The Tournament of Roses Parade

The Tournament of Roses Parade is an annual parade held every New Year's Day (January 1st) in Pasadena, California since 1890. Beginning in 1923, the parade has been traditionally followed by the Rose Bowl college football game.

On January 1, 1996, Kermit the Frog was the Grand Marshal for the 107th Tournament of Roses Parade. He became the first non-human to host the event solo. The parade also featured a float based on Muppet Treasure Island.

Steve Whitmire performed Kermit as he drove through the parade. At MuppetFest in 2001, Whitmire said that day was the most difficult job he'd had with the Muppets; he had to keep his arm up over his head for almost three hours.

The float featured Kermit, Fozzie, Gonzo, Statler, and Waldorf, all in their Treasure Island personas. The float itself won the award for the most comical and amusing entry.

In 2004, the theme was "Music, Music, Music". NAMM, The Int'l Music Products Assoc. sponsered a Sesame Street float. The design was a toy school bus, with two pull toy wagons following it. Elmo playing a drum rode in the bus, while Big Bird (playing a horn), and Pino (the Plaza Sésamo version of Big Bird) played the guitar in the second wagon. Riding on the float were many walk-around characters, including Zoe and Cookie Monster. Human cast members also appeared, including Bob and Gordon.

In 2008, the parade included a Sesame Street float sponsored by NAMM. It featured floral sculptures of Oscar shaking maracas, Elmo playing a drum, Big Bird, Count von Count standing with his arms wide open, a purple Muppet monster playing the flute (meant to look like Googly of Galli Galli Sim Sim), Halum the Bengal Tiger from Sisimpur, and Lola, a pink monster from Plaza Sésamo.

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2004 Sesame Street Float

2004 Sesame Street Float

External links

• Tournament of Roses Parade
• Flickr photos of the float: Photo