Balloons, new and old, will be soaring above the streets of New York City as Macy's ushers in the holiday season with its annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. This year, a total of 34 balloons will be taking flight, including four all-new featured character balloons: Buzz Lightyear, Nintendo’s Mario, PAC-MAN and Shrek’s Onion Carriage.
When it comes to which balloons, along with floats, are recycled from past years, parade Executive Producer Will Coss has previously revealed to Parade that it is "a conversation with our internal team on, ultimately, what will make the best parade and the choices that we make obviously impact the line of march. So we want to make sure that we’re telling both a creative story, a visual story … all of those decisions happen well in advance of our production year."
Before this year's balloons take to the skies in the 99th Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on Nov. 27, 2025, here are some fun facts about the 2025 lineup.
? SIGN UP for Parade’s Daily newsletter to get the latest pop culture news & celebrity interviews delivered right to your inbox ?
1. Mario is joining the lineup for the first time in parade history. The Nintendo balloon stands tall at 43 feet and 8 inches. "I think that's a really big wow," Brendan Kennedy, director of creative production, exclusively told Parade of the Mario balloon. "That's a really big character that's been around for a really long time, such a big part of pop culture, and I think joining the parade will be just like such a splash."
2. The Buzz Lightyear balloon, which is 39 feet wide and 58 feet long, is nearly as long as four Pizza Planet delivery trucks. The 2025 parade marks the first time that Buzz Lightyear is back in the lineup in over 10 years, in time to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the original Toy Story movie.
3. The cherries, held by the PAC-MAN, are the first fruit gamers encounter when playing the original arcade game, per Macy's. "I can't tell you how impactful and quick the storytelling happens with this balloon, just traveling down the route with like these huge cherries. It's just very joyful," Kennedy teased.
4. Shrek's Onion Carriage features eight characters: Shrek, Fiona, their triplets (Felicia, Fergus & Farkle), Donkey, Gingy and Pinocchio. "It's the most parade characters ever on a balloon," Kennedy pointed out to Parade, revealing, "A fun fact about that balloon is that it can fly [in] either direction, which is not a normal thing for balloons."
Related: 99th Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade Lineup Revealed: Foreigner, Kool & the Gang, More
5. Minnie Mouse balloon, who made her debut in 2024, is back this year. The beloved Disney character, with her bow and yellow heels, is taller than a five-story building.
6. Stuart the Minion was reimagined for the 99th parade with artist VERDY’s character Vick. "The idea that there was a Minions balloon where there was this like Stuart the Minion was holding, like a banana man with like animatronic legs, and we took the man out of the hands, and now it's these soft sculpts of other mini Minions that are now painting the balloon with Vick, VERDY's character like all over, kind of like a graffiti on his overalls," Kennedy shared with Parade. "So it's kind of like a remix of the balloon. So not all new, but it's this very like, new way of reimagining what can happen to a balloon, and how can we reimagine how it comes down the parade route."
7. The Gabby & Pandy Paws balloon is returning after the star of Gabby’s Dollhouse and her best friend Pandy Paws made their first appearance in the 98th parade. The DreamWorks Animation balloon was painted with more than 25 colors.
8. Greg Heffley, from the book series Diary of a Wimpy Kid, will appear for the 16th time this Thanksgiving. Fun fact, his backpack is big enough to hold about 2,000 regular-sized backpacks.
Related: Son of a Nutcracker! Over 50 Funny and Iconic Quotes from Your Favorite Christmas Movies
9. The Marshall the Dalmatian from PAW Patrol balloon is twice the size of a standard New York City Fire Department firetruck.
10. Snoopy is the parade's longest-running character balloon. Beagle Scout Snoopy with his best friend Woodstock is the 9th version of Snoopy to appear in the spectacle.
11. Spider-Man returned to the parade in 2024 will an all-new balloon that was inspired by comic book artist John Romita Sr.’s art.
12. Pikachu & Eevee will once again be sleighing down the streets of Manhattan on their sleigh, with each blade said to be "about the same length as a semi-trailer truck." The Pikachu & Eevee marks the 25th consecutive appearance of a Pokémon balloon in the annual parade.
13. The 52-feet tall Bluey balloon was painted with approximately 50 gallons of blue paint. The beloved blue heeler puppy made her debut in the 2022 parade.
14. Goku has a new look this year. The hero of Dragon Ball is returning, but this time with his trademark black hair, rather than the blue hair he’s sported on the parade route before.
15. To celebrate turning 80 last year, Smokey Bear, the star of the longest-running public service advertising campaign in American history, is back. Smokey Bear made his debut as a giant character balloon in the 1966 parade.
16. Did you know that over 250,000 Pillsbury crescent rolls can fit inside the Pillsbury Doughboy balloon?
17. SpongeBob SquarePants is making his 21st appearance in the parade this year, accompanied by his pet snail Gary. SpongeBob, who made his first appearance in 2004, was actually the first square balloon in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.
Next, everything to know about the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade.
New 2025 Character Balloons
Eugene Gologursky/Getty Images for Macy's
Eugene Gologursky/Getty Images for Macy's
Eugene Gologursky/Getty Images for Macy's
Eugene Gologursky/Getty Images for Macy's
Related: Your Guide to the 99th Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, From 'KPop Demon Hunters' to Hoda Kotb
Hence then, the article about 17 facts about the 2025 macy s thanksgiving day parade balloons was published today ( ) and is available on Parade ( Saudi Arabia ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( 17 Facts About the 2025 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade Balloons )
Also on site :
- Kentucky congressman announces death of longtime staffer, campaign manager
- Camarillo man arrested after stolen camera reactivated and installed on the exterior of a home
- Environmental groups file emergency lawsuit to halt Sable Offshore’s restart of oil production