Popeye Returns to the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade & Celebrates with 4-Week Comic Arc.
The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade celebrates its 100th march this month, and Popeye’s Sailor Man is returning to the parade as an inflatable for the first time in nearly 60 years. Popeye, Olive Oyl, and Swee’Pea will be found atop the new-for-2026 float, Macy’s All-Stars, alongside several other beloved characters from the parade’s history on Thanksgiving Day.
To mark the occasion, King Features and Popeye comic strip writer Randy Milholland are celebrating the characters’ return with a series of original gags about their road to the parade that will play out in the newspaper strip over the four Sundays in November leading up to Thanksgiving Day. The first strip ran on ComicsKingdom and in newspapers, and fans can look out for more each Sunday until Thanksgiving.
Popeye made his first appearance during the 16th Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in 1939 atop a float designed after his sailing vessel. In the years that followed, Popeye appeared on both parade floats and as a balloon, and he was last seen as a balloon in 1968, making this the first time in nearly six decades that Popeye has been seen in inflated form. Joined by Olive Oyl and Swee’Pea, Popeye’s new design merges the original 1957 balloon design with his modern look.
Jordan Dabby, producer of Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade:
For more than a century, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade® has brought joy to millions, as many of the world’s most beloved characters soar above the streets of New York City. As we celebrate our 100th march, we’re proud to welcome back several fan favorites, including Popeye, Olive Oyl and Swee’Pea, who will be featured on our Macy’s All Stars float. Their return honors a cherished Thanksgiving tradition and reminds us of the timeless characters and stories that continue to connect generations of Parade fans.
CJ Kettler, President, King Features:
“Popeye has enjoyed a long history of taking part in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, and we are honored that his return coincides with its 100th celebration. We wanted to mark the moment through one of the most cherished art forms there is: the comic strip. Like the parade itself, it’s a timeless format that carries a sense of nostalgia while remaining relevant and resonant today. As Popeye approaches his own centennial in just a few years, we’re proud to see two icons of American culture come together, and we congratulate Macy’s on more than a century of one of the season’s most beloved traditions.”
