Felix the Cat was the first to fly in the 1927 Macy's Parade.
Over 200,000 thousand people showed up at the parade (which only had the sight to advertise Macy's store in NYC). The first giant balloon to fly was Felix the Cat. This is when the tradition of giant balloons started for the Macy's Parade. Although the first Macy's Parade was in 1924, they used real animals and floats instead of the giant balloons they use nowadays.