remain buoyant in spite of his clipped wing.[5]

The Spider-Man balloon was repaired by the talented team of balloonatics at Macy's Parade Studio shortly after, and was able to return to the line of march for the 2014 Parade. Following this appearance, the second Spider-Man balloon was retired.

Spider-Man, alongside fellow Marvel hero Black Panther, appeared on the Magic Meets the Sea float at the 2022 Parade, joining other Disney characters. Both him and Black Panther returned to the float in 2023.

See also[]

References[]

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