Looking Back: 8 Decades of Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

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Looking Back: 8 Decades of Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

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Live animals were borrowed from a zoo for the first ever Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in 1924.

Macy's Inc.
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Macy's presented Felix the Cat, its first ever giant inflatable balloon, in 1927.

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A large outdoor float of Captain Nemo makes its way down the street during the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade in 1929.

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Balloons and floats travel down Broadway in New York City on Nov. 30, 1933.

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A teddy bear balloon passes by a replica of the Statue of Liberty during the annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in 1945.

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A giant baseball player float moves down 7th Avenue during the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on Nov. 28, 1946.

John Rooney/AP
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Some of the Radio City Music Hall’s Rockettes as they were performing in the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade in New York on Nov. 27, 1958.

John Lindsay/AP
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The iconic Popeye balloon floats above people watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade pass through Times Square on Nov. 26, 1959.

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Comedian Jimmy Durante rides on a Jumbo the Elephant float during the annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City on Nov. 22, 1962.

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Balloons in the shapes of Olive Oyl and Garfield the Cat work their way down Broadway during the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on Nov. 27, 1986.

AP Photos
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Ronald McDonald cruises over spectators on Broadway in the rain and wind during the annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City on Nov. 24, 1989.

Tim Clary/AP
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Spectators brave the elements as floats and balloons make their way through New York's Times Square during the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on Nov. 27, 1992.

Richard Harbus/AP
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Izzy, the mascot for the Atlanta Olympics, and a popped dinosaur Rex balloon march during the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in 1993.

AP Photos
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Handlers struggle with a wind-whipped Peter Rabbit balloon during Macy's annual Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York on Nov. 27, 1997.

Emile Wamsteker/AP
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Little Bill, based on Bill Cosby's Little Bill book series, makes his debut on Broadway in the annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York, on Nov. 28, 2002.

Suzanne Plunkett/AP
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Jo Jo the Clown makes her way through Columbus Circle during the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on Nov. 23, 2006, in New York.

Julie Jacobson/AP
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Santa Claus rides a float in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on Nov. 27, 2008, in New York.

Charles Sykes/AP
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Joan Rivers rides a float through Times Square in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on Nov. 25, 2010.

Charles Sykes/AP
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A Spider-Man balloon floats in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York on Nov. 24, 2011.

Charles Sykes/AP
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Schoolchildren are given a sneak peek of the new floats for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade during a field trip to Macy's Studio on Nov. 13, 2012, in Moonachie, N.J.

Julio Cortez/AP
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Looking Back: 8 Decades of Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

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