The Ronald McDonald Balloon’s Disastrous Thanksgiving Day Parade Appearance in 2019, Explained

The 93rd Annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade was one to remember. Along with Today show weatherman Al Roker’s infamous feud with the Butter Man, a rogue balloon flying high above the streets of New York City cemented the 2019 parade’s spot in internet history, with the partially deflated Ronald McDonald balloon still generating buzz on social media.

One of dozens of balloons to traverse the 2.5-mile-long parade route in 2019, the iconic Ronald McDonald suffered a major setback early on in the parade. The giant resemblance of Ronald McDonald suffered a 3-inch tear to its left leg, which only grew larger, resulting in the float partially deflating and ultimately being pulled from the parade before it was able to finish the route.

Franki Primeggia, one of the dozen handlers who helped guide the balloon on its route, told the New York Post that the handlers first noticed the tear after officials announced less than an hour before the start of the parade that balloons were safe to fly, so long as they were kept low to the ground due to strong gusts of wind. As “we got underneath the balloon, we all took a rope, they unnetted the balloon … and they saw it,” Primeggia said, adding that there was a small tear on the balloon “right out of the gate.”According to Richard Buran, who was handling the right leg, the tear occurred after a strong gust of wind pushed the inflatable toward a tree branch near the Museum of Natural History, “and when it came back I was able to see the leg deflating.” Buran said, “everybody saw it. It was obvious that it happened.”

Despite the tear, Macy’s employees conducting last-minute float checks gave the balloon the all-clear to fly, as the tear was initially small and didn’t alarm anyone. Primeggia explained that “the hole was 3 inches diameter, but they didn’t tape it or anything,” adding that “the workers “didn’t make a big deal out of being unable to tape it. They said they were just going to float it.”

As the parade began, the tear only worsened, with Primeggia recalling how “there were a couple big gusts of wind … Some people were freaking out and scattered.” The tear made handling the balloon difficult, and in an attempt to maintain control of the balloon, workers desperately pulled on the ropes that were tethered to it, something Primeggia believed contributed to the widening rip. According to Buran, “the whole leg eventually deflated, and then it was just this big piece of fabric,” forcing at least three of the handlers to hold up the flabby foot and leg until the balloon was pulled from the parade about 10 blocks from the finish line at Macy’s flagship store.

Addressing the troublesome parade, Macy’s spokesman Orlando Veras said in a statement, “Some of the balloons suffered stress and tears during the overnight inflation which resulted in the Ronald McDonald giant balloon being pulled midway through the Parade.” Meanwhile, McDonald’s said, “The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade remains an iconic tradition that McDonald’s is proud to be a part of for more than 20 years.”