The poster from the first parade (Macy's Inc.) Elephants in the first (1924) Macy's Parade, which was then called the Macy's Christmas Parade (Macy's Inc.) The first Santa Claus float in 1924 (Macy's Inc.) Felix the Cat in 1927 was the first balloon in the Macy's Parade (Macy's Inc.) Happy Dragon in 1927 was the second balloon in the Macy's Parade (Macy's Inc.) The Dachshund balloon was released after the 1929 parade (Macy's Inc.) Eddie Cantor in 1934 was the first balloon based on a real person (Macy's Inc.) Mickey Mouse in 1934 was the first Mickey balloon designed with the help of Walt Disney (Macy's Inc.) Uncle Sam in the 1940s (Macy's Inc.) The Tin Man float of the 1940s (Macy's Inc.) Broadway Belle Showboat in the 1950s (Macy's Inc.) Macy's Elf balloon in 1947 (Macy's Inc.) Harold the Fireman in 1948 (Macy's Inc.) Harold the Baseball Player in 1949 (Macy's Inc.) Donald Duck in 1962 (Macy's Inc.) Underdog in 1965 (Macy's Inc.) Superman in 1966 (Macy's Inc.) Flying Ace Snoopy of 1968 was the first Snoopy balloon (Macy's Inc.) Kermit the Frog in 1977 (Macy's Inc.) The Peanuts float of the 1960s (Macy's Inc.) The Sesame Street float of 1978 was the show's first (Macy's Inc.) Woody Woodpecker in 1982 (Macy's Inc.) Raggedy Ann in 1984 (Macy's Inc.) Betty Boop in 1985 (Macy's Inc.) Clifford the Big Red Dog in 1990 (Macy's Inc.) Spider-Man debuted in 1991 (Macy's Inc.) NEW YORK - Millions of New Yorkers and visitors have enjoyed the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade dating back to the 1920s. In those early days, it was actually called the Macy's Christmas Parade. Over the years, Macy's debuted numerous themed floats and balloons based on pop culture characters and some real people. These images are from the Macy's Inc. archives.