Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade brings Pac-Man and Labubu to Manhattan

Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade Takes a Wild Turn as Pac-Man and Labubu Steal the City

This year, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade didn’t just light up Manhattan — it completely confused it. Instead of sticking to tradition, the parade accidentally turned into a surreal pop-culture experiment led by Pac-Man and Labubu, two characters no one expected to see negotiating New York airspace at the same time.

Pac-Man floated through Midtown not just chasing ghosts, but allegedly hunting down pizza slices and traffic signals. Some spectators swore the balloon changed direction mid-air, as if it had a mind of its own. Longtime New Yorkers claimed they hadn’t seen Pac-Man this determined since the 1980s, while Gen Z joked that he was speed-running Manhattan.

Then came Labubu — and that’s when things got strange. Rumors spread through the crowd that Labubu wasn’t part of the official lineup at all. Fans joked that the character simply showed up uninvited and floated into the parade out of pure internet energy. The balloon’s mischievous grin sparked theories that Labubu was “testing New York” before taking over other cities.

Social media quickly lost control of the narrative. Some users claimed Pac-Man and Labubu were secretly rivals, competing for crowd reactions. Others said the balloons represented two eras fighting for cultural dominance: arcade nostalgia versus algorithm culture. A few TikTok creators even joked that the parade was a live beta test for a future metaverse event.

Crowd reactions grew increasingly dramatic. Pac-Man received cheers from people who recognized him instantly, while Labubu caused confusion, excitement, and mild existential questions. Parents asked their kids who Labubu was. Kids asked their parents why Pac-Man looked “2D in real life.” No one had clear answers.

By the end of the parade, fans had already rewritten the story. Memes claimed Pac-Man got lost on the way to Brooklyn. Others joked Labubu was recruiting followers for a secret collectors’ society. Neither theory was confirmed, but both spread faster than the parade itself.

In the end, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade became less about balloons and more about internet imagination. Whether Pac-Man was reclaiming his throne or Labubu was launching a silent takeover, one thing was clear: reality didn’t stand a chance once the memes took over Manhattan.