The falling debris hit an off-duty police officer from Suffolk County on his back. The gust caused the balloon to be speared in the left eye, with the impact tearing open the balloon and sending the light portion of the streetlight into the crowd below. The balloon passed through Columbus Circle, and upon arriving on Broadway, it was sent flying into a lamp post by a heavy gust of wind. The balloon wobbled in the wind all the way along Central Park West, but was able to maintain its composure thanks to its team of husky handlers. Shortly after the Sonic the Hedgehog balloon left its starting point at 77th Street and Central Park West, the balloon veered into a tree on the sidelines, causing its left arm and spike to be spared of their helium. Hopes were high for the debut of the Sonic balloon, however troublesome winds proved problematic for the Parade's lineup of signature helium balloons. Although the balloon sprang a leak shortly before starting his flight, the error was patched up and the video game superstar filled the sky, much to the delight of his fans.
SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 1 2013 TRIAL
The balloon made its first public appearance at the first-ever Macy's BalloonFest, which welcomed guests to see the trial flights of that year's newest giant character balloons, which included the likes of Beethoven the Dog, Rex from We're Back!, Izzy, and the hedgemiester of Sega, Sonic the Hedgehog. The balloon also required a record amount of helium to be inflated, at 18,900 cubic feet. Upon making his debut, Sonic the Hedgehog was the first-ever video game character to appear in the Parade, and was the only character to hold the title until the debut of the Pikachu balloon in 2001. The balloon featured Sonic himself speeding down the Parade route with three rows of bodacious blue quills running up and down his back, red-hot sneakers and an attitude bigger than a sonic boom. Macy's and Sega partnered to create a six-story tall helium balloon of the video game character, promoting the upcoming release of the Sonic the Hedgehog 3 video game. Sonic the Hedgehog has one of the most infamous histories in parade history, he was first represented in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in 1993, at the height of the character's initial popularity.
SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 1 2013 SERIES
His series had sold more than 80 million copies by his 20th anniversary in 2011. Sonic is one of the world's best-known video game characters and a gaming icon. The character was given his current, “modern” look in 1998. Programmer Yuji Naka and artist Naoto Ohshima created the blue hedgehog in 1991, as he debuted in the first Sonic the Hedgehog game, which was released to provide Sega with a mascot to rival Nintendo's flagship character Mario. In addition to appearing in many video games, the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise has grown to include several types of media including video games, comic books, animated television shows and more. In most games, Sonic must race through several unique levels, collecting power-up rings while avoiding obstacles and enemies. Sonic is characterized as an anthropomorphic blue hedgehog who can run at supersonic speeds (hence his name), and can curl up into a ball as a way of attacking his enemies. Sonic the Hedgehog is the titular protagonist of the video game series of the same name, produced by SEGA.