Back in 1961...

The Pillsbury Dough Boy made his introduction to America.  Though the years there have been different versions, but none quite as stunning as the one of it as a huge balloon in the 2009 Macy's Thanksgiving Parade.

One of the most fun things to do is to catch of glimpse of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade balloons as they are being inflated?  The night before the parade is the annual balloon inflation frenzy around the American Museum of Natural History on the Upper West Side. Inflation begins at 3 p.m. and ends at 10 p.m., with the entrance at West 79th Street and Columbus Avenue. It does get very crowded and all the local news stations cover it.  I remember one year when my sister and a friend were visiting and we were on the local news watching all the fun happening.