Evolution of the Parade
As the parade continues to be a staple in New York City’s celebration of the holiday season, it has become, for many, a synonym of Thanksgiving Day. Over the course of its 79 years of performance, however, the parade has evolved in many important ways. Among these are its route’s length and the general nature of its content.
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The parade’s route has shrunk from its nearly six mile length in 1924 to its present span of roughly 2 miles. In 1924 the parade began at the intersection of Convent Ave and 145th Street. In 1938, the parade began at Amsterdam Ave and 110th Street and traversed four miles before it reached Herald Square. By 1946 the parade began following its current route from 77th Street and Central Park West to Columbus Circle and thenceforth to Herald Square on Broadway and 34th, at which point it culminates, after about two miles of marching. |
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Old Lady Who Lived in a Shoe Float, 1924. |
Another important change the parade has gradually undergone is in its general content. The first annual Macy’s parades depicted characters familiar to children through popular fairytales, storybooks, nursery rhymes and folklore. Among these were Mother Goose, Little Red Riding Hood and the Old Lady Who Lived in a Shoe. [1] Over the years, owing to the introduction of mass media via the advent of radio and television, the parade has courted popular culture with increasing frequence. The ever-modernizing nature of popular culture is reflected in the abundance of new characters that |
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The Rugrats Balloon,1999 |
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appear in the parade each year. If fairytale characters are represented in the parades of the twenty-first century, they are the revamped Walt Disney renditions that children recognize from their home television screens. |
Back to the Top / On to Recurring Themes Throughout the Parade's History
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[References]
[1] "Santa to Lead a Parade," New York Times (1857-Current File), Nov 26, 1924, ProQuest Historical Newspapers The New York Times (1851 - 2001), 17; "Greet Santa Claus as 'King of Kiddies,'" New York Times (1857-Current File), Nov 28, 1924, ProQuest Historical Newspapers The New York Times (1851 - 2001), 15.
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[Images]
Parade Assembles Here: excerpt from "Display Ad 8 -- No Title," New York Times (1857-Current file), Nov 26, 1924, ProQuest Historical Newspapers The New York Times (1851 - 2002), 7.
Old Lady Who Lived in a Shoe Float: excerpt from "Display Ad 8 -- No Title," New York Times (1857-Current file), Nov 26, 1924, ProQuest Historical Newspapers The New York Times (1851 - 2002), 7.
Rugrats Balloon: courtesy of <"The Rugrats Balloon Floats Through Times Square," Factiva, 25 November 1999, <http://global.factiva.com/en/eSrch/ss_hl.asp> (October 2005).> (© 2005 Dow Jones Reuters Business Interactive LLC (trading as Factiva). All rights reserved.)
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