For almost a century, Macy’s department store has kicked off the holidays in America with a grand parade. And when you march thousands of clowns, lip synching celebrities, bands, and giant balloons through New York things get remarkable.
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# Stuff You Should Know: The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
Josh and Chuck dive deep into the history and behind-the-scenes magic of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, exploring everything from its humble 1924 origins as a Christmas parade created by European immigrants to the massive spectacle it is today. They cover fascinating details about how those iconic giant character balloons are designed, built, and controlled by up to 90 handlers each, plus the parade's memorable mishaps over the years when wind gusts sent balloons crashing into street lamps and light fixtures. You'll learn about the parade studio where these giant inflatables come to life, the thousands of costumes that dress performers, and how sponsorships help fund the roughly four-and-a-half-million-dollar annual event that draws 50 million TV viewers and millions more in person.
"the hosts that year were longtime hosts, Lauren Green from Bonanza and Betty White — Identifying the 1964 parade hosts during the Fred Gwynne incident."
— Chuck
Cloverfield
2008
1h 25m
★ 6.7
"It could be Cloverfield. It could be, but they're clearly, it's that kind of scared where you're, it's like roller coaster. — Josh compared crowd reaction to the out-of-control Barney balloon to how a crowd might react in Cloverfield."
— Josh
Little House on the Prairie
1974
TV-PG
★ 8.0
"one of the guys from Little House on the Prairie, Dean Butler, is doing a horrible lip syncing job to don't fence me in — Chuck referenced a poorly lip-synced performance from a 1980 parade appearance."
— Chuck
"So to me, I picked this. It's Miami Vice in New York in the fall, almost winter time. — Chuck discussed a Miami Vice float appearance that he felt didn't make thematic sense for a Thanksgiving parade."
— Chuck
Sonic the Hedgehog 3
2024
PG
1h 50m
★ 7.6
"an off-duty police captain was injured by a street light that fell on him when a Sonic the Hedgehog balloon ran amok — Discussing a 1993 Macy's parade accident where a Sonic balloon caused injury."
— Chuck
The Munsters
1964
TV-G
★ 7.9
"in 1964, they got the Munsters. They got Fred Gwynne and Al Lewis, Grandpa and Herman Munster — Discussing an infamous 1964 parade appearance where actor Fred Gwynne appeared drunk."
— Chuck
The Thing with Two Heads
1972
1h 31m
★ 4.8
"Ray Milan is like a terrible, like horrible racist like old rich guy who pays to have his head put on Rosie Greer's body — Chuck was discussing a hypothetical two-headed balloon design similar to the plot of this 1972 blaxploitation film."
— Chuck
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