A triptych of Disney-related Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade balloons—on the left, the new (2025) Buzz Lightyear balloon; in the middle, the original 1934 Mickey Mouse balloon (the first one to ever appear in the parade) making its way down the route; and on the right, an image of the 1992 Santa Goofy balloon.

Floating through History: Disney Balloons in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade

By Courtney Potter, Rebecca Cline, and the D23 Team

Thanksgiving is just around the corner! A day where—no matter our traditions, whether gathering with family for a delicious meal, watching football, going on a hike with friends, or your own special custom—one thing’s for certain… for the last 99 years, save a few here and there, the morning kicks off with the world-famous Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City.

Across several of those memorable decades, Disney has been a big part of the pageantry. And in 2025, in honor of Disney and Pixar’s Toy Story celebrating its incredible 30th anniversary, Disney is bringing a brand-new Buzz Lightyear balloon to the Big Apple parade route!

A full image of the new (2025) Buzz Lightyear balloon from the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, from the top of his head all the way down to his feet. He is posed as if flying through the air, with his wings outstretched and his hands down by his waist. A blue sky with clouds is seen behind him.

The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade (initially called Macy’s Christmas Parade, and later Macy’s Santa Claus Parade) had its genesis in 1924, when a group of employees organized a parade that included animals from the Central Park Zoo, professional bands, and floats. Balloons, air- and then helium-filled, were introduced several years later.

Meanwhile, the very first Disney character to appear in the parade was, as you might’ve guessed, Mickey Mouse—and he arrived at the route ten years later, in 1934, as a balloon! Measuring some 40 feet tall, and filled with 2,664 cubic feet of helium (!), he was constructed by the Goodyear Rubber Company, and attendants dressed in adult Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse Halloween costumes guided the gigantic balloon through the streets of New York.

Two images of Mickey from the Macy's Christmas Parade in 1924.

Mickey wasn’t alone, however. That same 1934 parade also featured his best buddy Pluto; the Three Little Pigs and the Big Bad Wolf; and several other Walt Disney Productions characters. For the next few years, several of these Disney balloons—later including Donald Duck—continued to delight paradegoers.

After a three-plus-decade hiatus, Disney returned for the 46th Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in 1972, celebrating the first anniversary of Walt Disney World Resort with new balloons. This time ‘round, Mickey was once again joined by Donald Duck.

Then, Mickey once again appeared on the route in 1974, at the 48th Annual Parade, complete with color-coordinated handlers guiding him through Herald Square.

A historical image of the Mickey Mouse balloon from the 1974 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Mickey is wearing a yellow shirt and red shorts with white buttons, and his handlers are also wearing outfits of yellow and red.

In 1992, Santa Goofy got into the mix for the 66th Annual Parade—the only new balloon that year!—looking as festive as ever. A whopping 65 feet tall and wearing shiny, 8 and 3/4 foot black boots, a fur-trimmed hat, and a red Santa suit, Goofy also made an appearance that year at the Disney-MGM Studios Theme Park at Walt Disney World Resort—alongside several other Macy’s balloons—as part of the “Macy’s New York Christmas” event… floating over the area then known as New York Street. This jolly occasion was televised in a segment of that year’s Walt Disney World Very Merry Christmas Parade.

A historical image of the Santa Goofy balloon from the 1992 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Goofy has a Santa hat and coat on and has a wreath with holiday lights slung over one arm. A smaller balloon in front of him is shaped like a star and features the Macy’s logo.

As we moved into the new millennium, Mickey reappeared in 2000’s 74th Annual Parade in his memorable bandleader outfit—inspired by his look from the iconic Mickey Mouse Club television series of the 1950s. During that year, he was also named the Macy’s Holiday Ambassador and visited the Macy’s store to meet children.

A historical image of the bandleader Mickey Mouse balloon from the 2000 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Mickey’s outfit evokes the same one he’d wear on the 1950s classic Mickey Mouse Club television series.

In 2009, to help announce two new Disney Cruise Line ships—the Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy—the 83rd Annual Parade once again saw a reimagined Mickey Mouse balloon… this time, he appeared as Sailor Mickey, wearing a red, white, and blue sailor uniform while saluting the crowds below.

A historical image of the Sailor Mickey balloon, celebrating Disney Cruise Line’s two new cruise ships, in the 2009 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Mickey is wearing a red, white, and blue uniform and is saluting the crowd below.

While fan-favorite Greg Heffley, protagonist of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid book series, made his first appearance as a balloon in the 2010 parade, a fresh and reimagined balloon (based on his look from the adorable Diary of a Wimpy Kid animated film on Disney+) debuted in 2022—and he returns this year. As per usual, and most importantly, he’s avoiding… touching… the cheese. Amazingly, his backpack is so big, it could fit 2,000 regular backpacks inside of it!

An image of the Greg Heffley (from Diary of a Wimpy Kid) balloon in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. He is wearing a backpack, and in front of the balloon, on the street, is a large inflated piece of cheese, that balloon Greg is actively trying to avoid touching!

Not to be outdone, Minnie Mouse first joined the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade balloon lineup only last year (2024), but she’s already made an impact, as she’s—according to the good folks at Macy’s—the tallest balloon in the parade! Coming in at 60 feet long, she’s definitely ready for a Big Apple holiday adventure. Make sure to look for her again this year.

 

An image of the current Minnie Mouse balloon as seen in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. She is wearing her iconic red and white polka dot dress, with a red and white polka dot bow in her hair and yellow shoes.

And that brings us back to 2025 and the 99th Parade… and the re-introduction of Buzz Lightyear to the parade route. He initially appeared from 2008 to 2013, and he’s making his triumphant return during Toy Story’s 30th anniversary—and as we begin to look ahead to Toy Story 5 in 2026.

Here’s a fun fact: From his head to his “ANDY”-adorned boot, this Buzz balloon is nearly as long as four Pizza Planet delivery trucks!

A closer image of the new (2025) Buzz Lightyear balloon from the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. He is posed as if flying through the air, with his wings outstretched and his hands down by his waist. A blue sky with clouds is seen behind him.

Of course, there have been other amazing balloons from around the worlds of Disney over the years, through present day—including Kermit the Frog, Grogu from The Mandalorian, Marvel’s Spider-Man, Chicken Little, Jojo from Jojo’s Circus on Playhouse Disney, Bluey, and Olaf from the Frozen films… plus countless floats, such as this year’s sure-to-be-memorable “Magic Meets the Seas” float celebrating the latest ship in the Disney Cruise Line fleet, the Disney Destiny.

Plus, don’t forget that the iconic holiday film themed to the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade—1947’s Miracle on 34th Street (with Natalie Wood, Maureen O’Hara, and Edmund Gwenn) and its 1994 reimagining (with Sir Richard Attenborough and Mara Wilson)—are available to stream on Disney+!

So, grab your favorite seat on the couch (and your favorite hot beverage), and settle in on Thanksgiving morning for another fabulous parade featuring some beloved Disney friends! We’ll be doing the same…