The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade will put on its 98th iteration of the American tradition on Thursday in New York City, and NBC said the 2024 parade will be the "largest yet."
A century ago, Macy's introduced helium-filled balloons to its then-fledgling event, creating the foundation for the now-iconic displays that float and bob down the canyons of Manhattan every Thanksgiving morning. While millions gather each year into marvel at the colorful balloons and elaborate floats on TV, the parade's history also includes moments of unplanned chaos, often caused by unpredictable weather combined with the challenges of controlling the massive inflatables and the lampposts that act as their biggest nemesis.
Here's a look at some of the most notable accidents in the history of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.
1993 - Sonic the Hedgehog
The 1993 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade saw the Sonic the Hedgehog balloon's disastrous debut, coinciding with the Sega gaming company's peak popularity. High winds pushed Sonic into a lamppost at Columbus Circle, causing a loud boom. Part of the balloon broke off in the collision, injuring a 10-year-old girl and an off-duty police officer in the crowd.
The puncture left the balloon leaking helium and uncontrollable as it deflated, with one spectator overwhelmed with helium fumes. All three of the injured were treated at the scene.
In response, stricter rules were introduced for future parades, including wind restrictions and emergency deflation protocols. Despite the setback, Sonic returned in later years and made a triumphant comeback in 2011 for the character's 20th anniversary.
1997 - Cat in the Hat
The 71st Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in 1997 proved to be particularly fraught, with wind gusts up to 45 m.p.h. leading to several incidents along the parade route. Most notable among them, the giant Cat in the Hat balloon got caught in the high winds and careened into lamppost along Central Park West. The lamppost fell into the crowd below, injuring four people, including a woman who was left with a near-fatal skull fracture and was in a coma for 24 days.
The victim filed a $395 million lawsuit against Macy's, New York and the lamppost manufacturer, alleging that she suffered permanent brain damage. It was settled in 2001 for an undisclosed sum of money.
In another bizarre twist to the story, nine years later the woman's apartment was hit by a small airplane that was being flown by New York Yankees pitcher Cory Lidle. She was not home at the time of the accident, which killed Lidle and his passenger.
The Cat in the Hat incident gained significant media attention, with then-Mayor Rudy Giuliani announcing a task force to investigate the mishap. The investigation led to several changes in parade protocol, including increased training for the volunteers who manage the balloons from the ground and the temporary removal of lampposts along the parade route.
1997 - Barney the Dinosaur
During the same parade and amid the same high winds, Barney the Dinosaur met an inglorious end as he approached Times Square.
At 51st Street and Broadway, handlers were struggling to maintain control of the balloon because of the crosswinds that were buffeting the intersections. Barney hit a lamppost, was punctured, and crashed onto the handlers. The New York Times reported at the time that a handler said that "everything turned purple," and another commented that "Barney attacked us."
NYPD officers stationed along the route jumped into action and forcibly deflated Barney by stabbing and stomping on the float multiple times to release the helium.
No one was injured in Barney's demise, though the children who witnessed the stabbing death of their favorite childhood dinosaur were surely left traumatized.
1997 - Pink Panther
The chaos of '97 didn't end with Barney—the Pink Panther balloon also met his end on the streets of Midtown Manhattan that year. At 42nd Street and Broadway, in the heart of Times Square, the float began to collapse under the relentless winds, with MTV's Kurt Loder broadcasting live from a studio overlooking the parade that the Pink Panther appeared to be having a "seizure" outside. The NYPD eventually stepped in to deflate it, just as officers had done with Barney a few blocks uptown.
All told, the Cat in the Hat, Barney and Pink Panther incidents led to stricter safety protocols going forward. Today, when high winds are forecasted, balloons are either flown closer to the street or grounded entirely to prevent similar accidents.
2005 - M&M's
In the 2005 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, the M&M's-sponsored "Red and Yellow Brighten the Holidays" balloon caused an accident when one of its handling lines snagged a lamppost, dislodging the lamppost's acorn-shaped fixture, which fell into the crowd below.
Two sisters were struck by the falling debris and taken to the hospital. They were treated for minor injuries and released the same day.
At the time, The New York Times reported: "The girl, Sarah Chamberlain of Albany, had a chipped tooth and was cut in the back of the head; she received nine stitches. Her older sister, Mary, with a bruised forehead, was given a CAT scan, officials said."
2013 - Buzz Lightyear
As Buzz soared along Central Park West, a Long Island school teacher who was among the volunteers holding the float's rope was sent to the hospital after she was hit from behind by the red cart that accompanied the balloon.
"I was holding the balloon. I was in front of the car," Keri O'Connell told the New York Post at the time. "All of a sudden, I was pulled down, and the car was on my foot. I was like 'Get it off, get it off, get it off!'"
O'Connell was taken away from the parade in an ambulance with a foot injury.
2019 - Nutcracker
A parade worker was knocked to the ground by the Nutcracker float when its handlers lost control of the 45-foot-tall inflatable toy soldier amid poor weather conditions.
The woman appeared uninjured as she immediately got up and raced to catch up to the Nutcracker as it continued down the parade route.
The incident was captured on video, with spectators reacting as the balloon becomes caught in a wind gust.
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