November 27th, 1924: a day that started a tradition for many American families. Extravagant balloons and floats put smiles on faces and joy in the hearts of young ones, and those young at heart.  In light of its 90th anniversary, let’s take a look back at the beginning. The first ever Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Actually, it was the Macy’s Christmas Parade that year, and it looked slightly different. The iconic balloons that loom in the New York skyline weren’t a part of the parade yet, but instead, animals from the Central Park Zoo walked from 145th Street and Convent Avenue to the Macy’s Department store on 34th Street. The main similarity is a tradition still continued today: Santa pulling up the rear in his sleigh. It all started with a simple request from a group of Macy’s employees: to celebrate their new freedom (most were first-generation immigrants) and the coming of Christmas.

While it was a fun celebration for all, it also served as a large ad campaign. When Kris Kringle arrived in front of the Macy’s Department store, he blew his trumpet, unveiling the new Christmastime window display.

With a few changes, the parade quickly became a New York holiday tradition. The zoo animals frightened young spectators, so they were replaced by more-obedient character balloons, which quickly became the parade’s signature attraction. The first balloon, Felix the Cat, debuted in 1927.

The original balloons weren’t exactly the kind of balloons we think of today. Inspired by the concept of upside-down marionettes, puppeteer and illustrator Tony Sarg teamed up with Goodyear Tire and Rubber Plant Company to make his ideas come to life.  Thus, his air-filled characters propped up on sticks were born – helium didn’t come until later.

Helium wasn’t the only advance the balloons acquired. In 1933, balloons were engineered with sound effects! From 1929 to 1932, balloons were released at the end of the parade, with a note attached promising a Macy’s gift card upon return. But as I’m sure you can imagine, that posed a bit of a safety threat to airborne traffic, and had to end.

Now you may have been thinking, “90th anniversary?” Yes, if you do the math, from 1924 to 2016, this should be the 93rd anniversary. But in 1942, Macy’s President Jack Straus announced that the parade would be cancelled due to World War II, and donated 650 pounds of balloon rubber to the cause.

But with the end of the war in 1945 came the end of the parade’s hiatus. They came back with nine new balloons and an audience of over two million. In 1947, the parade made its film debut in Miracle on 34th Street.

Following its film debut, the most impactful event that made this parade a tradition for families across the nation fell on Thanksgiving of 1948: for the first time the parade was televised and broadcast on NBC, just as it will be this year on November 24th.

In 2013, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade brought in a whopping 25.2 million viewers. So why is it so popular? Dan Lovinger, Executive Vice President of entertainment ad sales at NBCUniversal expressed his view on the parade’s popularity, saying, “It’s a great multigenerational viewing experience—you’ve got families watching in what’s about as wholesome an environment as possible.”

The parade’s producer for the past 22 years, Brad Lachman, agrees: “It’s as much of an American tradition as cooking the turkey. People turn it on, and they don’t necessarily watch three hours of it. But their families are coming in and out of the living room, watching parts of it, cooking and coming back and watching more.”

English teacher Sue Reif-Gregory likes the festive and fun noise in the background. “I turn it on to take a break from the chaos of Thanksgiving preparations.”

Junior Nicole Meyer is not a frequent viewer, but recognizes the parade’s attributes. “I think it’s viewed by so many people because it has something that appeals to everyone. There are celebrities, Broadway shows for those who love theatre, marching bands for those who love music, and cartoon characters for the kids. It’s an event friendly to all ages and all backgrounds.”

For 90 years the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade has brought joy to families across the nation, even in times of tragedy. It brings excitement to all sorts of audiences as the lineup contains cheerleaders, marching bands, Broadway shows, clowns, floats, balloons, celebrities, and singers from all genres.  Its site – with interactive maps, videos, and images – boasts the 90 years of tradition and celebration, and it has every right to.