When the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade comes swinging along New York City’s Manhattan streets this Nov. 24, Build-A-Bear Workshop will be a proud and visible participant for the 10th consecutive year.

Decorated with flags of many nations and featuring such recognizable foreign scenes as a Venetian gondola (this one propelled by a teddy gondolier), the company’s “International CeleBEARtion Clock Tower” float will celebrate the holiday season the world over.

“When we designed our float we all had input into what it would represent for our brand, and the message we wanted to share with children about the universal hug of a teddy bear,” said Maxine Clark, the workshop’s founder and chief executive bear. “I think we’ve accomplished that. As we like to say at Build-A-Bear, a hug is understood in any language.”

The Build-A-Bear float this year duplicates the one that participated in the 2010 Thanksgiving parade, but with a different, yet-to-be-announced celebrity guest aboard. The company is leaving announcement of the identity of this year’s celebrity to Macy’s but says: “We always have a special star, and this year’s will be a treat.”

Last year, Victoria Justice, star of the Nickelodeon TV show “Victorious,” rode aboard the float and sang “You’re the Reason Why.” In earlier parades, Build-A-Bear guests included the Jonas Brothers in 2007, singing “S.O.S.,” and Keke Palmer from the Nickelodeon sitcom “True Jackson, VP” in 2009, singing “Top of the World.”

The float’s most enduring stars, though, are stuffed animals: Bearemy® and Pawlette Coufur ® along with Holly and Hal Moose, stars of “Holly and Hal Moose: Our Uplifting Christmas Adventure,” and several international furry friends. All in all, approximately 30 characters and performers will be on the float, waving to and interacting with the crowds lining the streets.

Build-A-Bear has participated in every Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade since 2002. At that time, Clark commented: “It’s very exciting to be a part of an event that has been such an American tradition for so many years. And we’re pleased to be able to bring smiles to children everywhere in this historic 100th year of the teddy bear.”

Today Clark’s feelings about the workshop’s participation remain unchanged. “We’re very proud to have been associated with the parade for the last 10 years,” she said. “It’s an honor and a privilege to be part of this family tradition.

“Our guests look forward to it, and we love getting their emails from all over the world after they’ve seen the float,” she said. “Last year many people sent me messages via Twitter and Facebook. Many kids visit our 5th Avenue store immediately after the parade and were all excited to have seen our mascots, Bearemy and Pawlette, on our float in the company of a famous ‘human’ star.”

On the latter subject, she commented: “We have had many great young artists ride on our float, and the memories are special. Many have gone on to more fame after appearing in the Macy’s Parade.”

According to a Macy’s spokesperson, the continuing mission of the parade is “to bring children and families across the nation an incredible entertainment experience that kicks off the holiday season. The main criterion for inclusion in the parade is entertainment value. All elements must be entertaining to children or adults.”

The Build-A-Bear Workshop float, he said, “brings the magic of everyone’s childhood best friend, the teddy bear, to life. The float is not only a celebration of the teddy bear but also showcases how the teddy bear crosses boundaries across the globe, which is depicted on the float by the various international teddy bear themes.

“The Macy’s Parade brings people of all backgrounds together, and the Build-A-Bear Workshop float concept perfectly showcases this fact.”

The teddies have shared the spotlight with marching bands, cheerleaders, Radio City Rockettes, TV, stage and recording stars, and Santa Claus, among others.

This year’s parade, comprised of 30 floats and 15 gigantic helium character balloons, is the 85th. The annual event began in 1924 when a group of Macy’s employees sought to re-create traditions of their native lands in the United States. In the early parades, some of the floats were pulled by horses, and some of the star “performers” were live animals from the Central Park Zoo. But because the animals frightened children, they (the animals, not the children) were replaced in 1927 by balloons, led by Felix the Cat.

The parade did not take place on three Thanksgivings (in 1942, ’43 and ’44) during World War II, due to the need for rubber and helium for the war effort.

The parade is still produced and executed by Macy’s employees, who oversee all elements from the design and creation of the balloons and floats (Macy’s Parade Studio artists) to the logistics and operation. In addition, Macy’s employees or their friends and family serve as balloon handlers, float escorts, clowns and in behind-the-scenes positions. With the exception of invited partners and performers (i.e., bands, performance groups, celebrities), the parade is staffed exclusively by Macy’s employees.

Floats are constructed by a team of artisans who work year-round from sketches and miniatures to produce not only imaginative but logistically practical and weather-friendly finished products.

The dimensions of the float must enable them to fit through the Lincoln Tunnel connecting Macy’s Parade Studio and a storage facility in New Jersey with New York. Accordingly, they are engineered so they can collapse to no more than 12 feet tall and 8 feet wide in size.

Fast Facts: Did You Know?

• This is the 85th annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, with 30 floats and 15 gigantic helium character balloons highlighting the event.


• Approximately 30 characters and performers are aboard the Buil-A-Bear float, waving to and interacting with the vast New York City crowds.


• The parade did not take place on three Thanksgivings—1942, ’43 and ’44—during World War II, due to the need for rubber and helium for the war effort.


• The dimensions of all of the floats must enable them to fit through the Lincoln Tunnel connecting Macy’s Parade Studio and a storage facility in New Jersey with New York. Accordingly, they are engineered so they can collapse to no more than 12 feet tall and 8 feet wide.

Originally published in the Winter 2011 issue.