1997 accidents

## Arthur

The Arthur balloon faced turbulence along the route, and the balloon's right show was partially damaged after scraping on the pavement due to the strong winds, but the rest of the balloon remained intact

## Bart Simpson

he was moved to behind the Westwood Ho float but then went out of control and ripped a 60-foot gash in his side and collapsed

## Donald Duck

Donald Duck wasn't damaged at all during the route

## Big bird

big birds tail was damaged then he ripped his left foot

## Caillou

he was reportedly the toughest balloon to handle due to his maximum height as he constantly collided face-first with handlers until his body was ripped open and then collapsed and was permanetly retired.

## Felix the cat

On 51st Street, a high wind gust was tossing and turning Felix at the spectators, in an attempt to control the balloon from the high winds the balloon handlers and even some clowns nearby were holding on tight to the balloon right on the same spot where Barney deflated. It's unknown what happened to the balloon afterwards, as Felix never made it to Times Square. It is likely that the balloon was stabbed by the NYPD before it went out of control even further.

## Happy dragon

he snagged onto a lamppost that almost popped his head similar to the 1993 sonic accident, it is speculated that Happy Dragon snagged the same lamppost The Cat In The Hat eventually destroyed .

## Louie the lightning bug

his start was delayed and while on the route he ripped his head like happy but unlike him, they let Louie fly until he was removed mere minutes before his telecast appearance

## Mario

Mario's Mushroom was damaged by a tree right at the start of the Parade, but he made it through despite the winds

## Mighty Mouse

Mighty Mouse was reportedly the toughest balloon to handle due to its maximum size. He was lowered to the ground to the point where he couldn't even stand up high. He repeatedly kept knocking over handlers face-first on the ground and almost suffocated a woman and her daughter. At 42nd Street, he eventually collapsed and later was ripped open by a lamppost. It was reported that one of the handler's colleagues was knocked unconscious during the collapse but this was never confirmed. The NYPD had to stab the balloon until it was completely destroyed. Due to the severe damage done to the balloon, as well its length exceeding the new size regulations that were enacted the following year, the balloon was permanently retired.

## Mickey Mouse

the balloon went out of control and was almost popped but was freed and he survived

## Rocky and Bullwinkle

although both balloons was quite large, the dynamic duo remained intact with rocky's left hand getting damaged and Bullwinkle's brim on his hat being left behind due to winds

## Shea the superstar

Shea's right arm was damaged by a tree right at the start of the Parade, but he made it through despite the winds. His right foot also deflated upon the route.

## Sonic the hedgehog

Sonic couldn't start the Parade at all, after it was punctured by an unknown obstacle the night before due to the heavy winds.

## The Cat In The Hat

In what has been described as the worst accident in the parade's history, The Cat in the Hat hit a lamppost twice at Central Park West and 72nd Street, which ended up knocking parts of the light onto the crowd, injuring 4 people, most notably injuring a woman named Kathleen Caronna. The impact of the debris almost killed her, putting her into a month-long coma; she eventually sued Macy's for nearly killing her in 2001. The balloon's hat was also punctured and deflated by that lamppost, and so he had to travel the rest of the Parade without it. Eventually, the balloon limped away and was removed at 36th Street. This led to new safety guidelines the following year (see below), including restrictions on balloon sizes. While the Cat in the Hat did not violate the new size limits, he was still permanently banned after the 1997 Parade due to the severity of the incident.

## Karen

Karen was removed from the parade at 76th street after the Cat in the Hat incident.

## Yogi Bear

Yogi Bear was also removed from the Parade after the Cat in the Hat incident.

## Snoopy

last seen behind the grinch Falloon before being removed

## Lakitu

On 51st Street, a high wind gust was tossing and turning Lakitu at the spectators, in an attempt to control the balloon from the high winds the balloon handlers and even some clowns nearby were holding on tight to the balloon right on the same spot where Barney deflated. It's unknown what happened to the balloon afterwards, as Lakitu never made it to Times Square. It is likely that the balloon was stabbed by the NYPD before it went out of control even further and was permanently retired due to its widith execeeding the limit.

## Aftermath

After the "Great Balloon Massacre" of the 1997 Parade, new safety measures were introduced in order to prevent balloon incidents from occurring often, if not to eliminate the possibility of them altogether. Starting in 1998, the giant character balloons would now be attached to two utility tractors, as well as a handler/pilot expansion. However, the most important rule of which, was a strict size limit on balloons, which means they can no longer be larger than 78 feet in height, 81 feet in length, or 60 feet in width. This meant that the larger balloons -- including Caillou, Rex the Dinosaur, The Pink Panther, Mighty Mouse, Bart Simpson, Lakitu, and The Cat In The Hat had to be permanently banned from making any further appearances. Any balloons that weren't built for the utility tractors were retired as well. In 2005, after another serious incident occurred, more safety measures were enacted, such as installing wind measurement devices that alert Parade organizers to unsafe weather, keeping balloons closer to the ground during windy conditions, and prohibiting the giant balloons from flying during very heavy rainfall, or in sustained winds higher than 23 MPH, in addition to gusts higher than 34 MPH.