With Thanksgiving just around the corner, many are eagerly anticipating what kind of different floats and balloons it will feature. the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade;. These giant balloons of our favorite characters have been a Thanksgiving tradition for over 95 years, and while for most of those years the parade has gone off without a hitch, there have been some disastrous Thanksgiving balloon mishaps in the past. It was a fun project to research vintage photos and learn about various safety measures that resulted from the accidents. From plane crashes to blowouts, read about these crazy mishaps (and hopefully nothing happens this year).
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10. A Plane Crashes Into a Tom-Cat Balloon, 1932
After the Thanksgiving Parade, an excited 22-year-old aviation student crashed her small plane into a 60-foot Tom-Cat balloon in Jamaica, in Queens, as part of a spontaneous stunt. Student, Annette Gipson from Brooklyn, was flying the plane with her instructor at 5,000 feet when she noticed the balloon in her path and decided to fly straight into it. According to the book Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, upon seeing the balloon, Gipson was quoted as saying, "I think I'm going to have a piece of his neck."
After contact, the balloon wrapped around the left wing and the plane spiraled toward the ground, forcing Gipson to shut off the ignition to avoid catching fire. Below her, hundreds of people looked up in horror as they watched the out-of-control plane plummet. At one point, Gipson nearly fell out of the plane when the cabin door opened, but her leg was caught and she was able to get back in.
Fortunately, her instructor switched places with Gipson in time to struggle to land the plane in Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn. An investigation by the Commerce Department's Aeronautics Division found that Gipson and her instructor violated federal rules prohibiting aerobatics in populated areas. Despite this accident, Gipson eventually became an accomplished "aviatrix" who made headlines in the newspapers.
9. Popeye the Sailor's Water-filled Hat Splashes Onlookers, 1957
The etched hat of a Popeye the Sailor balloon filled with water when it started to rain at the Thanksgiving Day Parade in 1957. The weight of the water caused Popeye to lean slightly forward and deviate from his intended course. This deviation in route brought him closer to the crowd, who were in for a chilling surprise. Eventually, water began pouring out of Popeye's hat, directly onto an unfortunate group of nearby spectators.
Popeye's love interest Olive Oyl was also involved in a parade day accident in the 1980s. Untapped New York reader Robyn sent in the above photo of the incident taken by her father, Roth Jr. Richard. You can see that Olive Oyl's left arm is severed from the rest of her deflated arm. Her wrist got caught in a light pole or tree at 72nd Street and Central Park West. According to Robyn, someone had to climb the lamp post to cut the balloon!
8. Felix the Cat Catches Fire, 1927
Silent film era cartoon character Felix the Cat met a wild end at the 1927 parade when he got tangled in telephone wires and caught fire! Fortunately, the flames were quickly extinguished before they could jump to any other nearby structures. The incident happened when the parade ended and the balloon was released into the air.
Letting the balloons fly freely once the parade was over was a common practice in the early days of the parade. Address labels were sewn onto the balloons so people could mail them back to Macy's for a $100 gift certificate. This practice was finally discontinued in 1932 after various other balloon accidents in the Thanksgiving Day Parade. Felix the Cat was actually the first giant balloon made for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, so it's no surprise that things didn't go over too well at first.
7. Sonic the Hedgehog Crash Injures Two People, 1993
The first The Thanksgiving Day Parade character balloon, based on video games, also had an inauspicious start. En route, strong winds caused it to crash head first into one lamp post of Columbus Circle and then to a policeman and a young lady off duty. The couple suffered minor injuries. Sonic, however, had a major timeout. Sonic the Hedgehog wouldn't grace the parade again until 2011. That year, a new Sonic balloon was designed in a more modern way to celebrate Sonic's 20th anniversary. The 20th anniversary balloon was retired after 2014.
6. M&M Balloon Tear Leads to Injurious Debris Fall, 2005
Here's another Thanksgiving Day parade balloon whose destruction was caused by high winds: a 515-pound M&M balloon in 2005. While traveling in Times Square, the balloon fell toward an office building and stuck in a street light on 43rd Street, causing debris before falling and hitting two sisters.
Concerns were raised earlier in the parade when some witnesses noticed other balloons swinging even before the M&M appeared. This led to a city investigation into adjusting the parade balloon safety rules that were already in place. Both sisters were quite seriously injured. one needed nine stitches in the back of her head. THE compensation their; A lifetime supply of M&Ms.
5. Kermit the Frog's Head Tears, 1991
Many were saddened to see this much-loved character caught in tall branches during the parade in Central Park West. The obstacle causes Kermit's head to split open. Despite this balloon mishap at the Thanksgiving Day Parade, the crowd remained excited and cheered the balloon on as the crew continued to transport the 1000 pound balloon to the Herald Square.
Unfortunately for Kermit, this wasn't the first time his parade was ruined. Kermit encountered trees in 1985, but managed to make it to the end of the ride before completely deflating. Shortly after the 1991 incident, Kermit was temporarily retired. A tree-resistant Kermit balloon debuted in 2002.
4. A Keith Haring Based Balloon Hits NBC Broadcast Booth, 2008
TV anchors Al Roker, Meredith Viera and Matt Lauer were surprised when a balloon inspired by the artist Keith Haring crashed into their broadcast booth at NBC in 2008. The crash dislodged the camera and temporarily took the trio off the air. Once the balloon was removed, the show continued as planned. The balloon contained Haring's "Figure with Heart." It was created for the 2008 performance to commemorate Haring's 50th birthday.
3. Cat in the Hat Crash Leads to Size Rules, 1997
Such as is described carefully from them New York Times, 39 mph winds caused a six-story Cat in the Hat balloon to fall into a lamp post at 72nd Street and Central Park West at the 1997 parade. Debris fell from the incident, injuring four people. One of the victims was in a 24-day coma.
After the parade, Macy's promised to increase training for its balloon operators and paid to replace dozens of lampposts so they would be less likely to get caught in future balloon ropes and avoid future Thanksgiving balloon mishaps. In addition, a government commission recommended some restrictions on the size and operation of parade balloons, as well as more regulation of the parade by the city itself. The brain-damaged spectator sued the city for $395 million and settled for an "undisclosed amount" four years later.
2. Police Deflate Barney and Pink Panther Balloons Mid-Parade, 1997
The Cat in the Hat wasn't the only balloon in trouble during the 1997 parade. High wind speeds caused one Barney balloon to start swaying dangerously, so much so that police officers went along the route and stabbed the Barney balloon for safety. This attack on Barney scared some nearby kids.
The Pink Panther also gave way to the winds and began to explode on 42nd Street. An officer intervened again to bring about the same fate as Barney. Now, when high winds are predicted, the balloons are either grounded or flown much lower than usual to avoid any dangerous balloon accidents at the Thanksgiving Day Parade.
1. Snowstorm Winds Puncture Record Snoopy and Bugs Bunny, 1989
Nature is an unpredictable force that can have a big effect on the Thanksgiving Day Parade. Shortly before the 1989 parade, strong winds from a blizzard hit the area. The bad weather caused Snoopy's nose to puncture and Bugs Bunny's side to tear. THE Daily News he reported that this was the first Thanksgiving snowstorm in 51 years and the parade itself had “light to moderate involvement ».
Characters like Might Mouse, Superman, Raggedy Ann, Spider-Man, Ronald McDonald and others have fallen victim to a sharp lamppost, an overhanging tree branch or a strong gust of wind. However, all of the Thanksgiving Day Parade balloon mishaps have thankfully led to safety regulations and procedures that help limit the potential injuries and damage that balloons can cause so that everyone can get to the turkey table safely .
*Frontpage picture: Richard Roth Jr.
Her Stephanie Geier
Source: untappedcities