There’s no need to fear, Underdog is here, and he is back for the biggest Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade yet. Macy’s gave fans their first in-person look at the reimagined Underdog balloon on Monday, putting the superhero pup on display inside Grand Central Terminal ahead of his return to the parade on Thanksgiving morning.
Underdog, in his famous blue cape, appeared in every parade lineup from 1965 to 1984, making him one of the longest-running characters in the parade’s history, according to ABC7 New York. The new balloon keeps his classic flying pose and, per Macy’s official lineup page, measures 25.8 feet tall, 41.5 feet long and 20.7 feet wide.
Underdog’s return is one of several trips down memory lane planned for the parade’s 100th march. The centennial lineup will carry a record 100 inflatable elements, including a brand-new Sorcerer’s Apprentice Mickey balloon, the return of Felix the Cat, the first character balloon in parade history, and a Macy’s All-Stars float reuniting Bullwinkle J. Moose, Popeye, Olive Oyl, Swee’Pea and Sonic the Hedgehog, the company announced in August.
UPDATE, Wednesday, Oct 28, 9:13 a.m.: Earl the Squirrel balloon announcement added.
Add one more new face to watch for on Thanksgiving morning. Earl the Squirrel, the Christmas mascot of Universal Studios Florida, will fly this year as Universal Orlando Resort’s first-ever Macy’s balloon, Entertainment Weekly revealed in a first look at the finished balloon. He measures 30.4 feet tall and 14.5 feet wide, wears his signature plaid flap cap and holds a single blue Christmas light.
That light is the heart of Earl’s story. He started as a real squirrel that the park’s team caught chewing through the blue lights on its Christmas tree. The squirrel was safely rehomed, and the team turned him into an inside joke, hiding a small squirrel figure in the tree each year for guests to hunt for. By 2021 he had his own merchandise line and a costumed character greeting guests. His cap is a wink to Cousin Eddie in National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, and his look draws on classic rubber-hose cartoons. Universal is sending the whole unit north with him, dancers, balloon handlers and a dancing acorn, and after the parade the balloon heads home to Florida, where he will join Universal’s Holiday Parade featuring Macy’s in early December, part of a holiday celebration running November 14 to January 3.
The 100th Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade airs Thursday, November 26, at 8:30 a.m. in all time zones on NBC and streaming on Peacock. NBC and Macy’s have not announced this year’s hosts or performer lineup yet, and TDN will update this story as more of the centennial celebration is revealed.