Ready for a moment in history? Well, for “One Piece” fans it’s here! This Thanksgiving day we’ll be able to watch Monkey D. Luffy float over New York as a giant balloon! Pretty fitting for a rubber man!
This Thanksgiving, anime’s favorite pirate Monkey D. Luffy will embark on his newest adventure. However, this time, the beloved captain of the Straw Hats isn’t setting sail across the sea. Instead, he’ll be venturing down the streets of New York City— as part of the 97th Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade®! On November 23, 2023, Monkey D. Luffy, from the celebrated global anime franchise One Piece, will debut as one of the iconic featured character balloons in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. As the most iconic and recognizable star of One Piece, Monkey D. Luffy will thrill Parade watchers with his signature grin and high-energy, which has been entertaining anime fans for more than 24 years.
Measuring a massive 43-feet long, 39-feet wide and 50-feet tall, Monkey D. Luffy will be impossible to miss during his inaugural flight from Central Park West to Herald Square, home to Macy’s famed flagship store. He will be led the entire way by his own pirate crew of skilled marchers — all honorary Straw Hats for the day — to the cheers of the millions of spectators lining the Parade route and the millions more watching from home.
“We’re thrilled to have the celebrated anime franchise One Piece join the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade with our Monkey D. Luffy giant character balloon,” said Masayuki Endo, President and CEO of Toei Animation Inc. “Over the past 24 years, One Piece has built a huge global audience and today, the franchise is now more popular than ever before — both in the U.S. and around the world. We’re excited to introduce One Piece to the tens of millions of people that watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade every year – especially the friends and families of current One Piece fans!”
To celebrate today’s announcement, Toei Animation will be showcasing an exclusive 3D scale model of the Monkey D. Luffy character balloon in their One Piece exhibit booth at next week’s New York Comic Con. The showcase is located at Toei Animation’s One Piece Booth (#2821) and will be on display daily at New York Comic Con during normal show floor hours.
Fans are encouraged to participate in all the excitement from now through Parade day by following Toei Animation on social media along with the hashtag #ThanksLuffy for all the latest news and information,
The 97th Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade will air nationwide in the U.S. on NBC and stream on Peacock, on Thursday, November 23, 2023, from 9 a.m.- noon, in all time zones.
For more information visit macys.com/parade. To follow and participate in the excitement, check out @macys on various social platforms and follow #MacysParade.
