The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is an annual parade held every Thanksgiving Day in New York City. Originally called the Macy's Christmas Parade, it was first held in 1924 and has run continually since then, only missing three years due to rubber shortages during World War II. The two and a half mile parade features large balloons of well-known characters alongside floats and marching bands, ending with a float of Santa Claus upon his sleigh, marking the start of the Christmas season. Interestingly, all performers in the parade must become "employees" of Macy's.
A Sprout float, known as "Daytime, Playtime, Nighttime Too," first appeared in the parade in 2012, with talent from programming blocks waving to the crowd and performing a number such as "Squeaka with Chica" or "Kindness Counts." The original float featured two buildings -- the Sunshine Barn and the You and Me Tree. The 2013 performance marked the Sprout debuts of Tim Kubart and Kaitlin Becker, who debuted on The Sunny Side Up Show on December 30th and January 6th, respectively. This float, renamed "Free to Play" in 2015, appeared in five consecutive parades, through 2016, when a new float was introduced. Universal Kids remained in the parade until 2019.