A Short History Of The Parade—And The Pillsbury Doughboy Balloon

The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade® made its debut in the 1924, when Macy's colleagues wanted to celebrate the U.S. holiday of Thanksgiving with the type of festival their European parents had loved.

Since then, the Parade has grown exponentially to include more than 60 giant character balloon variations (with fun names like “balloonicles” and “trycallons”). The Doughboy balloon is 23-feet long, 33-feet wide and 55-feet tall.

Fun Fact: Over 250,000 Pillsbury™ Crescent Rolls can fit inside the Doughboy balloon!

The giant Pillsbury Doughboy balloon debuted in 2009, and over the past 16 years, we think he's only gotten more loveable with age!

The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade® By The Numbers

🎈 54 feet tall — the height of the Doughboy balloon (that’s about the size of a 5-story building!)

⏱️ 90 minutes — how long it takes to inflate a single giant balloon

🎉 17 balloons — the number of giant characters that floated in the 2024 Parade