Has Garfield ever been in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade?

The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is a huge part of the holiday season. While some want to skip ahead to Christmas, most of us enjoy watching the parade.

It's always fun to see which characters make an appearance and this year, I'm shocked Garfield isn't making one. Given how popular The Garfield Movie was, it's odd. However, that brings us to the next question which is if Garfield has ever been a part of the parade.

Even doing a simple Google search will answer your question as we all see that huge Garfield balloon as part of the parade. Going all the way back to the 1980s, Garfield made his first appearance in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in 1983 which was as part of a float.

However, Garfield wouldn't be featured in balloon form until 1984, one short year after he made his debut at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Then again, that wouldn't be the last time we'd see this lasagna-loving feline.

Garfield would continue to appear in the Macy's Day Parade.

After his initial balloon appearance, Garfield would continue to appear in multiple forms, balloon and otherwise. As Garfield was very popular into the '90s, he would appear as part of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade lineup. Eventually, the original balloon would be retired in 1999 due to over use.

Eventually, the 2000s would come and Garfield returned again. Sadly, the last time we saw Garfield appear in balloon form was in 2006. Most of us know that Garfield just wasn't as popular. However, the tides are changing and it seems like we might get the Garfield balloon back sooner rather than later.

Either way, it's clear Garfield has a long and storied history with the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade so maybe the popularity of The Garfield Movie and a possible sequel will bring him back. Either way, it's nice to know the history of Garfield's balloon whether it was for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade or promo for the live-action films.