To My Readers: Happy Thanksgiving!

Have a good one, folks. May it be filled with popcorn & jellybeans.

Best,
Val

The Significance Of The Marvel Comics Thanksgiving Float

To me, the crucial turning-point in the licensing of superheroes, post-Mego action figures in the 1970s, was the first Marvel Comics float at the Macy's Thanksgiving parade, circa 1987. Watching this short segment on my TV as a comic collecting teenager was a rare and unexpected thrill.

First, a little background. The licensing of superhero characters took a sharp nose-dive after the demise of Mego Toys in the early Eighties. Sure, in the early-to-mid 1980s we had the Secret Wars and Super Powers toy lines. But they were relatively slim pickings, with not a tremendous amount of ancillary products or TV adaptations.


Furthermore -- as an X-Men fan, things were even more slim pickings for me. The Wolverine and Magneto action figures from the Secret Wars line. That was it, the only acknowledgment outside of two "Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends" cartoons that the X-Men existed outside of the comic books I was dutifully collecting on a weekly basis.

But enter the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, and the Marvel float. For the first time, I saw an X-Men character "in real life" -- an actor dressed up like Wolverine. This was *huge* for me.

Plus: Emma Frost(!), Luke Cage (!!), and even Robocop (!!!)!

Was Marvel's deal with New World Studios the impetus for this float? Was this, and the float in 1989, the publisher's attempt to stick its big toe into the wider world of media and gauge the popularity of these characters?

Whatever the reasons, by 1990 a whole new golden age of licensing and TV and movies dawned for both Marvel and DC superheroes. Toy Biz in a way became a more successful version of Mego, producing tons and tons of toys, dolls, playsets, and other products starring Marvel characters both popular and obscure.

Fancy a Wolverine figure? (from Radapaw's Wolverine Figure Gallery)

Some might point to the success of the first Batman movie as the beginning of this new "age of superheroes" -- but I think it started with that very first Marvel Thanksgiving float.

Wow, I'm a nerd.

1987 Float


1989 Float

Giant Thanksgiving Balloons

Those giant balloons in the Macy's Thanksgiving parade used to both fascinate and scare me. I used to have nightmares where I'd look out my window and a huge balloon face (perhaps Kermit) was looking in on me.

As of late, I've noticed that a lot of balloons that haven't necessarily "earned" a spot in the parade are being used -- you know, relatively new characters that are basically "debuted" at the parade to advertise something. I think the "Ask Jeeves" balloon was the one that started me questioning the balloon selection process.

Still, am hoping one day that an Occasional Superheroine balloon makes its way through Midtown. :-D

Occasional Links, The Slapsgiving Edition

Video: How I Met Your Mother tries to hone in on Seinfeld's imaginary holiday racket by staging "Slapsgiving." Do you know anyone in need of a good slap this holiday season?


The Macy's Thanksgiving balloons have been both a source of wonderment and abject terror growing up. I always had this nightmare where I'd see a semi-deflated Kermit knock against my 6th floor bedroom window with his floppy hand.

Here are several links with cool photos of the balloons:
Macy's Balloon Inflation (there is one shot with Pokemon & Ronald McDonald that looks sort of dirty...can you find it?)

This is a helpful timeline of great moments in Macy's Thanksgiving balloon history. Get a load of the mug on that Superman balloon...far more Walter Matthau than the Man of Steel.


And here is a gallery featuring photos of the Macy's balloon over the years. Are you as annoyed as I am about characters who don't really deserve it having balloons? I mean, really: does Jimmy Neutron really deserve a balloon? Is his show even on anymore? I smell crass commercialism.

Speaking of Macy's, here are two videos of the Marvel Comics presentation during the 1987 and 1989 parades. You can't underestimate how awesome watching this on TV was as a kid. On par with those "Challenge of the Superfriends" TV specials, but with better acting. And Robocop, Melba Moore, and Emma Frost.



I'm sure you've watched the classic 1973 Charlie Brown Thanksgiving at some point, haven't you? I always wanted to do a rant on that cartoon. Peppermint Patty is such a bitch! It's like Lucy went on vacation and Patty took over in the bitch department. It's not like she was invited to Charlie's house for Thanksgiving...she basically invited herself. And he did the best he could to host dinner, despite limited resources. Why did she need to chew poor Chuck out? These Peanuts specials always had these unsettling, really adult bits of dysfunction in them, whether it was Charlie depressed over "killing" the Christmas tree, Patty's bipolar episode over the Thanksgiving dinner, or delusional Linus's pumpkin obsession. That's why I prefer The Jerry Lucas Super Kids Day Jamboree.