Right before you stuff your bird for Turkey Day, don’t be surprised if you spot an adorable infant from the “Star Wars” universe drifting over 34th Street towards Macy’s Herald Square during this year’s rollout of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Â
Yes, in between chopping onions and celery you can witness the event’s newest flying attraction in the form of The Mandalorian’s Grogu at the annual pageant on Thursday, Nov. 25, according to StarWars.com.
This ginormous Funko Pop!-inspired Grogu (also known as “Baby Yoda”) will tower over the boulevard as the first Star Wars balloon ever to participate in the parade, and comes complete with the creature’s coveted shift knob toy from Mando’s spaceship. It measures 41 feet high, 29 feet long and 37 feet wide (12 meters by 9 m by 11 m) as it soars through Manhattan along a 2.5-mile (4 kilometers) route .
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Designed by Funko art director Reis O’Brien especially for the 95th running of the iconic parade, their original balloon brings Grogu to our galaxy in the addictive Pop! style of the company’s colorful roster of vinyl collectibles.
“We’re no strangers to the thrill of translating “Star Wars” characters into the Pop! form,†O’Brien tells StarWars.com. “Thanks to the strong creative relationship with Lucasfilm, we knew we could develop a fun, charming and iconic moment. After a crash course in how the Macy’s balloons are constructed, we started the creative process inspired by everyone’s love for Grogu.Â
“His giant ears were an unexpected challenge of their own, but once we finally got a peek at the final result we knew that all of our hard work and collaboration had paid off. There’s going to be a whole lot of cuteness floating above the streets of New York City come Thanksgiving morning.”
Funko has also collaborated with Lucasfilm to create a line of collectible bobbleheads, keychains, t-shirts, and hoodies all based on the Grogu parade balloon. In addition, a limited-edition series of balloon-themed Pop! products will be available exclusively at Funko.com.Â
“It’s always fun working with Funko and bringing Star Wars to fans, but this time, the fun and the unique challenges were supersized,” added Brian Merten, senior manager of product design at Lucasfilm. “Bringing Grogu to life as a 37-foot-wide balloon was no small feat and took close collaboration with the Funko design team, as well as the balloon designers from Macy’s. I am very happy with the result and can’t wait to see it in the parade!”
The 95th Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade airs nationwide on Thursday, November 25, from 9 a.m. to noon on NBC in all time zones.
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