Hip Hip Parade! (found primetime television special; 1978)

A detailed review of Hip Hip Parade!.

Status: Found

Date found: 24 Dec 2023

Found by: RyNo84

Hip Hip Parade! was a primetime special promoting the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, originally broadcast on PBS stations throughout Thanksgiving week 1978. Hosting the special were Kermit the Frog and Fozzie Bear, of The Muppet Show fame.

Summary

The special was a look at the behind-the-scenes of the parade, showcasing answers to such questions as "How the dragon flies?" and "Who makes the floats?". Also included is footage of the night before and day of the 1977 parade, including the original Snoopy balloon being inflated as an astronaut for one last time.

Availability

The special is only known to have been rebroadcasted once since Thanksgiving 1978, on some New Jersey PBS stations in 1979. For over 45 years, no copies circulated, and it was unknown if any still existed. The only source proving its existence was a newspaper article reviewing the special.

That would all change on December 24, 2023, when YouTube user RyNo84 uploaded the entire special, rendering it as found.