How They Make Those Thanksgiving Day Floats    • Share   • Read
Later  The new ZhuZhu Pet float for the 2011 Macy's Thanksgiving
Day Parade  With 27 floats set to roll down the Macy’s
Thanksgiving Day Parade route in New York City, getting the
festive contraptions ready for the big day proves a yearlong job
for a team of sculptors, woodworkers, painters and designers.
Each year, the Macy’s parade sends 27 to 29 floats down the
parade route, each with an entertainment theme of some sort. But
these floats don’t get tossed together mere weeks ahead of the
big day by a smattering of volunteers. For a three-hour telecast
highlighted by big-name entertainment contracts, Macy’s does
things a bit different. They have a team of 24 working year-
round on floats that take between three and six months to
complete.  Each float can stretch as long as 60 feet, reach up
to four stories tall and get as wide as 30 feet when in full
splendor. But before they reach mammoth proportions, the float
starts as a pencil sketch and the