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11/23/2006: The 1993 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade!

Happy Thanksgiving, folks! This year has really flown by — tough to imagine that come tomorrow, we’re officially in the Christmas season and totally allowed to cover everything we own in blinking lights and baubles. I’m excited, but I’m also very busy today, so let’s make this quick. Yes, there’s a new Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade review. It’s true, I didn’t let you down. It’s also true that approximately six people read the site on Thanksgiving, but whatever. Finished writing this baby at like 5 in the freakin’ morning, and didn’t have enough gas to copyedit until just a few minutes ago.

It’s the 1993 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade! And what a disaster it was! See the drama unfold as criminally powerful winds rip balloons to shreds! There are a lot of words, pictures and videos in this two page feature, which I hope you’ll enjoy, because the fact that I stayed up so late to write it spells a very cranky Matt for the remainder of the holiday. Hey, Aunt Mary? I am going to punch you in the tits and stab you if you take just one more slice of turkey with your god damned fingers.

Use the comments space to talk about your Thanksgiving adventures, thoughts on this year’s parade, Black Friday bullshit and/or what have you. Have a good one!

Posted by Matt. E-mail me!

Discussion Thread: 111 comments

I! I am one of the sad yet happy few reading today. We’re watching Elf right now. And after that article I really feel the need to dig out my “We’re Back! A Dinosaur Story” SNES game and whip some 32-bit dinosaur ass.

I bought the Special Edition thingy of Home Alone last night. Cant wait to watch it. I should dig out my TalkBoy. And have some fun.

Happy Thanksgiving, Matt!
Happy Thanksgiving, to all!

A Charlie Brown Christmas airs on Tuesday on ABC!

Ghosted by brian @ 11/23/2006 1:38 PM EST

Is this posted in the future? I have an aunt like that, too.

I don’t have time to read the review until Thanksgiving is actually over, because of my crazy adventures. I have enough to talk about said adventures though.

This year, my father has decided to experiment with venison. My father also, apparently, has no taste buds and put so much seasoning on it that I am choking on the smell. It’s covering the lovely turkey smell, also.

Tomorrow I’m going to see “A Christmas Carol” at a local theater. No shopping for me, I prefer to hold that part of the Christmas season off as much as possible.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.

Ghosted by Katherine @ 11/23/2006 1:41 PM EST

Matt…

I knew you’d come around

Just watched Christmas vacation yesterday and it reminded me of you. Keep being cool 8).

Ghosted by Cotter @ 11/23/2006 1:46 PM EST

I’m one of the few reading today, because we eat at home with no guests (and early – dinner means “large formal lunch” in the south, yo).

Personally I thought today’s parade was pretty amazing. I watch on CBS, since NBC only seems to cover the Broadway crap these days, and… wow. They sent poor Neil Patrick Harris out into the cold and rain to interview bored parade spectators, and the hosts, who were in a heated tent, were literally taunting the poor guy. “Oh gee, I bet you wish you were up here! Oh, but you’re out enjoying the elements!” The funniest part of the whole thing was definitely when he had to interview a kid who kept screaming “HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!!” no matter what he asked, and continued screaming that in the background even after the camera had changed over to another shot. Gold, pure gold.

Ghosted by jazzy @ 11/23/2006 1:57 PM EST

I knew I’d find a parade review, and now that I’ve read it, I can head off to my aunt’s house in pleasure.

Have a good Thanksgiving, Matt.

Ghosted by Paul @ 11/23/2006 2:02 PM EST

haha, neil patrick harris just isn’t winning at all lately. did anyone see the conan sketch the other night where conan said that clay aiken “began furiously dougie-ing his howser” upon hearing that Neil Patrick Harris was gay? holy crap, i stopped breathing.

atleast on NBC you dont have to put with Katie Couric this year.

Ghosted by brian @ 11/23/2006 2:12 PM EST

…I woke up this morning violently ill with a stomach virus, only to find my mother had it too. Happy Thanksgiving indeed.
I was even going to go to the parade with my bff, but the weather sucked anyway.

Annnnnd tomorrow I get to go to work. At the mall. And deal with awful customers.

I’m not having a terribly good week. But I wish all of you and yours the best.

Ghosted by Denise @ 11/23/2006 2:26 PM EST

Hey I am reading!

Ghosted by Tara @ 11/23/2006 2:33 PM EST

Yay parade article! I haven’t checked out the videos yet, but I totally will- very exciting. Thanks, Matt!
I’m going to Grandma’s again this year, except only about a third of the family is expected to be there- yes.
Happy Thanksgiving everybody!
(Feel better, Denise!)

Ghosted by Rainbowfeet @ 11/23/2006 2:45 PM EST

Happy Thanksgiving people!!!!!

Ghosted by Jester @ 11/23/2006 2:48 PM EST

Count me in on those reading today. I’m not even getting out of my pajamas, I’m one of the “eat at home with no guests” people. More turkey and pineapple stuffing for me! W00t!

Ghosted by Mystie @ 11/23/2006 2:53 PM EST

Wow, I actually remember that Home Alone 2 commercial.. it’s been a while haha. I never watched the Macy’s Day Parades(mostly because I’m canadian) but they look very extravagant.

Ghosted by Willem138 @ 11/23/2006 2:58 PM EST

This year the family won’t be having Thanksgiving until 4pm instead of the traditional noon meal. So, I am one of the six people in the universe using the Internet right now and wanted to say that I was thrilled to see the annual Macy’s review! It’s amazing how many bits & pieces of these parades are still buried in my memory. That Woody Woodpecker balloon is one of the ones I always associate with the Macy’s parade. Thanksgiving just hasn’t been the same since they retired him.
1993 had to have been a year when I started losing interest in the parades, too… and the balloons were becoming more and more about movie tie-ins or advertising mascots (remember the year of the Ask Jeeves balloon?). As Homer Simpson once said “If they start building a balloon for every flash-in-the-pan cartoon character, you’ll turn the parade into a farce!”
Thanks for the great article, I am now in the Thanksgiving spirit. Now to watch my recording of the Macy’s parade that aired today… and fast forward through the boring stuff.

Ghosted by Jon @ 11/23/2006 2:58 PM EST

Great review Matt, Those were the good old days of thanksgiving parades. The days when it wasnt obligatory to have some flavour of the month pop star on every single float.

Ghosted by Chris @ 11/23/2006 3:10 PM EST

Oh crap, I just remembered why I don’t remember the ‘93 parade… eesh. Let’s just say that was a VERY bad Thanksgiving in my house.

But this year it’s a very good one! I just switched our table over from the Thanksgiving setting to our Christmas one, with red tablecloth and lots of candles. I love it

Ghosted by jazzy @ 11/23/2006 3:30 PM EST

First of all, I’d like to extend my annual Happy Thanksgiving to all bloggers, and to Canadian bloggers who had their turkey last month. For the rest of you, I hope you at least get to enjoy your day.

I saw about two seconds of the parade on CBS this morning before my sister and I drove down to my mom and stepdad’s house in southern Cape May County, which is where I’m typing this from. Considering my stepdad usually kicks me off his TV before I can see the full parade and what I did see was very, very wet, maybe it was just as well.

I wouldn’t have seen this particular parade – or any parade at all – in 1993. By that point, my mother’d had enough with the local cable company’s high rates and what she percieved to be her family’s overly intense viewing habits and had the cable turned off. It wouldn’t be turned back on until fall 2001.

Aw, my little nephew just came up, looking for his Granpa. He’s too cute. He’s not feeling well, though, according to his nana. And my brother just came up to see what I was doing. He wasn’t all that impressed. He, Dad, and my cousin have been glued to Madden something-or-other on the PS2 all day.

My parents’ small house is full of people. 12 family and reletives are going to sit down in two hours to turkey, real (not boxed or bagged) stuffing, sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, carrots, rolls, pearl onions, mashed potatoes, gravy, and cranberry sauce.

Ghosted by starwenn @ 11/23/2006 3:58 PM EST

Hey, this is the first Thanksgiving Day Parade I ever saw! I specifically remember the Sonic The Hedgehog balloon ripping apart, but that’s it. Jesus, I was I was in FIRST GRADE back in 1993! I feel old.

I also remember seeing “We’re Back! A Dinosaur’s Story” the day after Thanksgiving. That was fun.

And kudos to you, Matt, for reviewing something from the 1990’s. Now I can finally wax nostaglia about something you’ve reviewed on your site. You seem to skip a few years every year. So, does that mean you’ll do the 1998 parade next year? Cuz, I wouldn’t have a problem with that.

Ghosted by Steven @ 11/23/2006 4:24 PM EST

thank goodness for stretchy pj pants.

Ghosted by brian @ 11/23/2006 4:25 PM EST

I miss Dave Thomas.

Ghosted by Katherine @ 11/23/2006 4:53 PM EST

I remember getting gitty and gluing myself to the tube when they mentioned bart simpson. I was pissed and I growled at anyone thinking about changing the channel. I still am, but back then I was a severe simpsons freak. So that was awesome for me and one of the highlights of the day. I remember seeing bart several years in a row and being mad and confused when I did not see him again. I’ll now take a shower, happy thanksgiving everybody!!

Ghosted by Goob @ 11/23/2006 5:17 PM EST

Wow, I still remember that old Fisher-Price ad!

The Raffi video was the best one in the series; those kids obviously did not look like they wanted to be there.

I do recall that Izzy guy from the Atlanta Olympics. It was generally an attempt to gather money from people to buy crap with him on it. That dog from the 1992 Barcelona games was better.

Happy Thankgiving everyone. If you have the unfortunate task of meeting up with relatives this year try not to beat them.

Ghosted by mjf7583 @ 11/23/2006 5:42 PM EST

Hi everyone,

it’s good to hear from Matt again. I work at McDonald’s 4p.m. to midnight tomorrow, so I hope it isn’t too bad. It’s down the street from a Target, so it might be busy(of course, there’s a Burger King right next to it; I’d hate to be one of the people working there). After dinner today I can start preparing the Christmas decorations. I want to start early because we at my house have an unfortuante habit of starting late on the night of December 23rd. Happy Thanksgiving to all the bloggers out there! Count your blessings!

Ghosted by Hoverbored @ 11/23/2006 5:48 PM EST

I had one of those game tables advertised at the bottom of your article. It was decent. Flipping from one thing to another was sort of irritating although I no longer remember anything about that process. It kicked ass for air hockey, but was lousy for pool because it was so small, but I was lousy at pool anyway so I didn’t know the difference until later.

And yes I don’t even have to watch it, I remember that irritating Home Alone 2 vhs commercial with the singing. I’m not playing it because I don’t want to remember the lyrics.

Ghosted by Justin @ 11/23/2006 6:01 PM EST

Willard: Would you scratch my back?
Katie: Not on your life!

Ahahahahaha. Good times. Thanks for making the effort, this made my Thanksgiving. Enjoy yourself!

I’m going to bed, cause well you know

Ghosted by K- @ 11/23/2006 6:18 PM EST

I HAVE to know what books those dragons came from. They look SO cool! It cant be Dragontales… thats a crappy PBS kids cartoon with dopey looking lizards. These are some seriously cool dragons here. I would have flipped if I had seen that “live”. I remember watching the parade and the big hooplah over the Sonic balloon (was a HUGE sonic fan and was super excited about his big appearance in floatable balloon form) but had tuned out by the time the dragons came up.

Anyone know what books they are from? Thanks
Happy Turkey Day to all!!! Great article Matt.

Ghosted by kittygirl @ 11/23/2006 7:14 PM EST

Holy crap, I remember mosto f those ads, especially the ones for the FP Tournament Table!

Count me in who also saw “We’re Back! A Dinosaur’s Story” in the theaters.

Denise, sorry to hear about you and your stomach virus. I have to work at both of my jobs tomorrow, for a grand total of 14 hours!! 4:30am-1:30pm at KB, and then 5-10 at CVS. So I’d have to go to bed…now. I win.

I don’t remember which Thanksgiving Parade I saw first, but this one seems oddly familiar. I remember most of those balloons, including Spider-man. And I haven’t watched the parade in a good 3 or so years, because I’ve been asleep through them (today I woke up at 1:30pm!)

I do remember Izzy, and I remember the one-shot cartoon promoting him airing only once I think in 1996 on Cartoon Network. I believe it was about Izzy trying to get to the olympics and crossing over to our world from his own world of Torch World by earning the 5 rings in the Olympics logo, but some villains try to stop him because they don’t know what will happen if he succeeds, such as believing that Torch World will blow up. I have no idea if he succeeds, because I remember only watching half of it!

I just had thanksgiving dinner, so I’m both full, and buzzed on Tryptophan. So here’s my poll: Since Charlie Brown Thanksgiving already came on monday, and I don’t have the dvd for it, what should I watch? I already saw the Garfield one…On Halloween, so that one’s fresh in my mind.

Ghosted by Invader Norbert @ 11/23/2006 7:19 PM EST

Good one, Matt. You pulled it off in the end. Now on to Knacks and Kuse!

Ghosted by Terror Claws Cole @ 11/23/2006 7:39 PM EST

Oh man, that 3-in-one tournament table commercial appears about 87 times on this old tape of Christmas specials I have, and I didn’t even have to watch it, because I have it memorized.

Table tennis hockey pool!

Ghosted by jazzy @ 11/23/2006 7:39 PM EST

Here Norber

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWqvssE7YQY

There’s several other Thanksgiving themed eps, but not wholesale, like this one. Enjoy

Ghosted by K- @ 11/23/2006 7:43 PM EST

Hi everyone!

I’m in Canada, so we had our Thanksgiving a few weeks ago…nevertheless, I am certainly enjoying watching football on Thursday!

I hope everyone (to whom it applies) is having a great Thanksgiving, and everyone else is having just a plan great Thursday!

Ghosted by Crizag @ 11/23/2006 7:43 PM EST

Happy Turkey day Americans!! I tried to watch the Macy’s parade on TV and my roomates vetoed it! Damn them….at least I have this 93 edition to read about instead- thanks Matt!

Ghosted by Muppet Baby @ 11/23/2006 8:03 PM EST

Ah, it wouldn’t be Thanksgiving without a Macy’s Parade review, and this is without a doubt the funniest one yet. ‘93 was so hilariously awful. ‘Twas not a good year for the parade, and especially the balloons. The rate of destroyed balloons had to have been at least 1 per minute.

Hope your Turkey Day’s going/has gone well, and I look forward to (hopefully) seeing the parade review tradition continue next year.

Ghosted by Scott @ 11/23/2006 8:14 PM EST

Today just didn’t have the feel of Thanksgiving…the year is just going by so fast.

Ghosted by Jeff Mack @ 11/23/2006 8:14 PM EST

Thanks Matt, you really made my day…now I can go to work early, very early mind you, tomorrow at Target and deal with all the rude people, nagging and annoying kids…ahhh the holidays…

Ghosted by Mufu @ 11/23/2006 8:51 PM EST

Matt,

Great as always. Nice “The Shining” reference.

Ghosted by Dane E. Coffey @ 11/23/2006 9:39 PM EST

I must have eaten a box a day of the Triples cereal, and I think, if memory serves me, when I was quite young I participated in one of those mall taste test panels of the cereal.

Ghosted by pete @ 11/23/2006 9:45 PM EST

Hey guys, and Matt.

I loved the Fosters home for imaginary friends float today!!! it was AWESOME!!!!!!!! I especially loved the Blue puppet they had becaue the guys arm controlleing him could be seen in several shots.

And how about that Cingular Go phone commercial? The Christmas Story one? OMG! I was laughing so hard!

Ghosted by mandy_Reeves_stuffed @ 11/23/2006 10:20 PM EST

HELP! SOS! EMERGENCY SITUATION!!

I had to work on Thanksgiving so I tried to timer-record the parade.
But, when I came home I found out that it didn’t record due to a power-outage!

If someone here has a recording of it, please, please help me. It would really save my Thanksgiving if someone, anyone were to send me a copy.

My E-mail is TetsuDeinonychus@hotmail.com

Ghosted by Tetsu Deinonychus @ 11/23/2006 10:27 PM EST

YES! Matt didn’t let us down! And it’s from 1993!!

This one’s one of my favorites, mainly because 1993 was one of my most fondly-remembered Macy’s Parades. Yes, I remember those Cotton commercials being on EVERY SINGLE BREAK and they were TERRIBLE.

But Bart Simpson, hey! Though that was his final year in the parade. I waited patiently for his appearance in the 1994 parade, but got hosed.

Ghosted by Mars @ 11/23/2006 10:30 PM EST

Happy Thanksgiving everyone.
Thanks Matt for your hard work and Happy Thanksgiving to you sir.

Ghosted by Bill @ 11/23/2006 10:30 PM EST

Great article! I remember the Sonic balloon being mentioned in the 10th anniversary booklet included with Sonic Adventure 2, Finally I get to see the footage! Thanks and happy gravy day!

Ghosted by Barry @ 11/23/2006 10:58 PM EST

Hey Matt, this is my first time posting on your blog but I’ve been a long time fan of your site and your articles. Just wanted to say Happy Thanksgiving, and thanks for the great Macy’s article!

Ghosted by Megan @ 11/23/2006 11:04 PM EST

Lol…you know how Tripto what ever that crap is in turkey that makes you sleepy? Well when an 8 month old 7 pound Shih Tzu puppy eats a nice little mound of turkey, it works triple time on her! Poor baby is zonked out with her head in a sneaker!

Ghosted by mandy_Reeves @ 11/23/2006 11:08 PM EST

Happy belated Thanksgiving to all you Americans. Jesus, the colour picture of Ronald McDonald is even more terrifying: May god have mercy on my soul

Ghosted by Phil G. @ 11/23/2006 11:34 PM EST

Also worth mentioning: the Fisher Price Tournament Table ad. That aired so many times in the early 90’s that I can go up to anybody my age and breathily shout “ONE MORE GAME!” and they’ll get exactly what it means.

Ghosted by Mars @ 11/23/2006 11:39 PM EST

Okay it’s sad that I know this, but Judge Reinhold wasn’t in Beethoven’s 2nd, he was in Beethoven’s 3rd and 4th. Charles Grodin was in the first two Beethoven movies. I have the Beethoven boxed set. *shamefully hangs head*

Ghosted by dj lisas @ 11/23/2006 11:43 PM EST

Yo DJ Lisas,
I was just about to say the same thing about Judge Reinhold and Charles Grodin. No shame here, my friend.
Thanks for the great article, Matt. Happy holidays to all.

Ghosted by Commander Awesome @ 11/23/2006 11:53 PM EST

Happy Turducken Day everyone.

Ghosted by DocDragon @ 11/24/2006 12:34 AM EST

Matt, for what it’s worth, this parade review was one of the shining moments of an otherwise yawn-worthy day. After dinner, my father-in-law’s girlfriend’s family took up all the seating in front of the TV in the living room and promptly fell asleep, not that I could have watched TV because they were using the satellite for the “mood music”. That left one place for me to sit at the table where my husband and his family were locked in a board game. All I could do for 4 hours (no exaggeration) was watch people play Risk. I managed to sneak into the room where the computer was for a few minutes, and I went to the site praying for a Macy’s review to return my sanity. It was there. I couldn’t watch the clips there (due to lack of plugins), and for some reason my going into the room drew a lot of attention to me and everyone kept coming in to see what I was doing and then lingering over my shoulder (which I hate), but I’m safe and sound at home and ready to see all the morbidly entertaining clips. God bless you, Matt!

Ghosted by Lori @ 11/24/2006 1:05 AM EST

Happy Thanksgiving all (somewhat late)!
Thank the Force it’s over and I’m back in Brooklyn.
Bartending on the biggest drinking night of the year and then taking a train as soon as you get off work really ruins the holiday spirit. My usually 20 customers a night bar somehow had three fights break out in front of it last night. Aye!

Ghosted by Gadget @ 11/24/2006 1:05 AM EST

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