Here’s what the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade looked like through the years

• The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade used to be called the Christmas Parade.
• It was cancelled from 1942 to 1944 because of World War II.
• It’s been a hallmark of the holiday season since then, featuring celebrities, balloons, and marching bands from around the country.
• The parade floats and performers through the years reflect different periods in American culture.

• Visit Insider’s homepage for more stories.

The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade will march through New York City for the 93rd time this November. Aside from a brief hiatus during World War II when helium and rubber were in short supply, it has been a hallmark of the holiday season since the first parade on Christmas in 1924.

Featuring celebrities, marching bands, clowns, and balloons shaped like cartoon and movie characters, the massive event has been televised since 1952. Grandparents and grandchildren alike share fond memories of watching the spectacle, and the floats and performers through the years reflect different periods in American culture.

Here’s what the parade looked like in its early days and every year since 1980, and make sure to watch the parade on November 28th!

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1920s: Elephants marched in the first parade in 1924, which was previously known as the Macy's Christmas Parade.

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1930s: Walt Disney helped design the first Mickey Mouse balloon.

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1940s: The parade was canceled from 1942 to 1944 due to rubber and helium shortages during World War II, but was back on for the rest of the '40s.

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1950s: The Radio City Rockettes have been perfectly aligned since their first performance at the parade in 1957.

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1960s: Miss Teenage America 1961 Diane Lynn Cox rode a float with her "Prince Charming," actor Troy Donahue.

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1970s: Kermit the Frog made his debut in 1977.

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1980: The Sesame Street float followed a marching band.

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1981: Charles Haid and Michael Warren of the TV series "Hill Street Blues" performed a song and dance number.

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1982: Woody Woodpecker flew high above Macy's.

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1983: Purina dog food sponsored a loveably shaggy canine float.

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1984: Raggedy Anne waved to onlookers.

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1985: The Betty Boop balloon was 67 feet tall and held over 15,000 cubic feet of helium.

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1986: Olive Oyl and Swee' Pea were preceded by a group of clowns.

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1987: Actress Saundra Santiago sang "America the Beautiful."

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1988: The Pink Panther was on the case.

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1989: An estimated 1.8 million people attended the chilly parade.

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1990: Clifford the Big Red Dog lived up to his name.

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1991: Spider-Man made his first appearance at the parade.

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1992: Bart Simpson cruised through town on his skateboard.

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1993: Members of "America Sings," a performing arts nonprofit organization for young amateur singers, belted out American classics.

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1994: The Cat in the Hat premiered as a new balloon in Times Square, where "Kiss of the Spider Woman" was Broadway's big hit.

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1995: "Beethoven" was big. Like, really big.

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1996: Betty Boop reappeared.

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1997: Winds gusting up to 50 miles per hour caused many of the 17 balloons in the parade to rip and deflate.

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1998: "Rugrats" were all the rage.

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1999: Before "Googling" became a verb, internet search engine Ask Jeeves was the way to go.

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2001: The trauma of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center was still raw.

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2002: Justin Guarini, the runner-up of season one of "American Idol," crooned a Christmas song.

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2003: Simple Plan rocked out on the M&M float.

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2004: A news ticker shared stories about "Desperate Housewives" and the war in Iraq.

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2005: The New York City Cheerleaders waved their pom-poms at the crowds.

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2006: It rained on this parade. Poor Big Bird.

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2007: Shrek floated above the city in all of his glory.

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2008: Miley Cyrus was at the height of her Disney stardom.

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2009: Keke Palmer blew a kiss to adoring fans.

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2010: Miranda Cosgrove rode with the Minions from "Despicable Me."

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2011: Members of the NYPD marched through Times Square.

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2012: US Olympic gymnasts Kyla Ross, Aly Raisman, Jordyn Wieber, McKayla Maroney and Gabby Douglas of the "Fierce Five" sported their gold medals from the London Olympics.

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2013: Despite the cold and concerns about the wind, the parade continued as planned.

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2014: In "The Amazing Spider-Man 2," the titular character was played by Andrew Garfield.

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2015: A record number of police officers patrolled the parade in the wake of terrorist attacks in Paris.

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2016: The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade celebrated 90 years.

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2017: The red Power Ranger balloon flew down the streets of New York.

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2018: SpongeBob flew down the street sporting a Santa hat, maybe paying ode to the original 'Christmas Parade.'

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2019: Balloons are being inflated and prepped at MetLife Stadium on November 2nd, gearing up for the big day.

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