Goldfish returns to Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade after a decade with tiniest float ever
The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade featured something truly surprising this year: the tiniest float ever created for the holiday tradition. Goldfish, the popular snack brand, is coming back to the parade after more than 10 years, and it did so with a float that was smaller than anyone expected.
Called “The Littlest Float,” the creation was only 8 inches tall and 14 inches long. Brendan Kennedy, director of creative production at Macy’s Studios, told Fast Company the float is 49 times smaller than the average parade float.
“I don’t think this has ever come close to happening,” Kennedy says.
A mini float with a winter story
Even though it is tiny, the float includes a full winter scene with snow, trees, and Goldfish crackers enjoying activities like sledding and building snowmen. A miniature Ram truck, complete with working mirrors and blinkers, pulled the float as it circles Herald Square, as per Fast Company.
The design took inspiration from the brand’s 2015 advertisement “Snow Day.”
Mike Fanelli, senior director of marketing at Goldfish, told Fast Company, “After more than a decade, returning with the Littlest Float allowed us to show up in a way that feels both true to the brand and meaningful to fans.”
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A late idea that Macy’s could not ignore
Kennedy told the outlet that Macy’s usually plans each parade 18 months ahead, but Goldfish approached them with the idea in early September, very late in the process. “Goldfish has this idea, what do you think?” Kennedy recalled being asked. He replied, “I was like, ‘Absolutely. I’m in.’”
How the miniature float was built
Creating such a tiny float brought new challenges. Macy’s Studios built a custom aluminum base shaped like a Goldfish cracker. Kennedy described it as “a thick skateboard.” The float used omnidirectional wheels, similar to the ones used in robotics, so it could move smoothly in any direction.
The snowy landscape on top was 3D-printed, sanded, and hand-painted to look detailed on camera. NBC even set up a special camera only six inches off the ground to capture the float clearly during the broadcast.
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A small float made to bring big joy
On parade day, tall actors will walk alongside the tiny float to highlight its size and keep it safe. For Kennedy, the goal was simple. He explained, “I think it’s really fun and silly, and it’s such a good way of showing how the Macy’s Studios team can come together and reinvent what it means to parade.”
