 Macy's
Thanksgiving-Day Parade
Strawberry Shortcake Float
My second
participation in Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade happened in 1981, after I
received a call from Joe Stephen, who I worked with at Radio City Music Hall. He
was now working for the Eaves-Brooks Costume Shop, in New York City, and asked
if I’d like to come in to work on a series of puppets for the Strawberry
Shortcake Float. Unless you grew up on the east coast it is hard to describe
the excitement the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade brought to millions of
kids growing up in the metropolitan area.
Strawberry
Shortcake was a series of characters created by American Greetings. Their
popularity catapulted them into a marketing frenzy that included dolls, toys,
games, and accessories. Each character was themed around a popular berry flavor
and given a clever gimmick --- They were scented. They also had a corresponding
pet. To maintain this high visibility Strawberry Shortcake and her friends were
given a float in the Macy’s Parade. The assignment to translate these original
character dolls into masks went to Joe Stephen. When it was decided that their
pets join their costumed counter-parts as puppets in the parade, it became a
lucky break for me.
What
seems like a small assignment became such an important step it the evolution of
my art and so I will always look on this project with fond memories.
Here are the Strawberry Shortcake Pets on
Parade. :)
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