The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is turning 100. Photos show how the tradition has evolved since 1924.

Pokémon characters Pikachu and Eevee.

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• The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade was first held on November 27, 1924.
• It's been a hallmark of the holiday season since then, featuring celebrities and character balloons.
• This year's parade airs on Thursday, November 28 at 8:30 a.m. ET on NBC.

On Thursday, November 28, Macy's will kick off its 98th Thanksgiving Day Parade.

But what's extra special about this year's parade is that it's also the 100-year anniversary of the first Macy's parade — then called the Macy's Christmas Parade — which was held on November 27, 1924. (The company skipped the event from 1942-1944 because of World War II.)

Since then, the parade has grown into a spectacle of giant helium balloons, extravagent floats, marching bands, Broadway performances, celebrity appearances, and more.

"Every single year, we really try to deliver the best in entertainment," Kathleen Wright, director of production operations for Macy's studios, told the "Today" show on Monday.

So, as more than 5,000 volunteers, 32 balloons, and 22 floats prepare to grace the streets of New York City, here's a look back at Macy's first parade and how the tradition has evolved over the last 100 years.

1924: Macy's held its first parade on November 27, 1924; it was called the Macy's Christmas Parade.

Even Macy's first Christmas Parade featured a Santa Claus float.

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The first parade featured live animals from the Central Park Zoo.

1927: Live animals were replaced with the now classic helium balloons.

Happy Dragon was the second balloon featured in the 1927 parade.

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Happy Dragon (pictured above) and Felix the Cat were two balloons on display that year.

1930s: Walt Disney helped design the first Mickey Mouse balloon.

A Mickey Mouse balloon was featured in 1934.

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The balloon handlers were also dressed as Mickey Mouse.

1940s: The parade was canceled from 1942 to 1944 due to rubber and helium shortages during World War II, but it was back on for the rest of the '40s.

An Uncle Sam balloon was included in a parade during the 1940s.

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An Uncle Sam balloon graced the streets of New York City in the 1940s.

1950s: The Radio City Rockettes have been perfectly aligned since their first performance at the parade in 1957.

The Radio City Rockettes performed at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in 1958.

John Lindsay/AP Photo

The Rockettes were founded in 1925.

1960s: Miss Teenage America 1961 Diane Lynn Cox rode a float in the parade.

Miss Teenage America Diane Lynn Cox waved to the crowd.

Anthony Camerano/AP

She was accompanied by her "Prince Charming," actor Troy Donahue.

1968: Snoopy, the beloved beagle from the "Peanuts" comics, made his balloon debut.

The "Peanuts" character Snoopy had its balloon debut in 1968.

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The balloon was named "Flying Ace Snoopy."

According to Macy's, Snoopy is the "longest-running character balloon" in the parade's history.

1970s: Kermit the Frog made his debut in 1977.

Kermit the Frog's balloon debuted in 1977.

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The balloon handlers were also dressed as Kermit, with green outfits and yellow collars.

1980: The Sesame Street float followed a marching band.

A Sesame Street float was featured in the parade in 1980.

Ken Howard/Getty Images

Sesame Street began airing in 1969.

1982: Woody Woodpecker flew high above Macy's.

A Woody Woodpecker balloon flew in 1982.

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The Woody Woodpecker show aired between 1940 and 1972.

1984: Raggedy Ann waved to onlookers.

1984's parade included a Raggedy Anne balloon.

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Raggedy Ann was a character created by author and artist Johnny Gruelle in 1915.

1985: The Betty Boop balloon was 67 feet tall.

In 1985, a Betty Boop balloon was paraded through the city.

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The ballon also held over 15,000 cubic feet of helium.

1986: Olive Oyl and Swee'Pea were preceded by a group of clowns.

An Olive Oyl and Swee'Pea balloon was featured in 1986.

AP Photo

Olive Oyl and Swee'Pea were characters from "Popeye."

1988: The Pink Panther was on the case.

A Pink Panther balloon in the 1986 parade.

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The first Pink Panther film was created in 1963.

1989: A Ronald McDonald-shaped balloon carried balloons of its own.

Ronald McDonald made an appearance in 1989.

Tim Clary/AP Photo

An estimated 1.8 million people attended the chilly parade.

1990: Clifford the Big Red Dog lived up to his name.

Clifford the Big Red Dog was included in 1990.

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The first "Clifford" story was published in 1963 by Norman Bridwell.

1991: Spider-Man made his first appearance at the parade.

Spider-Man made his first Macy's parade appearance in 1991.

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It was fitting for a Spider-Man balloon to fly over New York City, just as the character does in the comics and movies.

1992: Bart Simpson cruised through town on his skateboard.

Bart Simpson in 1992.

Bebeto Matthews/AP Photo

"The Simpsons" remains the longest-running scripted sitcom in television history.

1993: Members of America Sings!, a performing arts nonprofit organization for young amateur singers, belted out American classics.

America Sings! performed in 1993.

Stringer/Getty Images

The singers wore red sweaters with white scarves as they waved American flags.

1994: The Cat in the Hat premiered as a new balloon in Times Square.

The Cat in the Hat balloon debuted in 1994.

Stringer/Reuters

A billboard for the Tony Award-winning musical "Kiss of the Spider Woman" can be seen in the background.

1995: Beethoven was big. Like, really big.

Beethoven the dog in 1995.

Jeff Christensen/Reuters

There are eight "Beethoven" movies in total.

1996: Betty Boop reappeared.

Betty Boop's 1985 balloon made an appearance.

Jeff Christensen/Reuters

She was sitting on a crescent moon again.

1997: Winds gusting up to 43 miles per hour caused many of the 17 balloons in the parade to rip and deflate.

A Pink Panther balloon deflated in 1997.

Jeff Christensen/Reuters

One of the balloons blew into a lamppost, knocking it into the crowd and injuring two people, The New York Times reported in 1997.

1998: "Rugrats" were all the rage.

A "Rugrats" balloon was featured in 1998.

Adam Nadel/AP Photo

"Rugrats" characters Chuckie and Tommy rode their dog Spike in the 1998 parade.

1999: Before "Googling" became a verb, internet search engine Ask Jeeves was the way to go.

Miss America winner Heather French rode the Ask Jeeves float in 1999.

Jeff Christensen/Reuters

The Ask Jeeves float was accompanied by Miss America winner Heather French.

2000: A marching band led the way for Arthur.

Arthur was led by a marching band in 2000.

Craig Blankenhorn/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images

The animated children's series "Arthur" aired from 1996 to 2022.

2001: The trauma of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center was still raw.

Macy's continued with the parade in 2001.

Chris Hondros/Getty Images

Members of the New York City fire department carried an American flag.

2002: Justin Guarini, the runner-up on season one of "American Idol," crooned a Christmas song.

Justin Guarini of "American Idol" in 2002.

Matthew Peyton/Getty Images

Guarini placed second to Kelly Clarkson on the show's first season.

The "100 Christmases" sign behind him was a nod to the age of Macy's iconic storefront in Herald Square, which opened in 1902.

2003: Simple Plan rocked out on the M&M float.

Simple Plan performed at the parade in 2003.

Matthew Peyton/Getty Images

The band released the singles "Addicted" and "Perfect" in 2003.

2004: A news ticker shared stories about "Desperate Housewives" and the war in Iraq.

People performed on stilts and unicycles at the 2004 parade.

Mario Tama/Getty Images

Performers followed the parade route on stilts and unicycles.

2005: Charlie Brown was part of the fun.

Charlie Brown chased his football in 2005.

Jeff Christensen/AP Photo

The "Peanuts" character chased after his football.

2006: It rained on this parade. Poor Big Bird.

The parade continued as usual despite the rain.

Stephen Chernin/Getty Images

The Big Bird balloon sank to the ground due to inclement weather.

2007: Shrek floated above the city in all of his glory.

Shrek was featured in the 2007 parade.

Hiroko Masuike/Getty Images

The third "Shrek" movie, "Shrek the Third," came out in 2007.

2008: Miley Cyrus was at the height of her Disney stardom.

Miley Cyrus waved and performed on a float for the movie "Bolt."

Yana Paskova/Getty Images

Cyrus appeared on a float for the 2008 animated Disney movie "Bolt," in which she was the voice of Penny. 

2009: Keke Palmer blew a kiss to adoring fans.

Keke Palmer blew a kiss to the crowd in 2009.

Michael Loccisano/Getty Images

Palmer sang her song "Top of the World" on a Build-A-Bear float. At the time, she was the star of Nickelodeon's "True Jackson, VP."

2010: Miranda Cosgrove rode with the Minions from "Despicable Me."

Cosgrove and the Minions rode on a float with a model of the Statue of Liberty.

Neilson Barnard/Getty Images

Cosgrove voices Margo in the "Despicable Me" franchise.

2011: Members of the NYPD marched through Times Square.

NYPD officers in the 2011 parade.

Michael Nagle/Getty Images

Spider-Man followed closely in the background.

2012: US Olympic gymnasts Kyla Ross, Aly Raisman, Jordyn Wieber, McKayla Maroney, and Gabby Douglas of the "Fierce Five" sported their gold medals from the London Olympics.

The Fierce Five attended the parade in 2012.

Desiree Navarro/Getty Images

The Fierce Five led Team USA to gold in the team all-around for the first time in more than a decade.

2013: Despite the cold and concerns about the wind, the parade continued as planned.

It was a cold November.

Kena Betancur/Getty Images

The National Weather Service reported that the high in Central Park that day was 35 degrees. Despite cold temperatures, the New York Daily News reported that 3.5 million people attended the event.

2014: Spider-Man flew past Macy's.

A Spider-Man balloon flew through the sky in 2014.

Brad Barket/Getty Images

In "The Amazing Spider-Man 2," which was released in 2014, the titular character was played by Andrew Garfield.

2015: A record number of police officers patrolled the parade in the wake of terrorist attacks in Paris.

Pikachu floated through Midtown as officers stood by in 2015.

Kena Betancur/Getty Images

For the first time, the parade featured 200 officers from the NYPD Counterterrorism Bureau's Critical Response Command, The New York Times reported.

2016: Macy's celebrated its 90th Thanksgiving Day Parade.

A marching band assembled in the parade in 2016.

Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/Getty Images

Marching band drums marked Macy's 90th parade.

2017: The red Power Ranger balloon flew down the streets of New York.

Saban's Mighty Morphin Power Ranger balloon in 2017.

Noam Galai/Getty Images for Saban Brands

The balloon handlers wore matching red outfits.

2018: SpongeBob SquarePants flew down the street sporting a Santa hat.

A SpongeBob SquarePants balloon traveled through New York City in 2018.

Atilgan Ozdil/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

Perhaps SpongeBob was paying tribute to the original "Christmas Parade."

2019: Disney's Olaf from "Frozen" made his third consecutive parade appearance after debuting in 2017.

An Olaf balloon from "Frozen" was included in 2019's celebration.

Ralph Bavaro/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images

"Frozen 2" came out in 2019.

2020: Santa Claus and his elves wore face masks to the parade in an effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

There were no crowds at the parade.

Eugene Gologursky/Getty Images for Macy's Inc.

Despite there being no live crowds, the parade still featured performances from the Goo Goo Dolls, Sofia Carson, CNCO, Pentatonix, and more.

2021: Broadway's cast of "Wicked" performed "One Short Day."

The cast of "Wicked" at the parade.

Eric Liebowitz/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images

Broadway performances have been a parade staple for decades.

2022: NBC has been the parade's official broadcast partner since 1952.

Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb hosting the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in 2022.

Cara Howe/Contributor/NBC via Getty Images

In 2022, NBC's Savannah Guthrie, Hoda Kotb, and Al Roker were part of the show.

2023: Pokémon character Pikachu has appeared in every parade since 2001.

Pokémon characters Pikachu and Eevee.

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According to Macy's, each blade on Pikachu and Eevee's Poké Ball sleigh is about the same length as a semi-trailer truck.

2024: This year's parade will include six new balloons and seven new floats.

The Tom Turkey float will return in 2024.

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While there will be more than 10 combined new balloons and floats, Macy's still leaves room for the classics like Tom Turkey, which is "the longest running title float in the Parade," according to the brand.

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