On the eve of the 50th Smurfday of the Smurfs, Macy's and Sony Entertainment announced that they will have their own balloon in this year's Macy's Thanksgiving Day ParadeR. It will be the beloved Belgian cartoon characters' first appearance in the famed event.
The tiny blue gnome will grow from three apples tall to 47 feet high, 38.7 feet wide, and 57.6 feet long. The body of the balloon will be filled with 15, 050 cubic feet of helium.
A "smurfariffic" float will follow on the heels of the balloon. Papa Smurf and Smurfette will ride on the float, which will also feature one of the Smurfs' legendary mushroom shaped homes from Smurf village. The house will be an inflated balloon.
"Without a doubt, the sky will be blue this Thanksgiving," said Amy Kule, producer of Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. "We are thrilled to help The Smurfs celebrate their 50th Anniversary with a new giant balloon that will be one of the highlights of this year's Parade. Following closely behind this flying wonder will be the ubiquitous mushroom village float holding the classic characters everybody remembers so well: Papa Smurf and Smurfette." Kule continued, "We are pleased that following this inaugural flight, a whole new generation will have a chance to get to know and love the Smurfs for many more decades to come."
Hendrik Coymsan, CEO of Lafig Belgium s.a., added, "To celebrate their 50th anniversary, the Smurfs have been touring throughout Europe with the 'Smurf Happy Birthday Project,' supporting UNICEF's mission to 'bring education to all the children of the world'. At this coming Thanksgiving, the Smurfs will appear for the first time in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York. This will be one of the highlights of their 50th anniversary year. The Smurfs are proud to have been invited to make this special appearance at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and to greet three generations of fans in America. Smurfs are only three apples high, but in
the Big Apple at Thanksgiving they will be super-sized! It will be a unique experience."
Juli Boylan, senior vice president, worldwide consumer products for Sony Pictures Entertainment, commented, "We are thrilled to be celebrating the Smurfs' 50th Smurfday in America, and the giant character balloon in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is the perfect highlight for this milestone. People all over the world love the Smurfs and the parade is the perfect time and event to celebrate 50 years of Smurfing."
The first Smurf appeared in a cartoon on October 23, 1958 in the Belgian magazine Spirou. The cartoon was set in medieval times and featured Johan and Peewit. The heroes suddenly hear a voice, "Can't you look where you smurf? You nearly smurfed me!" Just then, a small, blue gnome stepped out from behind a rock.
The 82nd annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade airs nationally on NBC from 9:00am to 12:00 noon in all time zones. The telecast reaches more than 50 million viewers, while approximately 3.5 million spectators watch it from the streets of the Big Apple.
Macy's Department Stores are celebrating their own anniversary, as it marks 150 years in New York City.
The 2008 Macy's Holiday Ambassador is none other than the environmentally-conscious, helpful elephant, Horton from Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who!
Source: Macy's press release.
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