But, do you think about the volume of engineering, science and technology that go into making each balloon?
Did you know that the giant balloons seen by more than 50 million viewers across the world begin as a lump of clay?
The balloons are conceived, manufactured and cared for by 28 full-time studio employees in the Macy’s Parade Studio in Moonachie, New Jersey.
11 comments:
I can only imagine that the very specific scientific parameters of the giant balloons make the organization and running rather complex, since there must be all sorts of preparations and precautions to be taken. The balloons are a very impressive and essential part of the parade, and I would be very interested to know how the preparations go on the morning of the parade itself. Even before that, I would like to know whether they blow them up before the big day to test them, and where and how. I was very surprised to read that they submerge the balloon models in water to assess how helium will be needed to float the balloon. That sounds inexact, and it seems there would be more accurate ways of measuring that. Regardless, it is cool to learn about the process, especially since I can’t say I have ever given it much thought.
When I was younger I used to go to a family friend’s townhouse and watch the balloons get inflated the evening before the Macy’s day parade. I never would have thought that so much engineering would go into the making of a balloon. Of course now that I’ve grown up a bit I am not too surprised. Although what I did find interesting was the amount of models made of the balloon shape. It makes sense though, a marked up 3D model is would be a really useful tool for engineers. I am surprised that this was not just all done digitally. Computer 3D modeling is a skill that more and more people are taking up and I would imagine that changing a virtual model is easier than making serious alterations to a clay one. I just had the thought that THIS would be a great use for a 3D printer; to make the demos for the balloons.
They left out a step in making the balloons! When Louis Henry Mitchell, the Creative Director of Character Design at Sesame Street, visited CMU, he talked a lot about how he was the first step in the Macy's Day Parade balloon creation- he drew up sketches of how he wanted Grover posed and made a very exact design of how he wanted him painted, and sent that to the Macy's studios where they replicated his designs in clay and then in balloon form. He talked about how exact everything had to be- for example, Grover's eyes are always at a 15 degree angle. I'd be interested in knowing more about the specifics of the design and fabrication process for these balloons, and how Macy's studio works with the companies and designers that own the characters they're replicating. I wonder if they have any creative freedom and can make suggestions, or if they have to stick exactly to the original design.
Having balloons that size being moved around New York City it is easy to believe that there is a lot of science that goes into it in the preparation. The new balloons that come into the parade must take at least a year to create and come up with exact measurements for everything. When you are watching the parade you do not usually think about what goes into making the balloons except for the fact that they just get blown up and walked around. I find it really crazy that it takes about 90 people to hold the balloons and walk them around the parade. Before they even get to the clay making process there must be a bunch of steps n drawings and getting permission to have certain characters also.
I'm sure there are more steps to the process than these, bum I am most interested in how they plan the schematics if how to build the balloon. It would be like creating a huge clothing pattern, but with faces and fingers and objects. The placement of the seams and the way the helium pressure affects the shape of the material must all me taken into account. Its incredible how they manage to create faces in such detail with the challenges they are presented. Though I've never seen the parade, I look forward to seeing what they create next year!
After listening to Louis Mitchell a couple weeks ago explaining how he designed the grover parade balloon for sesame street I gained a lot more respect for those who make them. When i was younger i thought it was just a giant ballon like the ones you buy at the store. after reading this article I thought that its great that after many years of enjoying these balloons and the parade itself Im finally learning how they made these. although i think this article probably dumbed down a lot of the process so that we could understand i still think the process is fascinating and will continue to make people keep watching.
So much use of polyurethane! Although not surprising on the Macy's Day balloons, I am surprised that Junior won't scratch up the fridge because of it.
Other than using polyurethane, the making of these balloons is definitely a more intricate process than the article is letting on. There has to be a ton of math and fabrication calculations that happens but this article makes it seem like anyone can do it. Also, I wish the article had said how many people actually work on each ballon as well as provided process shots and studio shots. Cool fun facts article, but not overly informative.
You do not often think about how difficult creating a balloon for the parade really is. People always think of balloons as stretchy rubber. These balloons are made of polyurethane fabric. There is a lot of science and engineering into making sure the balloons can fly at a certain height, certain size, and small area. They have to be very durable against weather and any other outside force. It is good to know that the balloons are identical to the designs and models that the artists make. The balloons actually look like the characters they are portraying. A lot of work goes into creating these balloons that are only viewed on TV for a short and pass by the people viewing the parade live, relatively quickly.
It was really wonderful listening to Louis Henry Mitchell talk about all the math and design that went into making the grover balloon that he designed. I, didn't know how much calculation went into these enormous entities. The word balloon is so misleading because when someone says balloon i think of a simple rubber material filled with air. These parade balloons are so much more than that. Also, when I had Thanksgiving in New York a few years ago, I got to attend the Macy's thanksgiving day parade and actual see these guys up close. They seem so much larger and more majestic in person
Those balloons are awesome, and growing up they were one of my favorite parts of Thanksgiving. It's so interesting to think about the work, both artistically and technically, that goes into making these massive flying creatures. Also, and this is coming from someone who finds what drapers do to be so incredible and difficult and to requires great ability to visualize things in 3D, it's amazing to think that these balloons are constructed from oddly shaped flat pieces of material. I know that there is a lot of computer involvement in the process, but to look at something and see what it should be unfolded is really cool. Something that the article didn't talk about that Louis Henry Mitchell did when he was here a few weeks ago was the way that they used steel cable to create shapes. I guess this article tended to just focus on the polyurethane, so the steel was forgotten. Also, I found all of the polyurethane facts in the article to be really amusing. I know it's a chemistry blog, so I get why they're there, but it seemed like an ad for polyurethane. It was so cool reading about how these balloons are made, and to see what goes into them. I also think it's great that they're always adding more. I wonder when/if they retire balloons, and if they're retired for safety reasons (as opposed to no longer being culturally relevant) if they are then reconstructed.
After listening to the Sesame Street creative director’s talk I knew a little bit about how these balloons are made but it was pretty cool to read this more in-depth article. There is a lof of science and thought that goes into these balloons as I would suspect, but it is not something I really ever thought of. I also heard there are metal rods in the balloons to hold the shape and I was hoping the article would talk more about how the weight of those rods fit into the engineering plans of the balloon.
Post a Comment