90th Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade To Feature Felix The Cat Balloon, In Throwback To 1927
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- The 90th Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade this Thursday will feature a throwback that goes back nearly as far as the parade itself – involving a classic cartoon character.
Macy's has created an inflatable balloon version of Felix the Cat modeled after one that was used in the parade in 1927. Len Blaifeder and his son Zach will operate the balloon.
"Felix is the best. He's a cool cat. He's a wonderful, wonderful cat, and as a matter of fact, he's the very first balloon that ever appeared for Macy's," Blaifeder told 1010 WINS.
He explained how the new Felix balloon was modeled after the one from 1927.
"Most of the balloons are tethered by ropes, but this is going to be modeled after the way it was done some 90 years ago and is going to be handled by sticks," Blaifeder said.
Blaifeder said he intends to start a new tradition with the Felix balloon.
"I'm doing it with my son, and as long as my legs carry me, we have agreed that this is going to be a tradition that we're going to share for many, many years to come," Blaifeder said.
The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade was first held in 1924, and included a procession of animals from the Central Park Zoo, the New York Times reported.
But the animals were said to scare children, and a puppeteer decided to design balloons in their place, the Times reported. Felix was the first ever to appear.
