Mario will finally make his Thanksgiving parade debut with 40th anniversary balloons
Blog Andrew Joseph 25 Oct , 2025 0
our boy mario It’s time for the Thanksgiving celebration, folks! Nintendo of America and Macy’s have announced that new Mario character balloons will debut at the 99th annual event thanksgiving parade November 27 in New York City.
The balloon will be launched to mark the 40th anniversary super mario bros.which debuted in Japan in 1985. Created by a team of artists at Macy's Parade Studio, it measures an incredible 51 feet 2 inches long, 37 feet wide and 43 feet 8 inches tall.
According to a 3D composite image of Balloon released by the company at the time of the announcement, shown below, Balloon Mario will don his classic costume and strike a flying pose inspired by super mario galaxy.
“Having Mario join this iconic holiday tradition is a great way to commemorate the 40th anniversary of Super Mario Bros.,” Devon Pritchard, executive vice president of revenue, marketing and consumer experience at Nintendo of America, said in a statement. “Since he first emerged from Warp Pipe, Mario has embodied our purpose of bringing smiles to people around the world. We're excited for Mario fans of all ages to see his new balloon debut in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.”
The character never seemed to make an appearance in the iconic Thanksgiving Day Parade, which likely has been a copyright issue over the years—but it's nice to see Macy's and Nintendo finally teaming up to make this fan's dream a reality.
Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade producer Jordan Dabby added in a statement: “The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade has long been the stage for some of the world's most beloved characters, and this year we're excited to partner with Nintendo to welcome the new Mario Balloon to the tradition.”
“As Mario celebrates 40 years of inspiring gamers and families around the world, his flight through the streets of Manhattan is both a historic milestone and a joyous celebration – sure to have fans around the world cheering 'Wahoo!' this Thanksgiving morning.”
The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade will air on NBC from 8:30 a.m. to 12 noon on November 27. The event will also be streamed live on Peacock.
Lex Briscoso is a film and television critic and a freelance entertainment writer for IGN. You can follow her on Twitter: @nikonamerica.