The Rugrats Balloon

Do you know what Bullwinkle, Underdog, Linus The Lionhearted, The Pink Panther, The Simpsons and Rugrats have in common? They all have balloons in the famous Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

On Thanksgiving 1997 (11/27/1997), a Rugrats balloon has joined Arthur (the Aardvark), Bumpé (a Swedish children's character) and Ms. Petula Pig (a Macy's character) in making their debuts in the 71st edition of this parade. This parade also featured its first "falloon" (combination float and balloon, featuring the balloon of "The Snow Family" and the cast of the "All New Captain Kangaroo" on the float), sponsored by The (Fox / ABC) Family Channel.

The Rugrats balloon design, which features Tommy and Chuckie on top of Spike, is the first balloon in parade history to feature 3 characters on a single balloon, and the most intricate; this is also Nick's first balloon ever in the parade.

The balloon was used in the Macy's parade from 1997 to 2001.

The Rugrats Balloon
The Rugrats Balloon, "in the flesh".
(from Nickelodeon Magazine, November 1997,
©1997 by Viacom.)

Specifications:

Type of material used: Nylon fabric
Amount of Fabric Used: 2000 yards (1.14 miles; 6000 feet)
Spike's Snout: 20 feet long
Chuckie's Glasses: 12 feet wide
Amount of Helium needed: 16,780 cubic feet
Weight of balloon (uninflated): 450 pounds
Height (fully-inflated): 40 feet
Minimum number of people required to guide balloon: 30

As for what the balloon may look like on the street, heres an artist's conception:
(from a contest ad in the September 1997 issue of Nickelodeon Magazine; © 1997 by Viacom. Macy's logo is a registered trade mark of the R.H. Macy Co., a Federated Stores company.)

For pictures and complete details from their inaugural appearance in 1997, click here.

For pictures and details from their 1998 appearance, click here.

For details on later appearances, click here.

Return To Rugrats Home Page