Snoopy, Spider-Man, SpongeBob — the iconic big balloons of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade took to the air Thursday at half their standard height due to high winds — but spirits of the young spectators were still flying high at the sight of their favorite cartoon characters.
Wide-eyed kids looked with wonder as the massive floats slowly wound down the streets of New York City.
“My favorite balloon was the Hello Kitty!” said Arely Cruz, 7, of the Bronx told the New York Daily News. “It looked cute.”
Her cousin Daniel Cruz was overjoyed to see his favorite character in larger-than-life form — Greg Heffley, the main character in the hit children’s book series, “The Diary of a Wimpy Kid.”
And then the singing drag queens in thigh-high red boots hit the parade route.
The performance by the cast of the Tony Award-winning musical “Kinky Boots” left a lot of viewers scratching their heads, shaking their heads, and wondering what happened to the family friendly tradition. The reaction to the performance is now trending on Twitter:
“For millions of families each year, Thanksgiving Day isn’t complete without tuning in to the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade,” said Doug Vaughan, executive vice president, Special Programs and Late Night, NBC Entertainment, in a recent statement. “We are thrilled to once again broadcast this national celebration to kick off the holiday season.”
Playbill.com provides this synopsis of “Kinky Boots”: “Charlie Price is forced to step in and save his family’s shoe factory in Northern England following the sudden death of his father. Help comes from the unlikeliest angel, a fabulous drag performer named Lola. Together, this improbable duo revitalizes the failing business, while stepping out from their fathers’ shadows and transforming an entire community through the power of acceptance.”
Hosted by Matt Lauer, Al Roker and Savannah Guthrie of NBC’s “Today,” the parade also features the Radio City Rockettes as well as Broadway’s “Pippin, Matilda and Motown: The Musical.” The first hour of the national broadcast included a family friendly appearance by Carrie Underwood and members of the cast of NBC’s upcoming “The Sound of Music Live!”
