SpongeBob SquarePants Balloon Gets Holiday Makeover For 87th Annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
Making his way from Bikini Bottom to New York City, the high-flying SpongeBob SquarePants balloon will debut a new look for the 87th Annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade® on Thursday, Nov. 28. Donning a holiday-themed ensemble for this year's celebration, millions of fans will watch as SpongeBob takes to the sky for his ninth consecutive procession down the streets of Manhattan.
The SpongeBob balloon design was re-imagined by Nickelodeon and the Macy's Parade organizers to give it a fresh, more vivid look. The balloon structure was also fine-tuned as organizers accomplished an engineering feat, incorporating 800 tie lines in the single chamber sphere that intricately pull together SpongeBob's trademark square shape.
"It's not very often that the term 'square' and 'balloon' are used together, but for nearly a decade the SpongeBob SquarePants balloon has been one of the many highlights of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade," said Amy Kule, Executive Producer of the holiday spectacle. "With his animated persona and super-sized Santa hat, this second iteration of this irascible character will float down the Parade route to the continued delight of the millions of fans lining the streets of New York and the many millions more watching on television across the country. This Thanksgiving, SpongeBob once again takes his rightful position squarely in the sky."
"Nickelodeon has a long history of successful collaborations with Macy's and we are very excited to unveil this new SpongeBob balloon at the Parade this year," said Pam Kaufman, Chief Marketing Officer and President of Consumer Products, Nickelodeon. "Watching the Parade is a time-honored, Thanksgiving Day tradition and we hope this balloon brings a sense of SpongeBob's eternal optimism to the millions of families watching at home and the millions more experiencing the Parade in New York City."
In 2004, the first-ever SpongeBob SquarePants Balloon made its inaugural appearance in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade to the delight of kids and adults alike. Based on the most-watched animated kids' show on TV, this year's newest SpongeBob balloon will stand at 44-feet tall, 41-feet long and 34-feet wide as it struts down New York's most famous parade route.