The 99th Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade will feature seven new floats, including the very first highlighting the world of Labubu.
In addition to Friends-giving in POPCITY by Pop Mart, the makers of the plush Labubu toys, this year’s new floats include Brick-tastic Winter Mountain by The LEGO Group; Master Chocolatier Ballroom by confectionary Lindt; The Land of Glaciers, Wildlife & Wonder by Holland America Line; The Counting Sheep’s Dream Generator by mattress company Serta; The Littlest Float from snack brand Goldfish; and Upside Down Invasion: Stranger Things by Netflix (the final season premieres the night before the parade).
Brendan Kennedy, director of creative production for Macy’s, said its team of artisans works year-round on the designs for the parade.
“We think of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade as this sort of snapshot of pop culture,” Kennedy said. “This is truly the yearbook of what’s going on out there so we’re always trying to plus-up the parade experience.”
Thanks to the global craze surrounding the “ugly-cute” Labubu collectibles, the Pop Mart float is highly anticipated this year. It will feature characters Labubu and Mokoko as 16-foot-tall fuzzy inflatables, “the first elements of their kind to be built for a float in the parade,” Macy’s said.
“Our goal at POP MART is to light up passion and bring joy, and Macy’s Parade has been doing that for nearly a century,” Larry Lu, president of POP MART, The Americas, said last month. “Bringing our characters to life at such a storied event represents a significant milestone for us.”
The debuting floats will join plenty of returning fan favorites, like Santa’s Sleigh, Tom Turkey and the Sesame Street characters.
Buzz Lightyear, PAC-Man, Mario and Shrek’s Onion Carriage will join the lineup of character balloons, which include Minnie Mouse, Bluey, Snoopy and Smokey Bear.
New Yorkers and out-of-towners alike can get a sneak peak of the parade lineup starting Wednesday, Nov. 26 as the balloons are inflated along Central Park West. A primetime special previewing the parade will be broadcast on NBC and Peacock at 8 p.m. that same day.
The parade down Sixth Ave. will air on NBC and Peacock starting at 8:30 a.m. in all time zones on Nov. 27, with a repeat airing at 2 p.m. ET/PT. “TODAY” hosts Savannah Guthrie, Hoda Kotb and Al Roker will return to host.
