Business was bombing in the roaring twenties for retail company R.H Macy and Co which had only two years before gone public. The iconic New York retail store Macy's, was the leading retailer of the time recently expanding to cover one entire city block "stretching from broadway to seventh avenue along 34th street". And the flagship store on Herald Square was a momentous landmark as it was considered "The World's Largest Store" with a whopping 1 million square feet of retail space.
In celebration, Macy's decided to throw the city of New York a city on Thanksgiving morning. However despite timing, Macy's had decided to have their parade not in the name of thanksgiving but instead for the next major holiday Christmas! " Macy's hoped its 'Christmas Parade' would whet the appetites of consumers for a holiday shopping feast"(Klein).
The original parade took place promptly at 9am on November 27th of 1924, and while the parade itself was merely 2 blocks, the route was six miles beginning at 145th street and covenant and ending at Herald Square. To match their nursery rhyme themed window displays, the floats were all depictions of popular characters like Little Red Riding Hood and Little Bo Peep. Macy's employees also participated in the parade dressed in costumes from gypsies to giants adding to the fantastical atmosphere of the event. The parade also consisted of some furrier participants, as a menagerie of animals from the central park zoo was lent out for the parade.
Yet the roars of the tigers and bears where nothing to the onlookers in comparison to the finale of the parade in which Santa Claus floated down the avenue on his golden sleigh. Santa's golden sleigh was atop a mountain of snow and ice pulled by his beloved reindeer as children cheered, ushering in the holiday season.
While today we so frequently associate the Macy's thanksgiving day parade with the colossal balloons marching down 6th avenue, these iconic pieces were only added to the parade in 1927. Due to the fact that the zoo animals began to scare the children with roars and screeches, the balloons became the replacement for the live animal entertainment. Designed by Tony Sarg, the balloons were inspired by upside-down marionettes, as the larger than life balloon animals paraded down the street. One of the first balloons to make its debut at the parade was Felix the Cat made of helium.
And to this day the Macy's thanksgiving parade is "as much a holiday tradition as turkey, football and dinner-table debates".
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(Advertisement for the parade)
Bibliography:
Klein, Christopher. “The First Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 26 Nov. 2014, www.history.com/news/the-first-macys-thanksgiving-day-parade.
“History of Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade Balloons.” CNN, Cable News Network, 23 Nov. 2017, www.cnn.com/2013/11/23/us/gallery/macys-thanksgiving-day-parade-balloons/index.html.
“ MACYSPARADE.” 1920s History - Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade - Macy’s, Macys.com, www.macys.com/social/parade/history-1920s/.
I found your post really interesting and looking deeper in the topic, I was able to discover just how much the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade has refleced American history. The parade itself has been a representation of the hardships America has gone through, exchanging helium in balloons for air due to a national helium shortage and canceling the parade during World War II to donate the rubber to the war effort. Additionally, after JFK's assassination the day before the parade, the family specifically asked that the parade continue because of what it represented to the people. What many of us view as another tradition during the holidays actually has a larger history that many don't realize or appreciate.
ReplyDeleteSource : https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/retropolis/wp/2017/11/23/macys-thanksgiving-day-parade-90-years-of-looking-up/?utm_term=.d9752ae07552
This was definitely an interesting post. I also side with Sophia, above, for it is especially interesting to speculate how impactful this parade has been to the American public. Some online articles I found discuss how this parade has been made to be known by most Americans. (This includes the parade being featured in the film of "Miracle on 34th Street.") I also found some more interesting information regarding the helium and rubber shortage, specifically how the parade was fully cancelled from 1942-1944 and then restarted.
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http://www.townandcountrymag.com/leisure/arts-and-culture/news/g1714/macys-thanksgiving-day-parade-photos/?slide=7
This is a really interesting post which clearly explains the history of something that has become an important tradition for many Americans. I also think the information Sophia mentioned in the comment above is very fascinating, as I grew up watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on Thanksgiving morning each year but never really thought about its history and how it has been impacted by different events over the years. It is really neat that this event has always been able to bring people together, and as time has gone on, the tradition has not become weaker. In fact, with television, more people in more places have been able to experience the event. I think it is important how they always make sure to keep the parade relevant to each individual year, while still having some parts stay the same every year for tradition. There are always some things that stay the same and keep people familiar with the event, and at the same time, the new floats and balloons that are added each year represent the change that is always occurring in the country. Even as our society continues to change and people's values and opinions always change over time, our country still revolves around certain ideals that stay the same regardless of new innovations and ideas.
ReplyDeletehttps://people.howstuffworks.com/culture-traditions/holidays-other/macys-thanksgiving-day-parade1.htm