First of all, I want to start off by saying that this is not intended to be a spam post. This is a legitimate effort that I have been working on for quite some time, and I feel that this place is one of the best places to work on it.

Now that the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade has come and gone once again, I would like to take the time to say that out of all of the balloons and floats that have been featured in the parade, my favorite has always been the Spider-Man balloon. In 1987, the balloon made it's national appearance floating from Fifth Avenue to 34th Street. The balloon was created thanks to the talent and efforts of Manford Bass, a specialist in crafting large-size inflatables, and John Romita Sr., famed comic artist who has been recognized as one of the premiere Spidey artists. The balloon was a staple of the parade for many years until the late 1990s when it simply vanished without any explanation.

However, after meeting John Romita Jr. at a recent comic book convention in NYC, I learned that the reason for the balloon's disappearance was due largely to the bankruptcy incident that Marvel faced in the mid-90s, not because it caused an accident (which it did not), as many people have believed to be the reason. While it was saved after being bought out, the Spidey balloon was one of the things that didn't make the transition with the company, and with no backing, the balloon was taken out. Needless to say, the parade has not been the same without the wall-crawler.

For years, this has bothered me, and recently, I have decided to do something about it. Last year, I started a campaign to bring the Spider-Man back into the parade, or, as a back-up plan, have a Marvel Comics-themed float in the parade. I have been been spreading the word around as best as I can, and both options have gotten a lot of support. Along the way, I have had a few nice suprises as well as some unpleasant ones, but I am still going, and this is my latest stop in my campaign efforts. If you are interested, you can sign up at the following link:

Bring Back the Spider-Man Balloon!

Just add your name to list, and make your voice heard to bring back this small piece of nostalgia! It's also free!

snoopy knocking over a lamp-post!

That was probably either the Cat in the Hat, or the M&Ms balloon...I think.

There was also that incident with the Barney balloon... The cop ran at it with a knife. The kids were horrified. :lol: That was a bad year, I think they all happened the same day.

Anyway, I always assumed Spidey got kicked out because the fad was dying out again. The 90s cartoon was over and they were introducing new characters to the parade. Interesting to know. They should really revive it with the new movies.

Take my word for it, Sunriser, Spidey's the kind of fad that never dies out...it was men in suits that did it in (really makes me angry when I think about it).

That's probably one of the best ways to describe it.

Before we get millions of posts with "LOL petitions don't do shit"

I'd like to be the first to say that online petitions really don't do anything

And I'd like to say...this will. Just trust me, adventure_of_link. Persistence is one of my most outstanding qualities.

If it helps, this Thanksgiving I actually listened to Green Day's "Macy's Day Parade"....it's a little thing I do. I'm a little dork....is this irrelevant? Okay, shutting up. :oops: :)

Actually, I never heard of this song until now, brown_eyed1. Thanks for sharing.

Do you a youtube link? :lol:

I have several people to back me up on this fact

Like Edymnion, for example.

And me.

Well, could you name some alternate methods for me, Guybrush? I really would like to know them.

Fun fact: comic book artist Frank Cho signed my petition a while back (not kidding).

Just saw your message, Guybrush. It really got me thinking...maybe it's time to expand my network a little. I'll try to look into this stuff when I get a chance.

I just realized something...on a website that deals with the "Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends" TV show, they have a petition of their own, AND they have a letter writing campaign to go along with it. Perhaps I could try something along that route.

Btw...we're up to 1221 signatures. Support is still greatly appreciated.

Just found this recently and wanted to share it. Pay attention to the upper left corner:



Well, whaddya think?

Btw, we're up to 1234 signatures. Still alive...

Should get Cho to draw one of his famous cheesecake good-girl pin-ups in support of the petition. That'd be sure to garner interest. :D

Comic fans are so easily manipulated. :cry: