Tim Burton‘s “B.Boy” balloon was unveiled to the public Thursday as part of Macy’s annual Thanksgiving parade in New York City.
The Alice in Wonderland director created the stitched-together character as part of the event’s “Blue Sky Gallery” series, which invites artists to enter flying wonders for the procession.
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The character’s backstory is that he was cobbled together from rejects of birthday party balloons left over from children’s parties at a hospital. B. Boy was not allowed to play with other kids so he withdrew to his basement home and into the world of his favorite film, The Red Balloon. He hoped that one day he too would be able to fly above the city and bring joy to one small child.
The blue B. Boy was a hit online, with one fan tweeting “My hero Tim Burton got his own float!? I actually teared up. Über dork alert:)” and another declaring “The Tim Burton balloon was my favorite this year.” Film blogger Harry Knowles noted, “TIM BURTON BALLOON!!!! And He’s there with Helena [Bonham Carter] and his kid and I have a really big smile. Love Macy’s Parade.”
The Paul Frank-created monkey Julius was also a new addition to this year’s parade, which featured Spider-Man, Kermit the Frog, Mickey Mouse, Hello Kitty and Snoopy balloons and appearances by Mary J. Blige, Cee Lo Green and Avril Lavigne.
Neil Diamond also took part in the proceedings, belting out “Sweet Caroline” and other hits as his float cruised the streets of Manhattan.
The 80th annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade was broadcast on NBC.
Rebecca Ford contributed to this report.
