AIRBORN AGAIN
Vintage balloon characters get a makeover
Retro balloons get a makeover
When the Macy’s balloons take to the sky this year, eagle eyes might spot a few odd characters along with the up-to-date licensed characters from movies and video games.
This year sees the return of some vintage balloons that tap directly into the Parade’s past. you might have to ask your “Mad Men”-era grandparents who Dino is. Dino (pronounced die-no) has nothing to do with the new Disney animated movie “The Good Dinosaur” but comes from the 1959 logo of Sinclair Oil, founded in 1916.
John Piper, vice president of the Macy’s Parade Studio and lead balloon designer, says the newfor-2015 Dino has more character than the original, which first flew in 1963. The new Dino is also bigger at 76 feet long. “But mainly he has more character. his head is turned, his neck is bent, and so is his tail.”
Piper calls new Dino, “a classic example of a classic pose. he’s based on the balloon that was made in the 1960s, which was itself a celebration of the exhibit at the World’s Fair in Flushing.”
In 1947, harold the Police Officer debuted. he was a standard ballshaped body with round head and limbs stuck on. In 1948 he reemerged as harold the Fireman, repainted and with a hat. There was also a harry the Baseball Player. all three are back this year as brand new, mediumsized balloons.
“They were made from the geometric forms that could be patterned and calculated using a slide rule. This was long before computers and 3D animations,” says Piper.
Today’s balloons have more lines (ropes holding them down) than in older days, mainly because they are bigger. They are also made of new fibers with polyurethane coatings instead of neoprene. and they have a more complex series of chambers to give them shape, and for rapid deflation.
“The original Dino had rip panels for deflating him. It was a one-anddone situation. Today we have specially designed inflation ports that can be opened and closed as needed.”
another classic character making a return is Ronald McDonald. The fast food clown mascot now sports a red blazer over his yellow overalls and a bow tie. he’s less barnyard, more boardroom.
Because he is based on a human figure, he was complicated to make.
“We had to sculpt concave areas around his eye sockets and the sides of his
smile,” he says. ”and balloons don’t want to go concave! The ropes are tied in a way that keeps the fabric pulled into the right position.”
Others from the novelty balloon cast include arrtle the Pirate, happy hippo, and the holiday elves. happy hippo is known for her ear-to-ear smile.
adjusting a pose to make a parade balloon is common.
For example, Scrat, the saber-toothed squirrel from “Ice age,” is a new balloon for 2015. The drawings provided by the studio showed Scrat with his arm out and a long tail behind.
“That made him overall too long and too skinny,” says Piper. a compromise was reached where Scrat runs with his tailed folded back. he is chasing an acorn, but instead of it being in his arm like a football, it’s a separate balloon. he’ll be chasing it every step of the way, although Piper promises a surprise at the finish line.
Snoopy (now on his record 39th Parade) has changed seven times over the years. he once switched his big hat for earmuffs.
Mickey Mouse is tied with Ronald McDonald for having been completely redesigned in four iterations. Pikachu has had three different balloons, Kermit the Frog has had two, as have Superman, Spider-Man and Barney. The first Spider-Man was more than a decade apart from the second. his original fabric was falling apart by then.
new ideas for balloons come from Macy’s staff, or from the license holders of the characters.
Piper himself has one on his wish list: “I’d love to do Opus the Penguin.”
But it’s Popeye who is the most frequently requested.
“We make a kid out of everyone!” laughs Piper.