Just in time for groggy eyes to wake up from what may be a full night of streaming the first few episodes of Stranger Things 5, people are pretty excited about a show-themed float at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade…
Brendan Kennedy, director of creative production at Macy’s studio, has dried out from last year’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade after the festivities were dampened by persistent rain.
Come rain or shine, Kennedy, now on his second parade, is ready to “show off the floats and balloons that we’ve been working on for over a year.”
Aside from the traditional balloons and floats, Kennedy revealed Buzz Lightyear, Mario, Shrek and Pac-Man are among the new balloons. The phenomena that are KPop Demon Hunters and Labubu will also be represented during the parade.
“The Duffer brothers have been on it the whole time,” Kennedy says. “This is such a cool departure from saying, ‘Hey, 3D print me something from a film.’ What we’re doing here is creating a world. This is fully experiential.”
The float will feature the Hawkins National Laboratory. “There’s a containment device meant to contain an eight and a half foot tall Demogorgon puppet,” he adds. “That size is really in the wheelhouse of parade and continuing the legacy of Tony Sarg’s puppetry in the parade.”
The float itself will feature practical effects, including lighting and smoke effects. “It’s the laboratory come to life.” Kennedy teases that there are easter eggs within the design of the float. In addition to that, Foreigner, whose music featured prominently in the show, will be performing on 34th Street.
