Image via Nintendo and Macy’s
Macy’s started sharing details about the balloons that will appear during the 2025 Thanksgiving Day Parade, and Nintendo confirmed a new Super Mario one will join returning characters like Goku. He’s one of five new designs that will appear on November 27, 2025. The official website confirmed all new and returning balloons, floats, and performances so far.
Of the 32 confirmed Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade 2025 balloons, only three are pop culture ones like Super Mario. Buzz Lightyear from the Toy Story series and the Shrek’s Onion Carriage with his family and friends as of Shrek the Third will also be there. The Mario balloon will be over 43 and a half feet tall, 51 feet long, and 37 feet wide. It is to mark the 40th anniversary of the game series, and it is based on his Super Mario Galaxy appearance following the launch of Super Mario Galaxy + Super Mario Galaxy 2 on the Switch. While the actual balloon wasn’t shown yet, a 3D model mock-up was shared alongside the reveal.
The Super Mario balloon will be one of two featuring characters from Nintendo games during the 2025 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Pokemon will be back again. The Eevee and Pikachu balloon, which features the two characters riding in a Poke Ball-themed sled, will be back. That first debuted in the 2021 parade and has repeatedly shown up since.
A number of anime character balloons are also returning. Goku from Dragon Ball Z and Monkey D. Luffy from One Piece will both be back.
The Macy’s 2025 Thanksgiving Day Parade will take place on November 27, 2025.