Balloons were introduced in 1927, three years after the inaugural parade, and featuredcartoon animal characters to replace the live zoo animals. Initially, the balloons were air-filled and carried by string. Later, a mixture of low-density helium and air was used. This enabled parade designers to create large-proportion balloons like a 50-foot hummingbird .
Today, in a former Tootsie Roll factory in Hoboken, N.J., just across the river from New York City, the balloons are created by the Macy's Parade Studio. Depending on what's being depicted, a figure may be fashioned vertically, horizontally or somewhere in between.
