Amy Kule on the 85th Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade: Tim Burton's Balloon, a Fan-Designed Character, and Five Broadway Shows

Amy Kule said it plainly: "In a day and age where we're all talking about new media and new types of entertainment, the parade — 85 years strong — …" — and Premier Guide Miami was in the room when it happened.

On November 17, 2011, NBC Universal held a press call for the 85th Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, airing Thursday, November 24th at 9 a.m. on NBC. Producer Amy Kule and NBC Today Show anchor Al Roker joined the call. Premier Guide Miami was among the outlets on the line.

In a day and age where we're all talking about new media and new types of entertainment, the parade — 85 years strong — has remained the kickoff for the holiday season. It's a sense of tradition that can't be duplicated.

What's new — Tim Burton, a fan-designed balloon, and three new balloons

Kule opened with the year's new additions. Three new balloons were joining the parade: Julius the Sock Monkey, Sega's Sonic the Hedgehog (celebrating the character's 20th anniversary), and the AFLAC duck — billed as a "ballonical." The Blue Sky Gallery, which had previously featured Keith Haring, Jeff Koons, and Murakami, was this year showcasing Tim Burton: "Tim Burton has created a character just for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. That character's name is called B. And B. is going to be flying high in the air with our other balloons — and Tim Burton is actually going to be at the parade to see this balloon come to life." The parade also introduced a fan-designed balloon for the first time: 10,000 eight-inch vinyl elves were distributed across the country, and fans were invited to decorate them and upload photos to Facebook. The winner, 25-year-old graphic designer Keith Lapinig, had his design turned into a balloon named Gazer, which would fly in the parade alongside the other characters.

Five Broadway shows — including a just-announced Newsies

The parade was opening with five Broadway shows — one more than the usual four. The lineup included the cast of Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark ("about 30 different Spider-Man characters singing a really enthusiastic dance number — a medley of the best hits from the show"), the cast of Sister Act, Daniel Radcliffe performing from How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying ("what he'll be performing will be a surprise to everybody who's tuning in"), and the cast of Priscilla Queen of the Desert. The fifth show was a last-minute addition: "For the very first time, America's going to be able to see — and this was announced yesterday — the cast of Newsies. The Newsies was a film that came out in 1991 that has been touring the country for a while. It was just at the Paper Mill Playhouse and it was just announced the day before that they are going to move to Broadway. So they will be with us."

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New floats — the Statue of Liberty, Zhu Zhu Pets, and a heritage tribute

27 floats would make their way down the parade route. New additions included a Discover-sponsored float called Frozen Fall Fun ("a takeoff of the backyard enjoyment you used to have when your pond would freeze and the kids would all get together and skate — they'll be wearing their classic NHL jerseys"), a Gift of Freedom float marking the Statue of Liberty's 125th anniversary ("Lady Liberty's arm holding the torch — about 35 feet tall"), and a Zhu Zhu Pets float. The most personal addition was a heritage float honoring the two men who ran the parade for 35 combined years: Gene McFadden (24 years, always wore a cowboy hat) and Robin Hall (10 years, always wore a top hat). "We've re-created those hats. They're each about 25 feet tall. The two of them are going to be standing in their hats, surrounded by 18 costumed characters that really represent the heritage of the parade's characters — the first one being Felix the Cat, Smokey Bear, Barney." Musical performers included Neil Diamond, Michael Feinstein, Mary J. Blige, Shelby Lynne, Cee Lo Green, Cobra Starship, Scotty McCreery, and Mannheim Steamroller. The parade would also be followed by a one-hour NBC special at 10 p.m. on the history of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. By the numbers: 800 clowns, 16 giant balloons, 27 floats, 1,900 dancers, 10,000 marchers. The 85th Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade aired Thursday, November 24, 2011, on NBC at 9 a.m.

On tradition — and her parents seeing it live for the first time

Kule, who had been producing the parade for 16 years, offered a personal note: "For the very first time, I've got my parents coming. So I'm quite thankful that they're going to be able to see this parade live, being that I've learned to love this parade really through their spirit of being a young kid and watching it with them." On why the parade endures: "In a day and age where we're all talking about new media and new types of entertainment, the parade — 85 years strong — has remained the kickoff for the holiday season. It's a sense of tradition that can't be duplicated. And I think that kind of clean, American fun keeps everybody coming back time and again. We get about 3 million people here to see it live in New York, and another close to 50 million people watching it on TV." Her favorite balloon from the parade's 177-character history: Underdog. "He flew for 19 parades. Everybody still remembers him. And he, to this day, is one of my favorites. I have a big fantasy of seeing Underdog come back to the parade."

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