Word: ballooned
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...Felix the Cat became the first official parade balloon. Macy's filled the rubber animal with helium but didn't have a plan for deflating it when the parade was done, so Felix was just released into the air. He popped, of course, so the next year officials released balloons again, but incorporated release valves designed to let the helium leak out slowly over the course of a week. The balloons' release received much publicity; Macy's claimed that they would float hundreds of miles away from New York before landing softly in fields or people's yards. Stitched into...
...Most balloon characters take the form of recent popular comics or cartoons, such as Underdog (1965), Kermit the Frog (1977), Barney (1994). Walt Disney got in on the action in 1934, with the first Mickey and Minnie Mouse balloons. But the character with the most balloons has been Snoopy. Charles Schultz' floppy-eared mutt has gone through six balloon changes since his debut...
Winter weather can be unpredictable, and the Macy's parade has had its share of mishaps. Crosswinds hit balloons when they pass through intersections - Times Square is especially tricky - and can blow them off course. In 1928, a giant dog balloon escaped from its handlers, blew against a street sign and deflated. The same thing happened in 1956, when Mighty Mouse failed to save the day and collapsed instead. Heavy rain filled the brim of Donald Duck's hat in 1962, causing the character to tip over and dump 50 gallons of water on unamused onlookers. In 1971, rain fell...
...there hasn’t been a prank in a few years, and I’m beginning to worry about the hack’s future. I understand Boston police cracking down on drinking, but a weather balloon popping out at midfield between plays never hurt anyone. I can guarantee there will be at least one fan at Harvard Stadium this year rooting for something beyond a mere victory over the Elis—awaiting the whimsical, funny gesture that has become a cherished part of my Game...
...This week, activists like Choi, president of the Representatives of the Abductees Family Union, whose members are mostly returned South Koreans kidnapped by North Korea and family members of kidnappees, have continued to organize their ongoing balloon launches in an unusually jittery climate of inter-Korean relations, ignoring threats by the North and pressure by the South to stop the launches. On Nov. 12, North Korea threatened it would shut the inter-Korean border within weeks. South Korea's Unification Ministry said North Korea, which has tolerated similar propaganda leaflets being floated in past years, made it clear that...