The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade has been an American tradition for years, with floats containing 16,200 cubic feet of helium. Among these floats, Spongebob Squarepants marches with a group of 70 people. While they may appear harmless with their bulging eyes and six-foot-wide grins, there is a possibility that their size could pose a danger to car windshields if the windshields were to come into contact with them. Yes, these floats are wonderful to watch, but this Thanksgiving, as you enjoy the parade and football, you may also find yourself dealing with the challenge of navigating conversations with your racist uncle, who may be reading fake tips on how to handle such situations.
During a month-long unconscious state, a woman experienced the aftermath of tumultuous and destructive winds that brought chaos upon the streets of New York in 1997, resulting in a catastrophic event. However, it was specifically in the year 1997 when this calamity occurred. Periodically, there have been documented occurrences, using phrases such as “head torn off” and “pierced,” and if you search for “Macy’s Day Parade” on Google, you will come across an entire section on Wikipedia solely dedicated to “Incidents and Injuries.” Feel free to proceed.
On Thanksgiving morning 1997, The New York Times stated that approximately two million individuals assembled along the parade path to witness The Pink Panther, Barney, Cat in the Hat, and other joyous floats drift through the Manhattan skyline.
“At times, the balloons were not gliding but instead were careering as their handlers on the ground struggled to keep control in winds that reached as high as 43 miles an hour. For a while, the balloons seemed to be falling like flies. Barney suffered extensive damage and had to be removed at 51st Street. The Pink Panther succumbed at 42d Street. Quik Bunny and the Cat in the Hat limped away at 36th Street.”
A video from that day (refer to the above) captures the extremely brutal demise of Barney.
Observe the spectacle of the handlers attempting to maintain authority.
Barney is remembered as the enigmatic remarks of the children, and the camera capturing the wind. The balloon tears apart, accompanied by the bursts of applause and shouts.
Meanwhile, as the Pink Panther lurched about, the police inspector quickly handed him a 5-inch long knife and exclaimed, “Somebody give me a knife, quick!” As a feline’s tail punched a hole through the balloon, immediately stabilizing it.
According to the Times, Pat Klem, the person who recorded the incident, stated that the most significant issue that year took place at the intersection of 72nd Street and Central Park West, when a gigantic Cat in the Hat collided with a lamppost.
“You thought it was going to bounce off,” he said. “But the second time it snapped – it was suspended for an instant, then it spiraled way down … The parade just stopped. There was a prolonged silence. Your thoughts go from happy, joyous Thanksgiving to prayers.”
Kathy Caronna and Maria Clohessy both suffered head injuries during the incident. Additionally, Caronna was in a coma for nearly a month and suffered a skull fracture from falling debris. CNN later reported that the accident caused the incident, and Caronna is still recovering from the permanent brain damage caused by the accident. Furthermore, Caronna filed a $395 million lawsuit against the city, Macy’s, and the manufacturer of the lamppost for the permanent brain damage caused by the accident and her ongoing recovery.
In response to what happened at the Macy’s Day Parade in 1997, organizers implemented new rules that no balloons can be larger than 70 feet high, 78 feet long, and 40 feet wide. This meant bidding farewell to a few lumbering creatures like Woody the Woodpecker, Pink Panther, and the Cat in the Hat.
But keep in mind: the procession used to be much, much more peculiar.