Nintendo of America and Macy’s have announced that Mario will make his debut at this year’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade with a special float to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Japanese release of Super Mario Bros. in 1985.
Both companies said in a joint press release on Friday that the Mario balloon will have the red plumber striking a flying pose as he does in Super Mario Galaxy, as shown in the 3D model image above. The float will be 51 feet 2 inches long, 37 feet wide, and 43 feet 8 inches tall, with Mario wearing his signature plumber’s outfit.
“Having Mario join this iconic holiday tradition is an incredible way to honor the 40th anniversary of Super Mario Bros.,” said Devon Pritchard, EVP of Revenue, Marketing & Consumer Experience at Nintendo of America. “Since he first emerged from a Warp Pipe, Mario has embodied our goal of bringing smiles to faces all over the world. We are excited for Mario fans of all ages to see his new balloon’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade debut.”
The Mario balloon comes two weeks after released the Nintendo Switch 2 port of Super Mario Galaxy and Super Mario Galaxy 2. It also comes over a month after Nintendo revealed that the sequel to The Super Mario Bros. Movie will be based on the 2007 Wii game, hence the title The Super Mario Galaxy Movie.
The 99th Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade will air on November 27. If only Sonic can fly alongside Mario this year. Although, I suspect that Sonic will get a balloon for the 35th anniversary of his game next year.
