Millennials React to Barney Balloon Incident at 1997 Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade: 'We Watched Barney Die'

Mar. 15, 2025

The Barney balloon in the 1997 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.Photo:NBCU Photo Bank/Getty

NBCU Photo Bank/Getty

Between anew animated kids’ showon Max and a newdocumentary podcast series, Barney is definitely back in the public consciousness, inspiring fond memories as well as ironic nostalgia. But as Thanksgiving approaches, millennials who grew up watching the big purple dinosaur are remembering a much more darkly funny moment in the character’s history.

The video goes on to show balloon wranglers and NYPD officers wrestling the giant inflatable to the ground amid high winds, stomping on it to deflate it further.

Handlers with the Barney balloon at the 1997 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.NBCU Photo Bank/Getty

“Anybody else think about the time we watched barney d*e [sic] on national tv?” text above the clip reads.

The video is captioned simply, “Emotional damage.”

The Cat in the Hat balloon at the 1997 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.Evy Mages/NY Daily News Archive/Getty

Evy Mages/NY Daily News Archive/Getty

A mix of cheers and booing can be heard from the crowd — giving an indication of the decidedly mixed sentiment about the character, even in his heyday — as NYPD officers stomped and reportedly stabbed the Barney balloon to deflate it. TheAssociated Press reportedthat one child could be heard saying “Barney’s dead! He’s dead! YEAH!”

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Commenters on @onlyninetieskidsknow’s post recalled the incident with similar gallows humor.

“When my therapist asks me where it all began, I ask her if she knows about the 1997 Macys Day parade,” one wrote.

“The beginning of millennial trauma that continues to this day,” another user commented.

“This was TRAUMATIZING and my family STILL makes fun of me for crying during this,” another wrote.

The original home video of the incident seems to have been uploaded to YouTube back in 2013, and has continued to resurface every Thanksgiving since.

source: people.com