Giant Pikachu runs flights through NYC
Balloon used as test for this year's Macy's Parade
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The Pikachu balloon from last year's Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade was used by Macy's and New York City's Office of Emergency Management on Monday to test flight patterns in high winds.
The balloon, chosen due to its average size, bobbed along between 20 and 30 feet above the ground in wind gusts up to 20 mph, during which photos and video footage were captured to be examined by engineers and parade experts.
The tests are part of a task force examining parade float procedures. This task force was formed after two sisters were injured in last year's parade when an M&Ms balloon knocked off part of a street lamp.