The Parade: A Reflection of Current Events

From year to year, the various features of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade are heavily influenced by the social and political climate of the country and are shaped after the current events taking place in the nation. Were a knowledgeable observer to witness a bygone Macy’s parade, through its various elements he or she would ascertain volumes about the cultural context thereof.

In the 1930s civilian Zeppelin dirigibles reached their zenith. During the beginning of the 20th century, these giant rigid airships were used for commercial passenger transport and for military purposes. Their non-rigid successors which can still be seen today are commonly called “blimps.” [1]

In Macy’s 1930 parade, Santa rode to Herald Square on a model Zeppelin dirigible.

The decades leading up to the turn of the 20th century witnessed a number of international expositions. New York City lost to Chicago in competing to be the host of the World Columbian Exposition (also known as The Chicago World’s Fair) in 1893. In 1939, New York finally held its own two-year World’s Fair. The theme of the fair was “The World of Tomorrow,” inviting Americans disillusioned by the hardships of the Depression to look toward a promising future brimming with hope. Grover Whalen, New York’s official greeter and former chief of police, was elected President of the 1939 corporation organizing the exposition. [2]

In 1938, the year before the fair opened, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade featured a massive 75-foot Uncle Sam balloon escorting a float dedicated to the forthcoming New York World’s Fair. The fair’s float was flanked by 10 Grover Whalen look-alikes. [3]

In 1947 Gerard Peter Kuiper detected carbon dioxide on the planet Mars. The same year, Werner Von Braun proposed Das Mars Projekt, an endeavor that would send ten spaceships to Mars. [9] In conjunction with these, widespread concern about UFOs swept the country beginning in the summer of 1947. There was a flood of reported disc sightings.

That year, the Macy’s parade included a Rocket Ship from Mars float, complete with “ferocious” looking blue marsians who were understood to be “invaders.” In light of the insecurities about extra-terrestrial activity troubling the nation, it isn’t surprising that the parade’s blue marsians were mocked by other characters in the parade. [10]

Tragedy shocked the nation again on September 11, 2001 when terrorist attacks resulted in four plane crashes and the destruction of the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York City. In the face of nation-wide devastation, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade continued its procession down the streets of Manhattan. A New York Times article, calling the parade a demonstration of the city’s “resilience in the face of tragedy,” reported that there was no apparent falter in the numbers present at the parade, but that the 10 to 15 percent more police attending the parade provided a visual reminder of the heightened concern for security. [15]

Having had a few months to plan in the interim, the parade organizers at Macy’s ensured proper tribute would be paid to September 11th by the parade. The first evidence thereof was Lady Liberty’s supplanting Tom Turkey at the head of the parade. Later in the parade, NYC Mayor Rudolph Giuliani waved at spectators from atop a float displaying a popular symbol for the city, a giant apple, and a tattered flag recovered from ground zero.

As it endeavors to appeal to the sentiments and memories of Americans, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is constantly steeped in the current events astir in the country.

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