Macy ' s Thanksgiving Day Parade The Macy ' s Thanksgiving Day Parade is an annual parade held every Thanksgiving Day in New York City . Originally called the Macy ' s Christmas Parade , it was first held in 1924 and has run continually since then , only missing three years due to rubber shortages during World War II . The two and a half mile parade features large balloons of well - known characters alongside floats and marching bands , ending with a float of Santa Claus upon his sleigh , marking the start of the Christmas season . Interestingly , all performers in the parade , including those appearing through Sesame Workshop and others , must become " employees " of Macy ' s . Kermit the Frog and the Muppets . The first Kermit the Frog balloon debuted in the Macy ' s Thanksgiving Day Parade in 1977 . The balloon was 63 feet tall and 24 feet wide , and took four hours and 5 , 220 cubic feet of helium to reach its full size . It was constructed at the Goodyear plant in Rockmart , Georgia . The Muppet cast made a live appearance in the 1979 Parade to promote " The Muppet Movie " . Miss Piggy rode the parade route in a Rolls Royce , followed by the rest of the Muppets in the Electric Mayhem bus . Also in 1979 , the Kermit balloon was the first inflatable from the parade to travel outside of the USA , heading to England to help celebrate the International Year of the Child . The 1981 parade featured Beauregard ' s taxi , with Beauregard driving madly around the parade . Kermit , Fozzie Bear and Gonzo appear as passengers . The 1985 parade was affected by heavy rain , which weighed down the balloons . The Kermit balloon ripped its stomach along Central Park West during the parade . An AP report said that " The Kermit balloon was punctured by a tree and almost crashed into spectators as it sailed down the parade route with its left foot dragging the street . " With only about 20 % of his helium inside the balloon , Kermit was carried for the rest of the parade by his green - clad frog handlers . In 1987 , Jim Henson and Kermit appeared live on the telecast to accept the Rollie Award , an award named for Rowland H . Macy , for their years of service to the parade . Kermit graciously accepted the award , saying , " Listen , to be immortalized in a large balloon about 75 feet tall and filled with gas is one of the greatest thrills of my life , and I wish everybody out there could have the same exciting thrill . And it would be a wonderful parade if they did . " The Kermit balloon suffered another mishap in 1991 , when it scraped against high branches on Central Park West , tearing a hole in the balloon . " We thought he had turned into a tree frog , " said Marc Schwab , the balloon captain . " Personally , I think he saw Miss Piggy on a sidestreet . But he was a real trouper . He was down , so to speak , but he wasn ' t out . " " The New York Times " reported that the balloon , " borne by its crew and wildly cheered on by the crowd , galumphed on toward Herald Square . " Parade producer Jean McFaddin talked about the incident in 1995 , saying , " If a balloon gets disfigured so that it would be disruptive to children , we pull it out of the parade . " Asked what would be disruptive enough , McFaddin answered , " If Kermit had his face torn off . " Kermit was left in the parade in ' 91 , although the mostly - deflated , 1 , 000 - pound balloon had to be carried down Broadway by his handlers . " He looked like he was swimming , " McFaddin said . After this incident , the Kermit balloon was retired from the Parade . In 1994 , Kermit the Frog was named the parade ' s " Holiday Ambassador . " Costumed versions of him and Miss Piggy were seen during the parade , riding in a horse - drawn carriage ( underscored by " It Feels Like Christmas " ) . After an 11 - year hiatus from the Parade , a new Kermit the Frog balloon debuted in 2002 . The new balloon is 78 feet long , 61 feet high and 36 feet wide , with a volume of 11 , 000 cubic feet of helium . To mark the occasion , Kermit was the official holiday mascot for Macy ' s in 2002 , and he rode on Santa ' s sleigh at the end of the parade . During the broadcast , Kermit and Miss Piggy were interviewed by " Today Show " weatherman Al Roker to talk about the new balloon , as well as to promote " It ' s a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie " , which aired the following night . In 2008 , Kermit appeared live on the Central Park float , and performed the song " I Believe " . In 2009 , Kermit performed the song again , as a duet with Tiffany Thornton . The song was also performed on the Santa Claus float soon after . The Muppets kicked off the 2016 parade with a pre - recorded musical number : " Hey , It ' s Macy ' s ! " , a variation of " The Great Muppet Caper ' s " opening number , " Hey a Movie ! " The song was performed by a large crowd of Muppets , including Kermit , Miss Piggy , Fozzie Bear , Gonzo , Scooter , Rowlf the Dog , Lew Zealand , the Swedish Chef , Sweetums , Pepe , Dr . Bunsen Honeydew , Beaker , Statler and Waldorf , a couple of Chickens and some Penguins , along with assorted Macy ' s clowns and dancing Christmas trees . Following this , Miss Piggy appeared in an introduction with Matt Lauer and Savannah Guthrie , which led into a live performance of " Twist and Shout " by Dr . Teeth and the Electric Mayhem . Toward the end of the parade , Miss Piggy and Tony Bennett gave a live performance of " Santa Claus is Coming to Town . " Sesame Street . Balloons . Several " Sesame " characters have also appeared in balloon form . Big Bird ' s balloon debuted in 1988 ; the balloon ( designed by Michael Frith ) featured Big Bird wearing a winter cap and a sweater , and carrying alphabet blocks . The Big Bird balloon led the parade in 1991 and 1998 ; the latter parade was particularly windy and rainy , and the balloon was kept low to the ground in order to test the wind . After ten years , the original Big Bird balloon was wearing out - - according to a " Christian Science Monitor " article , " Its stitching is frayed , and he ' s been patched a lot . " A new balloon was made in 2001 , showing Big Bird playing a pair of cymbals . A Super Grover balloon launched in 2003 ( designed by Louis Henry Mitchell ) , and was followed by an Abby Cadabby balloon in 2007 . The Abby Cadabby balloon stands at 56 feet long , 37 . 5 feet wide , and 48 . 5 feet high ; Abby and her magic wand are filled with 16 , 100 cubic feet of helium . Float . A " Sesame Street " float first appeared in the parade in 1974 , with Muppets and cast members waving to the crowd . The original float featured two buildings - - the 123 Sesame Street brownstone , and Hooper ' s Store . The streetlight with the Sesame Street street sign was located at the front of the float ; a ramshackle fence was at the back , decorated with numbers and letters . Big Bird perched on the roof of the float ; Cookie Monster and other Muppet characters stuck their heads out of the windows , and human cast members ( including Mr . Hooper , Gordon and Bob ) stood on the front of the float . This float appeared in five consecutive parades , through 1978 . In 1979 , Children ' s Television Workshop celebrated the 10th anniversary of the show with a brand new float , a much taller , two - story structure . Big Bird sat in his nest at the top of the building , and cast members and kids appeared at the front of the float . A sign was carried in front of the float which said , " Macy ' s wishes Sesame Street a Happy 10th Year " . As most of the main Muppet performers were working The Electric Mayhem Bus for " The Muppet Movie " , additional puppeteers were recruited . Among them were Kevin Clash , in his first Muppet - related performance . Clash performed Cookie Monster , and remembers having lost his voice from shouting in the gravelly impersonation throughout the route . It was at this parade ' s Henson after - party that Kermit Love introduced him to Jim Henson . The 1981 float promoted the new " Sesame Street Live " shows , including walk - around characters . A sign was carried in front of the float : " Macy ' s presents Sesame Street Live " . The " Sesame Street " float was retired for over a decade subsequently , but returned in 1994 , with an abstract design of the street made from books based on the show ' s current literacy curriculum . A " Sesame Street " float has been a part of the parade every year since . In the 1997 parade , Elmo appeared alongside Katie Couric for a brief interview and to introduce the " Sesame Street " float . The current " Sesame Street " float measures 32 feet long , 20 feet wide , and 2 stories tall . It was designed by Louis Henry Mitchell , who was asked to have it represent " the show ’ s history ( the classic brownstone ) while also doing something modern and visually exciting . " In 2002 , the " Sesame Street " float featured a message about peace and universal goodwill , and the American cast was joined by a group of international " Sesame " Muppets . The international Muppets included Filfil and Nimnim from Egypt ' s " Alam Simsim " , Hu Hu Zhu from China ' s " Zhima Jie " , Rumpel and Samson from Germany ' s " Sesamstrasse " , Kareem , Dafi and Haneen from the Palestinian " Shara ' a Simsim " , Abelardo and Lola from Mexico ' s " Plaza Sésamo " , Zeliboba and Businka from the Russian " Ulitsa Sezam " , and Moishe Oofnik from the Israeli " Rechov Sumsum " and " Shalom Sesame " . That year , the cast sang " We Are All Earthlings " . Alan Muraoka has choreographed the float performance in the 2001 , 2013 , 2014 and 2015 parades . Fraggle Rock float . A " Fraggle Rock " float appeared in the Parade in 1983 and 1984 The float featured Junior Gorg sitting on top , swinging his club on a set based on the Gorgs ' garden . Uncle Traveling Matt hid below Junior ' s line of sight . Below Junior , the float opened out into a lavish Fraggle caves set , where the main characters played instruments and sang while other Fraggles played around them - - including two Fraggles balanced on a seesaw . The Fraggles performed a short version of the " Fraggle Rock Theme " . In 1984 , the float was also accompanied by a group of Fraggle walk - around characters . Muppet Appearances at the Macy ' s Parade . Bold text indicates the debut of a new balloon , float or appearance . Merchandise . Macy ' s also carries parade exclusive merchandise every year . An annual item is the Macy ' s Thanksgiving Day Parade Snowglobe , which features representative balloons and floats parading around in a circle . The Big Bird balloon has appeared in the Snowglobe , and the 2009 Snowglobe includes the Abby Cadabby balloon . Macy ' s has also released special plush versions of Grover and Kermit . UNO produced a special " Macy ' s Thanksgiving Day Parade Edition " of the classic card game ; the cards included pictures of the Super Grover balloon ( pictured on the fours ) and the Kermit the Frog balloon ( pictured on the sixes ) . Specials including Muppets . On November 21 , 1978 , WNET ( the New York PBS affiliate ) aired a special about the Macy ' s parade , hosted by Kermit and Fozzie Bear . Titled " Hip Hip Parade ! " , it featured the duo commenting on the parade , and poking fun at the medium of television . On Thanksgiving night 2011 , NBC aired a Matt Lauer - hosted retrospective of the event and its broadcasts on NBC , including appearances by past hosts like Betty White ( who hosted with Lorne Greene ) , Katie Couric , and Willard Scott . The special included ample archival footage of past Muppet appearances , including the Kermit and Super Grover balloons , Kermit ' s 2008 performance , Elmo and Couric talking in the booth ( from the 1997 parade ) , Miss Piggy and Kermit talking on the program , and the 2008 " Sesame Street " float . _ _ NOWYSIWYG _ _