Three new balloons set to debut in the 85th Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade this month passed with flying colors yesterday in their first test runs at the Meadowlands sports complex in New Jersey.
Julius the Sock Monkey bobbed gently in the air as crews practiced handling the gravity-defying primate. Also passing the test was a flashier, new version of the cartoon video-game character Sonic the Hedgehog.
The loudmouth duck in the Aflac insurance commercials passed its road test as a “balloonicle,” a 35-foot-tall inflatable that remains on the ground and is powered by a small vehicle that resembles a golf cart.
“I like the monkey. It’s so cool,” said Emily Zeigerson, 8, of Union County, NJ.
“My favorite part of the parade is that the balloons sometimes crash into other balloons.”