Updated at 6:50 p.m. ET: Two people died and scores of people were hurt Thursday when up to 140 vehicles collided in in dense fog Southeast Texas in a pileup that left trucks twisted on top of each other and authorities rushing to pull survivors from the wreckage.

The chain-reaction collision occurred in extremely foggy conditions at about 8:45 a.m. Thanksgiving Day on Interstate 10 southwest of Beaumont, a Gulf Coast city about 80 miles east of Houston.

A man and a woman were killed in a Chevy Suburban SUV crushed by a tractor trailer, the Texas Department of Public Safety told KFDM-TV.

Jefferson County sheriff's Deputy Rod Carroll said in a news release that 80 to 90 people were transported to hospitals with 10 to 12 of those in serious to critical condition. He said 140 to 150 vehicles were involved in the pileup.

According to DPS, a crash on the eastbound side of the highway led to other accidents in a dangerous chain reaction. There were multiple crashes on the other side of the highway as well.

"We have 18-wheelers on top of cars, we have cars on top of cars. It's just catastrophic," Carroll told NBC News.

He told The Associated Press the fog was so thick that deputies did not immediately realize they were dealing with multiple accidents.

I-10's eastbound lanes were re-opened Thursday evening after more than eight hours.

Texas Department of Public Safety trooper Stephanie Davis told KFDM that two people in an SUV died after the crash. She said at least 100 cars and trucks were involved in the accident.

Carroll said uninjured drivers tried to help as authorities sorted through the wreckage.

"It's just people helping people," Carroll said. "The foremost thing in this holiday season is how other travelers were helping us when we were overwhelmed, sitting and holding, putting pressure on people that were injured."

The highway had been crowded with motorists traveling during the holiday. Many of the vehicles were moving close to the posted speed of 70 mph despite dense fog that limited visibility, Carroll said.

KBMT

Some of the injured on Interstate 10 in Texas are treated near the crash scene Thursday.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

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Two Florida men are accused of using a bow and arrow to kill a family’s 30-pound pet turkey so they could eat it for Thanksgiving.

Joshua W. Anderson, 19, and Jacob H. Provo, 18, are charged with armed burglary, armed trespassing, theft of livestock and animal cruelty.

Santa Rosa County sheriff’s deputies arrested the pair on Monday as they were on their way to butcher the dead bird, the Pensacola News Journal reported.

Tom the turkey was among dozens of animals that Brian and Christa Caponi kept on their six-acre property in Gulf Breeze, a suburb of Pensacola, Fla.

 “He was a family pet,” Christa Caponi told the News Journal. “It was like having a normal family dog.”

The bird was missing when Brian Caponi got up early Monday to feed the animals. Thieves left behind a trail of blood and feathers. A security camera on the property captured video of one man stealing the turkey and another running along the fence line.

Watch the most-viewed videos on NBCNews.com

According to the arrest report, Provo, who lives near the Caponis, admitted entering the pen and shooting his neighbor’s turkey with a bow and arrow. The pair said that they planned to eat Tom for Thanksgiving, the News Journal reported.

The turkey’s body was found in the back of Provo’s pickup, investigators said.

The Caponis are mourning the loss of Tom, which they described as special among their menagerie of cats, goats, a dog, chickens and roosters.

“He was a family pet,”Christa Caponi told the newspaper. “It was like having a normal family dog.”

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Wild turkeys seem to know that Thanksgiving is right around the corner and they are fighting back in Connecticut.

Marcos Carreras, or rather his car, has been the victim of wild turkeys not once but twice.

Carreras, of Farmington, Conn., was on his way to work at Kingswood Oxford School on Wednesday morning when one menacing turkey he refers to as "Frankenturkey" went after one car, then came right up to his driver's side window and actually pecked the door. 

The fowl encounter happened between Old Mountain Road and Talcott Notch and  Frankenturkey attacked on Halloween as well, Carreras said. 

Read the original report  |  More from NBCConnecticut.com

According to the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, there are an estimated 35,000 wild turkeys in all 169 towns in the state.

It is unusual for turkeys to be aggressive, especially in the fall, said Michael Gregonis, a wildlife biologist with DEEP.

It is possible that this turkey was accustomed to humans because people had been feeding it.

Gregonis recommends that people avoid feeding turkeys. There is enough food in the woodlands for them to eat, he said.

You have to watch the video to see just how brazen the turkey is. Carreras' commentary and sound effects also make watching well worth your time.

Violence erupted at Black Friday sales across the U.S. with one bargain-hunter left critically injured after being shot during a robbery and 15 other people injured when an angry shopper used pepper spray.

Updated 5:30 p.m. ET: Several of the incidents took place at Walmart stores as millions of Americans loaded up on holiday purchases. A spokesman for the company told NBC News that "overall, it's been a very safe event at the thousands of Walmart stores open for Black Friday."

"There were a few unfortunate incidents, but otherwise we've heard positive feedback from our customers and associates," he said.

Update 12:17 p.m. ET: A robot removed a suspicious device that led to the evacuation of a Walmart store  in Cave Creek, Ariz., Maricopa County, sheriff's deputies said.

Deputies told KPHO-TV of Phoenix that they had reason to believe the device might have been an explosive and said whoever left it in a refrigerator at the store Thursday could face felony charges. Police dogs swept the store for further possible devices, they said, and the store reopened late Thursday night, KPHO reported.

Update 11:57 a.m. ET: An off-duty police officer used pepper spray on shoppers at a Walmart in Kinston, N.C.

Kinston police Sgt. Roland Davis said an off-duty officer whom the store had hired to help with security used the chemical while trying to make an arrest during a disturbance. Unconfirmed reports said as many as 20 peopl ewer affected.

Updated 10:55 a.m. ET: A Rome, N.Y., man was charged with disorderly conduct after a fight that broke out the moment Black Friday shopping began at midnight, NBC station WSTM of Syracuse, N.Y., reported.

Several shoppers at the electronics department at a Walmart store were pushed to the ground, and several fights broke out, Oneida County sheriff's deputies said. Two shoppers were taken to a hospital for minor injuries.

Updated 10:39 a.m. ET: Police said they were investigating a possible shooting in the parking lot of Valley West Mall in West Des Moines, Iowa, NBC station WHO reported. There was no immediate report that anyone was injured.

Police got a call of shots fired shortly before 4 a.m., when the mall opened. They wouldn't say whether they had a suspect, and they reassured shoppers that the mall is safe..

Updated 9:50 a.m. ET: A 55-year-old shopper was shot and wounded during a robbery near a Walmart in Myrtle Beach, S.C., NBC station WMBF reported.

Tonia Robbins, 55, was shot in the foot after two men demanded her purse shortly after 1 a.m. ET Friday as she stood by the trunk of her car with friends.

Updated 9:45 a.m. ET: An explosive device was found at a break room at a Walmart in Cave Creek, Ariz., according to reports Friday.  

Maricopa County Sheriff's Office said a suspicious package was found inside a refrigerator in the store break room on Thursday. The store was evacuated as a precaution while deputies investigated the package.

Updated at 9:40 a.m. ET: A Black Friday shopper was shot and critically injured during a robbery outside a Walmart in San Leandro, Calif., early Friday, police said.

Police patrolling the parking lot found a victim suffering a gunshot wound and a possible suspect being detained by family members of the victim.

Police said the victims were walking to their car with their purchases and were approached by multiple suspects who demanded the merchandise.

A fight ensued and one suspect pulled out a gun and shot one of the victims. Some of the victims wrestled down one suspect as the other suspect fled the scene.

The victim who was shot is in critical but stable condition at a local hospital. The suspect in custody is an adult male in his mid '20s, but it is not known if he was the shooter.

Updated at 7.30 a.m. ET: An angry woman used pepper spray when Black Friday bargain-hunters tried to cut in line at a crowded Walmart store in Los Angeles late Thursday, leaving 15 people with minor injuries. The incident occurred shortly after 10:20 p.m. PT (1:20 a.m. ET Friday) in the San Fernando Valley as shoppers looking for deals were let inside the outlet.

Shawn Lenske, a Los Angeles fire department spokesman, said the injuries were due to "rapid crowd movement."

NBC News reported police said no more than 15 were hurt, 10 of them for the effects of inhalation of pepper spray.

Police Lt. Abel Parga said a woman used pepper spray, then left. Parga said police were looking for the woman and no arrests have been made.

 "It was an unhappy customer,'' he said.

A witness told Los Angeles' NBC4 that the incident started as people waited in line for the new Xbox 360.

The witness said a woman with two children in tow became upset with the way people were pushing in line. The witness said the woman pulled out pepper spray and sprayed the other people.

NBC News quoted a police officer as saying the flare-up was triggered when a crowd rushed toward merchandise following a "big reveal" of items that had been hidden by draping.

NYT: Friday's deals may not be the best

One section of the store was cleared while patients were treated and the pepper spray dissipated, Parga said. People were seen pouring out of the store, but customers were allowed back in to continue shopping.

The dispute came as as stores opened their doors at midnight — a few hours earlier than they normally do on the most anticipated shopping day of the year.

Story: Crazed weekend launches crucial retail season

Herald Square in New York was bustling at 6 p.m. ET Thursday, the Associated Press reported, with shoppers looking to snag discounts at Old Navy and other stores that were open on the Thanksgiving. By 9:45 p.m. ET, more than 300 people were waiting outside a Best Buy in New York before it opened at midnight. An hour later, nearly 2,000 were in line at another Best Buy in St. Petersburg, Florida, ahead of its midnight opening.

Retailers hope the earlier openings will make Black Friday shopping more convenient for Americans who are more likely to be worried about high unemployment and the other challenges they face in the weak economy.

Black Friday is important to merchants because it kicks off the holiday shopping season, a time when they can make 25 to 40 percent of their annual revenue. It's expected that shoppers will spend nearly $500 billion during the holiday shopping season, or about 3 percent more than they did last year.

PhotoBlog: Black Friday shopping starts on Thursday

"It's a good move to try to get shoppers to spend sooner, before they run out of money," says Burt Flickinger, III, president of retail consultancy Strategic Resource Group.

About 34 percent of consumers plan to shop on Black Friday, up from 31 percent last year, according to the International Council of Shopping Centers, and 16 percent had planned to shop on Thanksgiving Day itself. For the weekend, 152 million people are expected shop, up from 138 million last year.

Update at 5:45 a.m. ET: Authorities say gunfire erupted at a North Carolina mall as holiday shoppers gathered, the Associated Press reported.

The Cumberland County Sheriff's Office said detectives were looking for two suspects after gunfire rang out at Cross Creek Mall in Fayetteville early Friday. No injuries were reported.

The first shots were fired around 2 a.m. outside the mall near a food court entrance. Investigators say several more shots were fired after one of the suspects ran inside the mall.

Joshua Lott / Reuters

A Maricopa County Sheriff Police helicopter flies over the Superstition Mountains searching for victims of a plane that crashed in Apache Junction, Arizona on Thursday.

Updated 11:55a.m. ET 

The six victims of a plane crash in Arizona were identified by authorities late Thursday. The victims included the pilot and his three young children who were to spend the Thanksgiving weekend with him.

Their small, twin-engined airplane slammed into a sheer cliff on Wednesday evening in the rugged, mile-high Superstition Mountains east of Phoenix and exploded.

Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu confirmed that the dead included pilot Shawn Perry, 39, his daughter Morgan Perry, 9, and his two sons Logan Perry, 8, and Luke Perry, 6, who all lived with their mother in the community of Gold Canyon in Pinal County. Their father lived in Safford in southeastern Arizona and owned a small aviation business there.

He had flown to the Phoenix suburb of Mesa with another pilot who co-owned the company and a company mechanic to pick up the children for Thanksgiving. The plane was headed back to Safford when it crashed.

The other pilot was identified as Russell Hardy, 31, of Thatcher, Ariz., who Babeu said had a three-year-old son.

The mechanic was Joseph Hardwick, 22, of Safford, who Babeu said was engaged and due to be married on Dec. 16.

Babeu said he personally notified the mother of the three children late Wednesday. The woman, who is divorced from the children's father, is also a pilot.

"This is their entire family — it's terrible," Babeu said. "Our hearts go out to the mom and the (families) of all the crash victims. We have has so many people that are working this day, and we just want to support them and embrace them and try to bring closure to this tragedy."

There was no indication the plane was in distress or that the pilot had radioed controllers about any problem, the sheriff said.

It was very dark at the time, and the plane missed clearing the peak by only several hundred feet. The aircraft slammed into an area of rugged peaks and outcroppings in the Superstition Mountains, 40 miles east of downtown Phoenix, at about 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, authorities said.

The plane was a Rockwell AC-690A and was registered to Ponderosa Aviation Inc. in Safford, which Babeu said was co-owned by Perry.

Kenitzer said the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board would be investigating the cause of the crash.

Update at 11:55a.m. ET: Friends and acquaintances are lending support to the mother of the three children who were killed in the crash, the Associated Press reported.

Karen Perry, of Apache Junction, Ariz., was described as a selfless woman trying to raise her three children. Morgan, 9, was diagnosed with epilepsy and faced multiple brain surgeries. Luke, 6, had autism. Perry's third child, Logan, was 8.

"They were just great kids," said Mark Blomgren, principal at Peralta Trail Elementary in Apache Junction, where the two oldest children attended. "All the teachers were naturally shocked. They cared about them and wondered how their mom was doing and they were just hit pretty hard. Logan and Morgan were just special kids that the teachers really bonded with."

It also emerged that the plane missed clearing the peak by several hundred feet, the Associated Press reported.

Spectators cheered and sang at annual Thanksgiving Day parades from New York to Philadelphia to Detroit and friends enjoyed feasts with strangers at Occupy protest gatherings. Many reminded each other there is much to be grateful for despite the country's hard economic times.

U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords helped serve a Thanksgiving meal to service members and retirees at a military base in her hometown. Giffords arrived in the dining hall at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson at midday Thursday wearing a ball cap and an apron with her nickname of "Gabby" sewn on the front. She was accompanied by her retired astronaut husband, Mark Kelly, who also donned an apron.

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The Thanksgiving holiday isn't stopping some shoppers from lining up at major U.S. retailers trying to get a jump on Black Friday.

Many stores including Toys R Us will open as early as 9 p.m. local time Thursday while Macy's, Target, Best Buy and Kohl's will open at midnight. Walmart slated “doorbuster” deals for 10 p.m. even though they were open Thursday along with Old Navy and Kmart.

The National Retail Federation says over 150 million people will spend money on Christmas-related gifts this year. And many are looking for markdowns.

Bargain hunters were already lining up, some having camped out since Wednesday night.

In Pittsburgh, for example, TV station WTAE found many people already waiting in line outside the Monroeville Best Buy at 1:30 p.m. Thursday. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette displayed a photo of three friends in a tent outside at a Homestead Best Buy.

In Indianapolis, http://www.wthr.com/story/16117792/shoppers-hit-stores-early-in-hopes-of-black-friday-deals">NBC station WTHR reported the Meijer grocery and department store was jammed at noon. Some were shopping for last-minute dinner items, but others had lined up at 6 a.m. for a deal on iPads.

Anthony Pierluissi told WTHR that waiting in line for the deals is a family tradition - not just for shopping. “We make it a family thing," he said. "We all go out together and get stuff."

Paul J. Richards/AFP - Getty Images

Brent Hart, 26, camps out Wednesday in advance of Black Friday on the sidewalk of the Fair Lakes Best Buy store in Fairfax, Virginia.

Brent Hart, 26, began camping out Wednesday on the sidewalk of the Fair Lakes Best Buy store in Fairfax, Virginia.

He was fifth in line and planned to purchase a $200 42 inch flat-screen TV and a $299 laptop. Hart is a military contractor leaving in December for Afghanistan and said he wants the laptop to stay in touch with his family.

NBC station WVTM in Birmingham, Ala., found more than two dozen people lined up at the Homewood Kmart store when it opened at 6 a.m. CST for pre-Black Friday deals.

Retailers concede the pressure is on.

"At the end of the day, we are trying to respond to what our customers want to do, and they are telling us that's when they want to shop," Mike Vitelli, president, Americas and enterprise executive vice president of Best Buy, told Reuters.

Jennifer Gianino

A group of more than 100 Alpha Xi Delta college women at The Workout

During a season of giving thanks, msnbc.com asked you to share your stories of what you're especially grateful for this Thanksgiving. Here's a sampling of some of your responses:

Sorority sisterhood
I'm a proud member of Alpha Xi Delta and thankful for my membership in the organization. I joined Alpha Xi Delta as a college freshman where I was an active member, continued as an active alumnae volunteer and had the distinct opportunity to work for the national organization for six years.

Alpha Xi Delta colony members, volunteers and staff at National Convention 2009

I was a typical college student and enjoyed the leadership development and social aspects of being in a sorority. During that time, I became close friends and confidants to many of my sisters and those friendships continue today. As graduation was approaching, I was hesitant to leave the creature comforts of my sorority sisters as they were my "family." I wasn't sure what to expect as an alumnae member, but quickly began working a as a chapter adviser, which lead to my six-year career for the national organization.

During my time as a staff member working with alumnae volunteers and college members, did I truly begin to realize what Alpha Xi Delta and my sisters mean to me - true amd unconditional friendships, laughter, tears, stories to share with our sisters and daughters and ultimately, love and support from a group of women who share a bond ... a belief that cannot be broken.

Membership in a sorority is more than an oath or songs -- it's about gaining confidence, making lasting friendships, inspiring others, leaving a legacy for others to enjoy, developing intelligent women and to help others who are less fortunate. It's an experience that cannot be taken from me and that I cherish each and every day.
Jennifer Gianino
St. Louis, MO

Aubrey Rae Deno today

Miracle survivor
I'm thankful for this precious little girl. She was diagnosed with leukemia when she was 13 months old. She went through chemo but had a particularly mean type of leukemia which forced her to have a bone marrow transplant.

She had reactions to several different medications which landed her in intensive care, and after the transplant ended up with a liver disease that almost killed her. Her little body swelled up because her liver stopped working and she was on a ventilator for several weeks. She was in the hospital for siz months and it's a miracle that she's still here with us.

She's home with her family. And while she is still on lots of medications and is house-bound for a few more months, she is a happy-go-lucky 2-year old and I'm so thankful for her and what she's taught me about resilience and not taking life for granted. I'm also thankful for the many nurses and doctors who took such great care of her and our family at one of the darkest times.
Tracy Deno
Chicago, IL

Family bond
Earlier this year, I lost my younger brother to suicide. It's the hardest thing I've ever had to go through. I'm thankful for my 2-year-old son, my family and my dear friends. During planning the funeral, my son was a ray of sunshine, and made a difficult task seem almost bearable.

My friends, parents and remaining siblings have all been there, no matter how much I called and cried. To them I will be forever grateful!
Adele Fung
Atlanta, GA

Lucky to be alive
I am a father of three happily married to the love of my life. Before that I was in the military deploying back-to-back-to-back to Iraq and Afghanistan on multiple deployments.

What I am thankful for is surviving and having the chance to build the life I have with my amazing wife and three precious children.

Attached is the picture of the truck after a roadside bomb took us out. There is no reason I should be alive today other than God had big plans.
Geoff Wheelock
Queen Creek, AZ

Live the Adventure roadtrip and mustaches

Friends forever
I am thankful for my friends! They keep me sane and remind me that life isn't just about me. We are always looking for silly new adventures and ways to meet the needs of the hurting in our community.

I love that they aren't afraid to put me in my place when I go a little crazy. My friends are more than just my friends, they are my family!

Starting over
Through the course of my life I've had to start over "from nothing" no less than three times. I'm thankful that I've the intellect and resilience to make it through these trials, because I'm now able to share my life with my wonderful son. We are fortunate that I'm employed, have a nice little house in the country with decent schools, and are able to share this modest bounty with good friends and neighbors. It's my strongest desire to continue this and raise my son to be a good husband and father someday.
Ann Jacklin
Lebanon, TN

The Red Baron
I am thankful for my family, who are always busy living their lives, but know where to find me, when all is said and done. I am thankful for my animals who love me so much, and give me so much love without question I am thankful to be living in the greatest country on Earth, these United States of America and to be a citizen of this great nation.

The Red Baron

I am thankful I can voice my opinions and my thanks to Jesus Christ my Saviour without being persecuted for my beliefs. I am very thankful to be fortunate to have a job and for my husband to have a very good job, even if it means we are separated for almost all of the year.

I am very thankful for turning 50 and for the lovely red car I got! Most of all, I am thankful for a year of good health and well being for my family and friends.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours.
Annie Wilson
Denver, CO

Long road to recovery
I am very thankful this year because my daddy is doing great after having cancer surgery in March on his face. The doctors had to remove a part of the skin on his cheek and remove his limp nodes in his neck. They had to remove skin from his leg to replace the skin they removed on his face.

It was very shaky at first. We thought we were going to lose him a few times. After several days in the hospital they put him in a rehab center for eight weeks. He came home but ended back in the hospital just days later because he got an infection from the rehab center.

After the hospital got him all well he ended back in the rehab center again for a couple of weeks. This time when he came home he stayed home. It's been a long road for him and my mom but thankfully he is doing great.

My daddy will be 83 next month. The rate the doctors were taking care of him we weren’t sure if he would make it to this birthday but thankfully my mom listen to us girls and got another doctor who really cares about my dad.
Charlotte Eastman
Ferguson, MO

My daughter

Against the odds
I have so much to be grateful for in my life. I know for a fact that I am not supposed to be in the position I am today. If you were to go by statistics, I was supposed to have been a teenage mother and a drug addict. I was supposed to have continued the cycle of poverty.

However, through the grace of God and a lot of people in my corner, I hold a management position in government and I am working on my Ph.D. I defeated the odds.

However, what I am most grateful for is my wonderful husband who supports me in all my endeavors, who believes me, and who loves me with all of his heart and soul. I am grateful for my precious daughter whose smile can brighten up an entire room and laughter can heal any broken heart. She is so perfect and beautiful.

Although I have achieved a level of success, my family is what is most important to me and without them I would not be anybody.
Melissa Bailey
Prattville, AL

Water filled my sister's basement and rose to knee height on the main floor.

Spared from the floods
I am thankful that the city in which I live built a dike to save my house from the flooding Missouri River.

Four days separated the announcement that a flood was coming and the city's decision that they would built a dike.

We frantically sandbagged our house and our neighbors' homes and moved our belongings out, but in the end our house remained dry. I am so grateful that we were spared.

My sister, 100 miles north in Minot, N.D., wasn't so lucky.
Andrea Fonkert
Bismark, ND

I recently bought a new car. But that’s not what I’m thankful for, it’s just a symptom. My wife and I both worked for a large company for over 15 years, and built a good and modest life together, doing all the usual things you do when times are good. In 2006, we even managed to build the house we’d been dreaming of owning for years.

But then, in 2008, the company began to show signs that it was in serious trouble and my wife was cut in the first round of layoffs. I managed to hang on until January of 2009, when I, along with several hundred others who had unknowingly built their lives on shifting sands, learned that the company would be closing its doors for good. I was out of a job and my new home was losing value at a record pace.

With over 3000 newly unemployed people flooding the local job market, my wife and I chose to sell our new home for 35 percent less than we paid for it just two-and-a-half years before and move back to where we met. I never imagined that at 44 years old I would move in with my in-laws, but it was a decision that would allow us to remain mobile while we searched for work. Those were hard times. You just don’t realize how much your work, your home, and your social network define you until they’re all gone.

Thankfully, my wife and I are both employed today. We are older and more cautious than before, and I hope wiser. But I knew that things were stabilizing for us when we both decided that it was time for me to finally replace my 9-year-old car. I’ve always been a little amused by peoples' reaction to the smell of a new car, since I’m certain everyone would hate it in any other context.

But people like it because it means something. It means new, shiny, perfect and success. To me, my car smells like a life not restored, but at least repaired.
Doug Hess
Cincinnati, OH

About 3.5 million people were expected to crowd the route of the annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade in New York on Thursday while an additional 50 million watched from home.

A jetpack-wearing monkey and a freakish creation from filmmaker Tim Burton are two of the big new balloons that will make their inaugural appearances, while Mary J. Blige, Cee Lo Green, Avril Lavigne and the Muppets are scheduled to take the stage at the end of the route in Herald Square.

Slideshow: See the colorful cast of characters taking part in the parade

Macy's parade will feature more than 40 other balloon creations, 27 floats, 800 clowns and 1,600 cheerleaders.

The parade began at 77th Street and heads south on Central Park West to Seventh Avenue, before moving to Sixth Avenue and ending at Macy's Herald Square.

The tradition began in 1924 and included live animals such as camels, goats and elephants. It was not until 1927 that the live animals were replaced by giant helium balloons. The parade was suspended from 1942 to 1944 because rubber and helium were needed for World War II.

Since the beginning, the balloons have been based on popular cultural characters and holiday themes. Returning favorites this year include Buzz Lightyear, Clumsy Smurf, SpongeBob SquarePants and Kermit the Frog.

Bike-powered balloons
Also making their first appearances at this year's parade are a pair of bike-powered balloons, one featuring a bulldog character and an elf balloon designed by Queens resident Keith Lapinig, who won a nationwide contest.

All the balloons are created at Macy's Parade Studio, and each undergoes testing for flight patterns, aerodynamics, buoyancy and lift.

The helium giants were inflated Wednesday across the street from the western side of Central Park. Thousands of people, many families with children in tow, were drawn to the spectacle of the balloons lying as if asleep on the streets, held down by weighted nets.

Standing in front of the famed Snoopy balloon, lying on its side, 8-year-old Emilio Rios said he was glad that there was something to keep the helium giant from getting away.

"Otherwise, it would float up to space, and aliens would see it," he said. "They would be the ones with the parade."

NYT: In this town, turkey picks up bill for Thanksgiving dinner

Nine-year-old Lindsay Ravetz said she loved seeing all the characters.

"It's just, like, cool," she said.

It was cool even for many of the adults. Leslie McCarthy, who said she's over 60, has been attending the parade since she was a little girl. And the excitement of seeing the big balloons hasn't worn off.

"I used to think this parade was put on for me," the Brooklyn resident said.