7 Incredibly Weird Forgotten Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade Floats
What To Know
- The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade has featured several unusual and short-lived floats, such as the Planet of the Apes float (1974–1976), which was retired after a breakdown during its final appearance.
- Other forgotten oddities include the one-time-only Clock Tower & Dragon float (1987) and the Ask Jeeves float and balloon (1999–2000), the latter marking the first internet-born character to become a Macy’s balloon.
- Recent examples like the Good Burger Burgermobile (2023) highlight how some floats are created for specific promotional tie-ins and are retired after a single parade appearance.
Every year, fans of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade wait for some of the most iconic floats, like Tom Turkey or Santa Claus, to return again and again, and eagerly anticipate the addition of new favorites. But there’s also a flip side to the Parade — bizarre floats that never quite hit it off with fans, or were mothballed after just a single trip down Broadway. How many of these oddball floats do you remember?
Planet of the Apes (1974–1976)
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This float was introduced in 1974 to promote the CBS television series and the general popularity of the Planet of the Apes franchise. The float featured performers in full ape makeup along with themed set pieces designed to resemble the franchise’s distinctive dystopian world. During its final year, 1976, things got a little rough as the float actually broke down at Herald Square shortly before reaching NBC’s cameras. It had to be sidelined from the live telecast and was removed from the procession. After that mishap, after having made only three total trips down Broadway, the float was retired and never reappeared.
Clock Tower & Dragon (1987)
This float appeared only once, debuting at the 1987 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. It was a makeover of the previous year’s Hickory Dickory Dock float, which had featured a whimsical storybook clock tower motif. The broadcast featured musical performances mounted directly on the float. Alaina Reed Hall sang “We’ll Be Together,” while actor Bruce Weitz performed “Thou Swell” to Deidre Hall from a rocking-horse platform. Despite the amount of staging and the talent involved, the float never returned after 1987, making it one of the parade’s most unusual and short-lived entries.
Jeeves / Ask Jeeves Float and Balloon (1999–2000)
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Jeeves, the balding English butler mascot for the early search engine Ask Jeeves (later Ask.com), became a brief but memorable part of parade history at the turn of the millennium. The character, introduced in 1996 and named after P. G. Wodehouse’s famous valet, was used heavily in the company’s branding during the early internet boom.
In 1999, Ask Jeeves partnered with Macy’s to create a float after learning that a balloon could not be finished in time for that year’s parade. The resulting float featured a 16-foot sculpture of Jeeves seated among oversized books, science beakers, artwork, planets, butterflies, and written questions such as “Why is the sky blue?” In 2000, the company succeeded in creating the balloon they originally wanted. The debut of the Jeeves balloon marked the first time an internet-born character had been turned into a Macy’s balloon.
The Good Burger Burgermobile (2023)
Eugene Gologursky/Getty Images for Macy’s, Inc
The Burgermobile made its Macy’s debut as a specialty unit in the 97th Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in 2023. Based on the iconic burger-shaped car from the 1997 Nickelodeon film Good Burger and its 2023 sequel, Good Burger 2, the float tied directly into the franchise’s revival starring Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell. Its appearance aligned with Paramount+’s promotional push for the sequel, which premiered the same week. The parade broadcast featured Thompson and Mitchell riding in the oversized burger vehicle as it traveled the parade route. The Burgermobile appeared only once and was retired immediately after the 2023 procession.
50th Anniversary Birthday Cake Santa (1976)
The 1976 parade marked a major milestone: the 50th edition of the event. To celebrate the anniversary, Macy’s introduced a special Santa float that departed from the traditional sleigh design. The float was modeled after the 1972 version but reimagined as a giant birthday cake, complete with festive detailing to honor the parade’s half-century. The birthday-cake Santa appeared only once and was never revived in later years.
Motorcycle in the Sky (1976)
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Evel Knievel first appeared in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in 1973, riding his famous motorcycle. Three years later, in 1976, he returned with his son Robbie Knievel and debuted a dedicated float furnished by the Ideal Toy Company. The float featured a giant version of Knievel’s motorcycle. It was originally scheduled to appear again in the 1977 Parade, but those plans were canceled due to Knievel’s assault charges that year.
The Loch Ness Monster (1978–1981)
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Busch Gardens introduced this float in the 1978 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade to promote their new Loch Ness Monster roller coaster at the Williamsburg park. The float was designed by Manfred Bass and featured a medieval Scottish village pulled by Anheuser-Busch’s Clydesdale horses. The float stayed in rotation through the 1981 parade and was retired afterward. It was later disposed of, although its large dragon sculpture continued to live on. That piece was repurposed for several medieval-themed floats in future parades.
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