Do you remember when Barney parade balloon ate it during the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in 1997? The internet sure does. Footage of the schadenfraude-inducing incident is making the rounds again, proving that hating on the annoying purple dinosaur is timeless.
The day after it happened, The New York Times reported the accident was due to high winds and that Barney wasn’t the only damaged float:
…For a while, the balloons seemed to be falling like flies. Barney suffered extensive damage and had to be removed at 51st Street. The Pink Panther succumbed at 42d Street. Quik Bunny and the Cat in the Hat limped away at 36th Street…
The crash of Barney, the purple dinosaur beloved by preschoolers and loathed by some parents, was heart-stopping for those at the end of its ropes. ”Everything turned purple,” said Antonella Laggiano of Mamaroneck, N.Y.
”Barney attacked us,” said a still-stunned Isabella Fasciano of Hoboken, N.J. After it fell, police officers rushed to puncture it with knives and relieve the danger.
Thanks, Andy!