The Beagle Scout flies again!

The Beagle Scout Snoopy balloon will return to this year’s Macy’s 98th Annual Thanksgiving Parade.

The parade will air live from 8:30 a.m. until 12 p.m. ET/PT on Thursday, Nov. 28. It will begin on Manhattan's Upper West Side, and conclude at Macy's Herald Square flagship store. The parade broadcast also will stream on Peacock, with an encore on NBC at 2 p.m. ET/PT.

The 55-foot tall Beagle Scout Snoopy wears his red Scout tie and green backpack; his pal Woodstock rides on his hat, to join the festivities. This balloon debuted to honor 2023’s 50th anniversary of the first appearance of Beagle Scouts in the Peanuts newspaper strip.

Snoopy continues to be the longest-running character in the parade’s history.  He started in 1968 as the Flying Ace; this was followed by an Astronaut, Ice Skater, Ice Skater with Woodstock, Millenium Snoopy, an updated Flying Ace, Snoopy and Woodstock, an updated Astronaut, and now (again) Beagle Scout with Woodstock. 

The new Snoopy balloon will be joined by a Peanuts float: Camp Snoopy, with Woodstock and friends perched on top of their tent, on the lookout for some wild turkeys.  This will be the sixth version of the Peanuts float; the first was way back in 1967!

If you want even more Beagle Scout fun following the parade, season 1 of Camp Snoopy is available via subscription on Apple TV+. 

Can Beagle Scouts fly?

(This special post is by 5CP Associate Editor Gayna Lamb-Bang.)

(Amended, to correct two mistakes; note, in particular, the parade start time.)

A new Snoopy balloon and Peanuts float will debut at this year’s 97th annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade

The parade will be televised from 8:30 a.m. to noon November 23rd, all time zones, on NBC-TV and also streaming via Peacock.

The 55-foot tall Beagle Scout Snoopy, wearing his red Scout tie and green backpack, with his pal Woodstock sitting on his hat, will join the festivities. This honors the 50th anniversary of the first appearance of Beagle Scouts in the Peanuts newspaper strip. (Check out the relevant strips below.)

Snoopy continues to be the longest-running character in the parade’s history.  He started in 1968 as the WWI Flying Ace, which was followed by an Astronaut, Ice Skater, Ice Skater with Woodstock, Millennium Snoopy, an updated Flying Ace, Snoopy and Woodstock, an updated Astronaut, and now the Beagle Scout with Woodstock. 

The new Peanuts float will feature Camp Snoopy, with Woodstock and friends perched on top of their tent, on the lookout for some wild turkeys.  

To top it all off, in 2024 Apple TV+ will present more of the Peanuts gang’s adventures, with the premiere of the “Camp Snoopy” series.

Snoopy debuted as an "apprentice Scout" on May 13, 1974

He hoped to become a Beagle Scout the following day...

...and he finally debuted as the World-Famous Beagle Scout on May 17.

Snoopy returns to the Macy's 96th annual Thanksgiving Parade

(This special post is by 5CP Associate Editor Gayna Lamb-Bang.)

The Thanksgiving Parade will be televised on NBC-TV from 9 a.m. to noon November 24th, all time zones, and also streaming via Peacock.

 

The orange-suited Astronaut Snoopy balloon returns to the festivities for the fourth consecutive year, making the World-Famous Beagle the parade’s longest-running balloon character. Also be on the lookout for the Snoopy's Doghouse Float, which represents Mission Control for the launch of Astronaut Snoopy!

 

NASA's "zero-gravity indicator"

Snoopy’s flight along the parade route of downtown New York’s streets will take place shortly after NASA’s November 14th launch of the giant Artemis I rocket.  It will be the first of three uncrewed Artemis I flights designed to circle the moon and return to Earth. The subsequent Artemis II flights, a few years later, will include a crew.  Astronaut Snoopy — in a much smaller form than his balloon persona — will be onboard as a zero-gravity indicator alerting Mission Control of the moment each flight achieves weightlessness.

Snoopy’s involvement with NASA hearkens back to 1969’s Apollo 10 mission, when the command module was named Charlie Brown, and the lunar module was named Snoopy.

Not bad for a World War I Flying Ace!

 

Time for Macy's 95th Annual Thanksgiving Parade

Snoopy is back again!

 

Save the date!

 

New Yorkers and visitors once again will be able to enjoy the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade in person. After nearly two years of intense social distancing, we’ve no doubt this will be one of the best-attended parades ever.

 

The balloon(s) will go up — literally! — on November 25th. Folks not able to attend the 95th annual Macy’s Parade in person, can watch all the fun from 9 a.m. to noon, all time zones, on NBC-TV.

Astronaut Snoopy will return for the third consecutive year, continuing the world-famous beagle’s record as the longest-running balloon character in the parade.  Snoopy is delighted to know his ground crew will be back, because being driven by a utility vehicle — last year, due to Covid restrictions — was simply not the same.

Snoopy Returns to Space

Save the date!

On November 28th, the 93rd Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade will air from 9 am to noon, all time zones, on NBC-TV. You won’t want to miss it, because an updated version of Astronaut Snoopy — presented by Peanuts Worldwide and NASA — will be featured in the line-up of super-sized balloons. 

Astronaut Snoopy will be in the parade to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Moon landing, and to promote the 12-part Apple TV+ series: Snoopy in Space.  You won’t be able to miss him; he’s 49 feet tall, 43 feet long, and 29 feet wide!

For additional information about this Snoopy balloon, and Peanuts’ history in the annual Macy’s parade — along with fun facts about Snoopy’s relationship with NASA — check out this informative article.

For additional information about Snoopy in Space, see our previous blog post.

This post contributed by Gayna Lamb-Bang.

Charlie Brown returns to the sky!

(This special post is by 5CP Associate Editor Gayna Lamb-Bang)

This is a maquette of the new Charlie Brown balloon, used in the Macy's studio as a
reference for the full-size balloon.

This upcoming 2016 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade will replace last year’s Snoopy and Woodstock balloon with an updated version of the Charlie Brown balloon.  Our favorite blockhead previously flew the New York sky back in 2012.  (See previous blog entry for a complete history and rundown of the Peanuts balloons in the annual Macy’s parade.)

This all-new 2016 balloon will feature our good friend Chuck flying his kite, rather than attempting to kick his football.

Details on his creation can be found in this nifty article.

A History of Peanuts Balloons in the Annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

(This special post is by 5CP Associate Editor Gayna Lamb-Bang.)

After watching last year’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, and anticipating the oversized balloons of our pals Snoopy and Woodstock, I wondered about the Peanuts balloon legacy in this annual celebration.

1968 WWI Flying Ace Snoopy

I quickly discovered that information was both scarce, and frequently inaccurate.

In the interests, then, of providing an authoritative chronology of the association between Macy’s and the Peanuts gang, I spent considerable time researching the topic. The goal was to find and provide an absolutely accurate listing, at all times cross-checked with photos and news coverage from reputable sources.

Let’s start with a few fun facts:

• New York City’s famous Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade began in 1924, complete with live animals borrowed from the Central Park Zoo. Beginning in 1927 — not 1928, as numerous Internet sites incorrectly claim — the live animals were replaced by large balloons designed by famed puppeteer Tony Sarg, and built by Bil Baird. A terrific Smithsonian Magazine article profiled Sarg in November 2013, and the Norman Rockwell Museum mounted a delightful exhibit devoted to him from June 10 through November 5, 2023.

• Snoopy, in various personas, has been in this parade more than any other character. 

Newspaper ad for the 1969 parade

• The average height of the large balloons, like our pal Snoopy, is roughly six stories.

• The ground-based balloon handlers must weigh at least 125 pounds.

• For many year's, Macy's promoted the parade with detailed, full-page newspaper ads that sometimes even listed the scheduled balloons and floats.  

• Until 2011, the floats and balloons were built in a former Tootsie Roll factory in Hoboken, New Jersey. The parade construction facility then moved to a larger warehouse in Carlstadt, also in New Jersey. 

• During the very early hours of parade day, everything travels through the Lincoln Tunnel, to get to the parade’s starting point in Manhattan. Once there, the balloons are inflated with a mix of helium and outside air, just a few hours before the parade begins.

• These days, roughly 2 million spectators line the streets of Manhattan, to view the parade. The event lasts approximately three hours, and covers two and a half miles.