Our boy Mario is joining the Thanksgiving festivities, folks! Nintendo of America and Macy’s have announced that a new Mario character balloon will make its debut at the 99th annual Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City on November 27.
The balloon in question will be launched to honor the 40th anniversary of Super Mario Bros, which debuted in 1985 in Japan. It was created by Macy’s Parade Studio’s team of artists and measures an incredible 51 feet and 2 inches long, 37 feet wide, and 43 feet and 8 inches tall.
As per the 3D composite image of the balloon the companies released alongside their announcement, below, balloon Mario will don his classic costume and is posed in a flying pose inspired by Super Mario Galaxy.
“Having Mario join this iconic holiday tradition is an incredible way to honor the 40th anniversary of Super Mario Bros.,” EVP of Revenue, Marketing & Consumer Experience at Nintendo of America Devon Pritchard said in a statement. “Since he first emerged from a Warp Pipe, Mario has embodied our goal of bringing smiles to faces all over the world. We are excited for Mario fans of all ages to see his new balloon’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade debut.”
It appears the character has never been featured in the iconic Thanksgiving Day Parade, which may well have been a rights issue all these years — but it’s great to see Macy’s and Nintendo finally team up to make this fan dream a reality.
“The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade has long been a stage for the world’s most beloved characters, and this year we’re thrilled to partner with Nintendo to welcome a new Mario balloon to that tradition,” Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade producer Jordan Dabby added in a statement.
“As Mario celebrates 40 years of inspiring players and families worldwide, his flight down the streets of Manhattan is both a historic milestone and a joyful celebration — one sure to have fans everywhere cheering ‘Wahoo!’ this Thanksgiving morning.”
The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade will air on November 27 from 8:30am to 12pm on NBC. The event will also be available to stream on Peacock.
Lex Briscuso is a film and television critic and a freelance entertainment writer for IGN. You can follow her on Twitter at @nikonamerica.
