As you surely know, one of the big Thanksgiving traditions here in New York is the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. What you might not know — and what I didn’t know myself until reader Michael Clary schooled me on it — is that the 1946 edition of the parade featured a baseball player named Harold (additional photos here). Harold’s name was almost certainly a play on Macy’s location in Herald Square, and the star on his chest had to be a reference to the Macy’s logo, which has always featured a star in one way or another, all of which is to say that Harold was a corporate shill. Still, he was pretty adorable. And look — he and his handlers had matching socks!
Five years earlier, in 1941, the parade had featured a football player. I don’t have a full-body of him, but here’s a very effective teaser photo (again, credit to Michael Clary; click to enlarge):
I’m sure there have been other sports-related floats in the parade, but that’s enough for now. In the spirit of the day, I’m thankful for having a place where I can share these things, and an audience that appreciates them.
By the time most of you read this, I’ll be on my way to pick up my brother in Queens, and then we’re heading to Long Island to spend the day with Mom. Whatever you’re doing today, I hope your Thanksgiving is a good one. Peace.
Looks like today’s Google doodle is a bit uni-related. And like the doodle, I’ll wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving.
below is the link to the whole parade from that year. really good shots. the full shot of the football player is picture #11 when you scroll down. the pic of the spaceman is great! he looks like he is headed to Uranus with that bottle
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go charlie go!
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low quality but here is the footballer in 1941 parade
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two great pics the USS LOS ANGELES balloon flying over manhattan during the parade
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sweet life cover and helmet for CHOO CHOO CHARLIE
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That girl in one of the Harold photos looks like a young Natalie Wood.
Happy Turkey Day, y’all! Be thankful for everything you have, but if you get to choose, remember that white meat is for suckers.
here is an ad explaining NO PARADE in 1943 with a good shot of the footballer
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too bad the ad is so small
bigger pic but still hard to read
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women got 5 more sick days than men at disney in 1943 per this employee handbook.
you could be fired for any violation of the United States Espionage act
they referred to carpooling as the “Great Brotherhood of the Wistful thumb”
Penthouse Club Membership for MEN ONLY
lots of good stuff in this puppy! link
reminds me of the SNL feature on the Disney Vault
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Anyone looking for this week’s NFL SUPERHERO PROJECT can find it in yesterday’s edition of Uni-Watch… Have a happy Thanksgiving.
My brother is in the parade! He’s one of the old Scots escorting Santa this year
i bet a young dan snyder cheered this float on
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the link wasnt working
trying again
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he parade became known nationwide after being prominently featured in the 1947 film, Miracle on 34th Street, which included footage of the 1946 festivities.
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GOT HIM!!!
good action shots of the football player balloon in this video at the 0:17 mark
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even better pic of the football player here in color though I am not sure how they did it unless this was colorized decades later
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Roger, how about letting everyone else have a turn, OK? Thanks.
Happy… Thanks… Giving…
from W… K… R… P!
What a sight, ladies and gentlemen!
What sight!
It was almost like they were organized.
Happy Thanksgiving Everybody!!!
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Uni-focused piece about Football Unis in Europe
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So the Cowboys are wearing Blue at home. Turkey day thing or did the Nike green Eagles jerseys have issues? Hmm…
Cowboys wearing blue at home? Now I’ve seen it all.
Here’s the Cowboys answer:
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There was also a Harold the Fireman and Harold the Policeman in this years and past parades as well.
Mike Engle | November 26, 2014 at 10:35 am | Reply
TECHNICAL TROUBLESHOOTING ALERT
Does anybody have a problem reading Uni Watch on iPad through Safari? I’ve been having a particular problem since yesterday. The website does not load properly: it only displays a little more than the first paragraph before it craps out and stops giving me more. Sometimes, Safari says there was a problem, so it’s restarting the website. Here’s a screenshot of what I see on my iPad.
link…
Any help would be appreciated. And oh yeah, don’t tell me to switch to mobile view, because that toggle option is at the bottom, and the bottom doesn’t load! It’s a Catch-22.
DJ Doc | November 26, 2014 at 6:32 pm | Reply
Same here, Mike…impossible to load the Uni-Watch site on Safari the past couple of days.
roger | November 26, 2014 at 9:04 pm | Reply
yes. the last 2 days have sucked so bad on my ipad I have switched to my windows laptop
Wonder if it has anything to do with the 32 youtube videos Paul posted on Monday? I’ve had the same problem.