Snoopy Gets a Facelift in Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade - East Idaho News
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Snoopy Gets a Facelift in Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade

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111813 TGivingSnoopyMacys?  SQUARESPACE CACHEVERSION=1384818634962Macy’s(NEW YORK) — After the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade began in 1924, it quickly became a Thanksgiving tradition, much like turkey and football. This year, in its 87th year, Snoopy has had another balloon makeover.

He first debuted in 1968 as Snoopy the Aviator and has since appeared in 36 parades, more than any other character. This year, in his 37th parade, Snoopy’s look is all new. Eight designers worked for three months to perfect his new look, which is a classic nose-diving Snoopy, complete with his pal Woodstock.

Before we get into the nitty gritty of the new design, let’s look back at his past looks:

  • In 1968 we met Snoopy the Aviator.
  • From 1969-1977 he was an astronaut, a tribute to Apollo 11.
  • In 1987, we saw him as an ice skater.
  • From 1990-1994, Woodstock joined Snoopy.
  • In 2000, we got Millennium Snoopy.
  • In 2006-2011, Snoopy was the Flying Ace.
  • In 2012 the float was absent, so this year we finally get the return of our favorite Peanuts character.

This year, Snoopy is joined by Woodstock once again. His new look is modern, fresh and quite high-tech. He’s made out of polyurethane coated in nylon, which gives his features a more rounded look. And, instead of being one big float, he is composed of 12 chambers.

The new Snoopy is 67 feet long, 27 feet wide and 38 feet tall. He requires 90 handlers to help him along the 2.5-mile parade route and takes more than an hour to inflate. With such a large float, safety precautions have been taken. He will be attached to two vehicles, so even if the wind picks up and all handles lose their grasp. Snoopy isn’t going anywhere.

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