They started from the bottom, and now they're here.
Five giant balloons making their debut at the 90th annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade rose from the ground at the Citi Field parking lot Saturday afternoon, as hundreds of volunteers inflated them for trial flights.
Watch the 2016 #MacysParade Balloon Fest live from #CitiField. 🎈
— Citi Field (@CitiField) November 5, 2016
Live link ➡️https://t.co/9NMjbgMN6t pic.twitter.com/05WaUcZ1lI
The new helium balloons include two updates on familiar flying faces.
Greg Heffley, star of the "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" book series, returns to the parade in more colorful duds, replacing an older version of himself retired in 2015.
Charlie Brown has a fresh look this year, too: a new balloon replacing the one introduced in 2002 depicts the Peanuts character tangled in kite string, rather than preparing to kick a football.
The title characters of Dreamworks' new animated film "Trolls" will make their first-ever appearance in the Thanksgiving parade on Nov. 24.
As will Trixie, a bouncing dog modeled on parade executive producer Amy Kule's six-year-old cairn terrier.
LIVE from #MacysParade Balloonfest: Trixie & Felix fly for the very first time! See them on Thanksgiving Day. 🎈 https://t.co/tCTEaAQAM9 pic.twitter.com/dq98Y86JyQ
— Macy's (@Macys) November 5, 2016
Returning to the parade for the first time since the 1930 is Felix the Cat, a reincarnation of the balloon that delighted children when inflatables were first introduced to the event in 1927. Like that original copy, this Felix will make his way along Manhattan streets on sticks.
