I said ‘hello’ to Baby Yoda and Pikachu

BABY YODA

 

“It was tremendously satisfying to watch this color parade.”

—Erno Rubik

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

PARDON me for being a child again, but I was among the thousands of excited and screaming spectators who watched and welcomed back the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade with open arms, and under picture-perfect skies, as the iconic march returned for its 95th year on November 25 in the streets of New York City.

It was a different feeling watching the parade unfold “live” before your eyes. 

The risk of being maimed by different warm and large bodies in the crowd was worth it. Never mind the cold temperature. I missed the thrill and excitement for straight two years (in 2019 because I was in New Jersey, and in 2020, the pandemic year).

The parade route, which covered 2.5 miles (4km) through Manhattan, with more than 8,000 marchers taking part, was filled with a big crowd coming from the different states and countries, a manifestation that the Empire City struck by pandemic since 2020, was back with a vengeance.

PIKACHU

The child in me got fascinated with Baby Yoda, Snoopy and Papa Smurf, who were among the balloons spotted flying over the packed streets of Manhattan, while at ground level, marching bands, performers and, of course, a turkey kept the crowds entertained.

 

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Baby Yoda, who delighted fans in the Star Wars spin-off The Mandalorian, was actually a new balloon for 2021.

Also the other first-timers who made their debut as a pair were Pokemon characters Pikachu and Eevee.

It felt like there were more people than ever before lining the streets from Central Park West down to Herald Square.

Thousands of marchers, hundreds of clowns, dozens of balloons and floats-and, of course, Santa Claus-marked the latest U.S. holiday event to make a comeback as vaccines, familiarity and sheer frustration made officials and some of the public more comfortable with big gatherings amid the ongoing pandemic.

Safety measures continued as parade staffers and volunteers had to be vaccinated against COVID-19 and wear masks, though some singers and performers were allowed to shed them. 

 

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There was no inoculation requirement for spectators, it was reported, but Macy's and the city encouraged them to cover their faces.

The parade stepped off at 9 o’clock in the morning on the Upper West Side, and what followed were all the sights and sounds this one-of-a-kind parade has delivered for decades.

The parade, the most colorful and most well-attended in the world, featured 15 giant character balloons, 28 floats, 36 inflatables, 9 performance groups and a host of celebrities, including Jon Batiste, Kristin Chenoweth, Foreigner, Kelly Rowland, Rob Thomas, Carrie Underwood and Santa Claus.

Some of those balloons were four stories high and as wide as a New York City taxicab.

Also taking part were 10 marching bands from all across the country and 800 very enthusiastic clowns.

They marched the 2.5 mile parade route with joy-and it was very much what New Yorkers needed after last year's made-only-for-television parade, which was shortened to one block due to the pandemic.

"Everyone's masked, I'm vaccinated, we feel safe," said one woman. "And it's great starting to get things back. It's great to see the city coming back again."

The balloons were blown up Wednesday (November 24) ahead of their Thanksgiving Day flights, with the annual inflation event from noon until 6 o’clock in the evening for vaccinated guests only.

Thirty-six novelty and heritage inflatables joined this year's edition.

The new class of balloons included Ada Twist, Scientist by Netflix; a Funko Pop! inspired Grogu (a.k.a. Baby Yoda) from the Star Wars series "The Mandalorian;" Ronald McDonald by McDonald's USA; and Pikachu & Eevee by The Pokémon International Company.

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor of two Iloilo dailies.—ED)

Frozen in Manhattan

“Thanksgiving Day is a good day to recommit our energies to giving thanks and just giving.”
--Amy Grant

By Alex P. Vidal

NEW YORK CITY -- Excitement and fear of a chilly 27 degrees weather.
This was how I felt when I made it to the Herald Square Park in midtown Manhattan before nine o’clock in the morning on Thursday, the Thanksgiving Day, before the start of Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
From the Herald Square Park subway train station where I disembarked from train Q, I hesitated to go out and wanted to cancel the “coverage” because of the chilly weather; but the NYC cops closed all the subway entrances as part of security protocol.
Since it was New York City’s coldest Thanksgiving since 1901, when the temperature only got as high as 26 degrees (-3.3 Celsius), those lining up in the streets, adults and children, “went to war with a full battle gear”: they had thick scarfs, fleece hoods, gloves, boots, coats.
I had a coat and a hood but did not have gloves. The guts.
The coldest on record was in 1871, when the warmest it got was 22 degrees (-5.5 Celsius).
I chose the Avenue of Americas (Sixth Street) area where I had a good view of the coming balloons, floats, marching bands, clowns, and ballonicles.

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After 30 minutes, the frigid air that was hitting the five boroughs, was taking its toll on my body.
It came on a jet stream pattern that went from Siberia, over the North Pole, and down into our area.
The chilly Thanksgiving Day had been expected days earlier although temperatures were originally in the 40s earlier Wednesday, with wind chills in the 30s.
The arctic air brought New Yorkers a brief coating of snow as well.
After more than one hour and the parade was only halfway, my spirit was still willing to sustain the “coverage”, but the body could not.
I was frozen in Manhattan.
I quit, walked to the Bryant Park, and took a subway train 7 in the Grand Central Station going to the Queens.
Projected Thanksgiving high temperatures were 39 degrees in Chicago and 35 in Washington D.C., but some who had decided to head to Boston was expecting 22-degree temperatures. Highs in Los Angeles and Atlanta were in the 60s.

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I didn’t give up actually until I was done waiting for 18 of the 26 much-ballyhooed giant balloons to pass.
They were: Goku, Gleck, Bjorn, Jojo and Hugg, Little Cloud, Sunny the Snow Pal, Americana Spheres, Arrtie the Pirate, Blue and White Macy’s Stars, Charlie Brown, Dino, Greg Heffley, Diary of a Wimpy Kid Series, Illumination Presents Dr. Seuss’ the Grench, Jett by Super Wings, Olaf, Paw Patrol, Pikachu, Pillsbury Doughboy, Red Believe Stars, Red and Gold Macy’s Starflakes, Red Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Ronald McDonald, Songebob Squarepants, The Elf on the Shelf, Toothless From How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World, Trolls, Universal Nutcracker, and Yellow Macy’s Star.
These iconic characters that soared between Manhattan skyscrapers weren’t grounded as announced days before when sustained winds did not exceed 23 mph and gusts did not exceed 34 mph, based on city rules implemented after wind blew a "Cat in the Hat'' balloon into a lamp post in 1997 near the Central Park, critically injuring a woman.
The parade, which featured about 8,000 marchers, including high school bands from across the country, and two-dozen floats culminating with the arrival of Santa Claus, negotiated 46 blocks from the Central Park’s west side to Macy’s flagship store in midtown Manhattan (Herald Square Park).

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The balloon attractions debuted in 1927, inspired by a balloon float. Even then, they were massive--one was a 60-foot dinosaur--and, in those days, they had more to deal with than just high winds and crazy weather: Until 1938, an elevated train ran down Sixth Avenue, according to Mental Floss.
Well-known characters have been part of the parade since that 1927 outing.
Felix the Cat was there from the beginning, and Mickey Mouse joined in 1934, the same year that featured a balloon based on popular entertainer Eddie Cantor.
"Peanuts" characters, especially Snoopy--who made his first appearance in 1968--are regular visitors.
One tradition didn't last long.
The balloons were originally allowed to float away, and those who found them got a gift certificate from Macy's.