R.H. Macy founded Macy’s in 1851 as a dry goods store in downtown Haverhill, Massachusetts. In 1858, Macy moved to New York City and founded R.H. Macy & Company on the corner of 14 th Street and 6 th Avenue, which later moved to 18 th Street and Broadway on the “Ladies Mile,” the 19th century elite shopping district. This store eventually evolved into the modern Macy's at Herald Square in NYC.

 

The Straus Brothers (Jesse and Percy) were the President and Vice President of Macy’s, respectively; in office during the conception and birth of the parade.(image is of Percy Straus). It was their idea to expand the store's promotions geared towards children and holidays by hosting the first "Macy's Christmas Parade" on Thanksgiving Day. To the left is Jesse Straus with Thomas Edison (right).

 

 

Tony Sarg: was a German-American puppeteer and illustrator, commonly described as “ America’s Puppet Master.” In 1928 he designed and built helium-filled balloons up to 125 feet long resembling animals for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. In 1935, Sarg designed Macy’s animated window displays from Thanksgiving to Christmas.

Edward Armitage Hill was the director of the parade from 1934 to 1961. Hill was Harvard-educated and the 1930 secretary to Percy Straus (then president). He worked on the parade 365 days a year; part of his job description at Macy's had at one point included looking for possible sites for new stores and watching expenses.

Brett Zweiback is the meteorologist providing forecast for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade since 1998.

Manfred G. Bass grew up in New Jersey, as the son of a tool designer and a cookbook illustrator. He had a talent for design, and studied storybook illustration at the NY Phoenix School of Design. Bass began to design for Macy's in the 1960s. He was an artist that dreamed up and guided the creation of balloons and floats in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade for 30 years. In the year 2000, he retired after 41 years of serving the parade.

John Piper is an Ohio-born artist with a background in theatrical design. Piper was in charge of the parade's production studio as of 2000 where he directed a crew of artists, sculptors and mold makers to design and construct the balloons. He has been involved in the production of 22 parades

Jean McFaddin served as the Macy’s East Senior Vice President in charge of Public Relations and Events for twenty five years (1977-2001). She was responsible for creating major events to maximize Macy’s sales and brand success, including the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. McFaddin developed the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade into a spectacle that attracted many tourists and positive media attention to Macy’s. As a result she has received over a dozen Emmy Awards for her work with NBC on the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. McFaddin says of her success, “the Thanksgiving Day parade won’t be wonderful if every float and balloon is new, part of the appeal is the sense of tradition. It’s important to decide what your icons are, when you can rotate them and when you cannot. I listen to my audience.”

Burton R. Lifland was the judge who called for a guarantee that after Federated took-over, the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and the July 4th Fireworks would still continue.

Robin Hall has been the executive producer of the parade since 2004.