Balloon Incidents (SMF188's Version)

## 1960s

Details coming soon!

* Smokey Bear's hat was damaged after inflation, and it was so badly damaged that it required parcel replacement.
* For the first time ever in Macys Parade history, all of the the giant balloons were grounded as a result of heavy rain and winds.

### 1975:

* Smokey Bear's right hand was punctured by a tree at Columbus Circle and sprung a leak.
* Sinclair Oil's Dinosaur's front right leg was snagged by a lamppost at 77th Street, however it was freed with no damage done to the balloon.

## 1980s

### 1981:

* Snoopy nearly crashed into a streetlight and traffic lights at the starting line but was moved back and he wasn't damaged. But shortly after his NBC appearance, the patch on his leg detached, which caused the balloon to deflate rapidly.

### 1982:

* The Mickey Mouse balloon was pushed around by strong winds and eventually hit a street sign, but the balloon remained undamaged.
* Superman experienced punctures in both his head and leg, but was repaired.
* Woody Woodpecker was lowered due to a puncture in the head.

### 1983:

* During inflation, the Mickey Mouse balloon's arm was accidently torn off. The balloon later exploded while being inflated, resulting in its removal.

### 1984:

* Garfield's left paw was deflated after colliding with a Central Park tree.

### 1985:

* Kermit the Frog's stomach was torn by trees along Central Park West. Although the balloon remained in the lineup, it was flown very close to the ground due to the loss of helium.
* Olive Oyl and Superman suffered damages before the Parade began and were unable to be repaired in time.
* Woody Woodpecker tore a hole in his coxcomb the night before the parade, but the hole was repaired in time. His legs, however, deflated during march.

### 1986:

* Garfield's right paw and left-back paw were punctured.
* Raggedy Ann hit a lamppost pole at 77th Street before the parade started and snapped the light off, smashing it in the process. Nobody was injured and the balloon was undamaged, although one of her hands was slightly deflated.
* Superman's left hand torn off by a tree along Central Park West, and was carried the rest of the way by handlers.
* Three of the four strings that held Woody Woodpecker's head in place were rotted before the Parade, resulting in Woody almost losing his head, his legs were also claimed by the winds.
* Betty Boop, the last character balloon that year, collapsed onto the ground a few yards away from the finish line due to the high winds.

### 1987:

* Kermit the Frog's right arm was ripped by a tree.

### 1988:

* Quik Bunny brushed trees at 77th Street, causing his right foot to lose a small amount of helium.

### 1989:

* The Pink Panther's tail was punctured, as was his right hand and innertube.

## 1990s

### 1991:

* Happy Dragon began loosing helium before the Parade began, however balloon technicians were able to assess and fix the problem in a matter of minutes.
* Kermit the Frog collided with a tree in Central Park West, and his head was deflated. Despite the accident, he continued on the rest of the route headless and was retired after that year.
* Betty Boop's moon was deflated during the march.
* Quik Bunny veered towards a lamppost, tearing his left drumstick and hand open.

### 1992:

* The leaves on Bugs Bunny's carrot were ripped off by trees.
* One of the ABC Bouncing Balls was deflated, likely from a lamppost, and was lowered to the ground for the rest of the Parade.

### 1993:

* Bart Simpson's T-shirt was ripped open by a lamppost.
* Sonic the Hedgehog lost a spike and punctured his left arm before crashing into a lamppost at Columbus Circle, injuring both a 10-year old girl and an off-duty police officer. Additionally, a woman was overwhelmed with helium fumes. All three were treated at the scene, and the Sonic balloon was removed from the line of march.
* Woody Woodpecker's hand was ripped by a tree along Central Park, and the balloon was later lowered due to winds.
* Spider-Man had his head partly deflated after colliding with some trees.

### 1994:

* Quik Bunny lost control at Columbus Circle and ended up his ear getting ripped by a lamppost, but the balloon survived.
* Barney's left leg was torn by a tree along Central Park West. Additionally, A lamppost tore his side shortly after his NBC appearance.
* The Cat in the Hat had his right arm shredded by a lamppost.

### 1995

* Dudley the Dragon was speared and deflated on a lamppost near Columbus Circle and showered the glass from the lamppost onto the crowd below, injuring one person. The balloon could not make the rest of the route due to this.
* Snoopy's head was torn open as the balloon made its way to the deflation area.
* The Sonic the Hedgehog balloon managed to snag on a tree and get its face was punctured. By the time the balloon reached Times Square, the head lost a lot of helium, and due to this, Sonic was removed.
* The Pink Panther balloon suffered high amounts of damage.

### 1997:

* The Ice Cream Cone balloon faced turbulence along the Parade route, causing the bottom of the cone to partially deflate. While passing through Times Square, the balloon knocked over its pilot, who was able to bounce back with no injuries.
* The Arthur balloon's left arm was damaged by a tree near 77th Street and Central Park West, however it did not affect the balloon's flight or stability. His left ear was also pierced by the same row of lampposts that would Almost destroy the Pink Panther.
* Despite their small size, the ABC Balloons, which accompanied the Big Bird balloon, were still damaged. The "C" balloon was removed from the lineup somewhere between Times Square and Herald Square.
* Garfield's tail was deflated overnight, and a hole was put in his back left paw at 51st street, but the rest of the balloon remained unscathed.
* The Peter Rabbit balloon was nearly punctured by several lamp posts along the Parade route. In spite of several run-ins, Peter Rabbit made it through the entire route.
* Quik Bunny's right ear was punctured by a tree and quickly deflated, but the balloon survived.
* While travelling along Central Park West, the Barney balloon knocked over a tree, however no one was injured, and no damage was done to the balloon. When the balloon began making it's way down Broadway, at the intersection of 52nd street, the winds were getting stronger, and he started to be flown back and forth. He became so uncontrollable, that some of the handlers had to lay on the ground in order to get the balloon under control. But despite their best efforts, Barney was forced into a streetlight, tearing a massive hole in the right side of him. As the balloon made it's way back down to the street, his side pieces were flailing around as the rip worsened, eventually leading to the tail exploding in the wind. the NYPD had to stab the balloon until he was fully deflated. The accident became a viral video in 2013.
* At 81st Street, mere minutes after the Sonic the Hedgehog balloon started its march, the balloon was pulled from the lineup because of the head being ripped open.
* Spider-Man's hands and feet were deflated as a result of the gusty winds, however the balloon did not cause any injuries.
* Bumpé's back legs were punctured and deflated after a strong gust pushed him into the sidelines at Time Square. Additionally, the high winds also caused him to lose his front toenails. Despite the incident, the balloon remained largely intact throughout the rest of the Parade route.

## 1998-present

### 1998:

* A chamber inside burst on the Garfield balloon at 77th Street. Due to the damages, the balloon was taken out of the parade lineup.
* Spider-Man's stomach tore open.
* A lack of handlers on the Quik Bunny balloon caused it to go out of control, eventually being punctured and deflated by a tree.
* A gust of wind pushed Wild Thing into a lamppost on 77th Street, tearing a 10-foot long gash in its left side. The damage was deemed to extensive and the balloon was removed from the lineup.
* Dexter's right rocket was deflated during his debut march.

### 1999:

* Akin to the previous year, the Wild Thing balloon failed to make an appearance AGAIN; this time, as a result of faulty inflation chambers.

### 2004:

* SpongeBob SquarePants was snagged by a lamppost at Times Square, but he was freed without major damages.
* Charlie Brown almost crashed into a street light, as gusty winds pushed him dangerously close to it but was moved back. For an unknown reason, his football also had lost 40% of its helium by the time it reached Herald Square.
* Garfield suffered damage from his left paw after being snagged by a tree.
* Clifford the Big Red Dog was snagged by a tree. Unlike Garfield, Clifford wasn't damaged.

### 2005:

* "Strike Up the Band" Barney was nearly blown away, and had his foot torn open at 77th Street.
* The M&M's-sponsored Red and Yellow Brighten the Holidays balloon had a handling line catch on a lamppost, causing the fixture to fall into the crowd below. The acorn-shaped light hit two sisters who were treated and released at the hospital the same day.

### 2006:

* SpongeBob SquarePants once again snagged a lamppost and was freed.

### 2007:

* Jenny Wakeman's head was punctured by a tree, and was pulled from the lineup.

### 2013:

* Spider-Man had his left arm partially deflated after impacting a tree along Central Park near the beginning of the parade.

### Balloonfest 2018:

* Goku knocked into a balloon handler while being lowered, causing hospitalization.

### 2018

* The Pilgrim Man balloonhead left the Parade at Central Park South after losing helium in its head, and the Pilgrim Woman was removed at 34th Street.

### 2019:

* Goku was caught in a gust of wind, causing a female balloon handler to injure her shoulder. Additionally, an older woman fell down, while another male handler tripped over a plastic bag. Neither handlers sustained any injuries.
* Before the parade started, Ronald McDonald's right shoe developed a tear. The balloon struggled to complete the rest the route as the tear was getting larger, and was removed at 42nd Street, only ten blocks before its NBC appearance. After the incident, pre-recorded footage of Ronald from the 2018 Parade was used, making this the first time since 2007 that a giant character balloon was removed from the Parade.

### 2022

* One of the Pillsbury Doughboy's handler strings was caught in a tree at the parade's starting line, and although it was hard, the balloon was freed with help from NYC officers.
* The Striker, the U.S. Soccer Star balloonicle broke down shortly after reaching 6th Avenue, and had to be supported by its escorts for the rest of the route.

### 2023

* The Diary of a Wimpy Kid balloon's left hand was punctured by trees on 77th Street.
* Central Park trees tore a small hole in the brim of Beagle Scout Snoopy's hat, leaving it partially deflated.
* One of the Go Bowling Shoes broke down near 72nd Street. After various attempts to keep it moving, it eventually rejoined the lineup near a float.
* Shortly after stepping off, the left side of the Monkey D. Luffy balloon's straw hat brim was torn open by trees. The deflated brim led to the term "Bucket Hat Luffy" trending on social media sites such as Facebook and X.
* The Uncle Dan balloon's left wing sprang a leak at Central Park West.