The Day Barney Died: How the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade Disaster Changed the Rules Forever

Erin Maxwell November 26, 2025, 2:06 pm

NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 28: The Barney balloon is carried past Macy's department store during the 76th annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade November 28, 2002 in New York City. There were a total of 13 giant character balloons in the parade. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images) — Mario Tama/Getty Images

On November 27, 1997, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade became infamous for those who witnessed the chaos firsthand, thanks to a perfect storm of comically oversized balloons, brutal winds, and handlers with tragically underequipped upper-body strength, culminating in a moment now remembered as “millennial trauma.”

The parade that year featured many characters, not just Barney, including Kermit and the Cat in the Hat. It also featured 43 miles per hour winds, according to the New York Times, It made it almost impossible for the balloon handlers to get a good grasp on their characters, but more so for the folks handling the balloon of Barney the Purple Dinosaur, who was 58 feet tall, 44 feet long, and 30 feet wide.