In 1993, Sonic the Hedgehog became the first video game character to appear as a balloon in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. The balloon popped on it's one and only flight by being pushed into a lamp post by strong gusts of wind, hurting a kid and a police officer on it's descent. Because of this incident, the balloon was retired.

A second Sonic balloon based on his modern redesign was used between 2011 and 2013 to celebrate the series' 20th anniversary, and was brought back one more time in 2021 in accordance with the series' 30th anniversary.