"I think this is a first for the parade, " says Macy's lead designer, John Piper, standing in a roomful of brightly colored clay prototypes at Macy's 75, 000-square-foot parade studio in New Jersey.

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After a chat with Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Quest ventures out into the crowds to enjoy the annual Macy's Thanksgiving Parade.

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The family said Biggers "delighted in the enduring appeal of his 'Underdog' franchise, " including the balloon that appeared in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, and the 2007 live-action film.

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Under her watch, the parade will debut what Macy's calls a tricaloon, a three-wheeled bicycle with a 10-foot inflatable character on the back.

WSJ: On Thanksgiving, She Reigns in This Parade

The trial started in mid-February and included three weeks of testimony from a parade of witnesses, including Macy's CEO Terry Lundgren, Penney's Johnson and Martha Stewart herself.

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On a recent Saturday morning at Lincoln Center, Ms. Kule oversaw the training of 800 Macy's employees and their friends and family members who were learning how to be clowns for the parade.

WSJ: On Thanksgiving, She Reigns in This Parade