NEW YORK — The 100th annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade will be a mix of new and old, including a huge hippopotamus balloon last seen 95 years ago.

NBC personality Al Roker is hosting the festivities for the 31st time.

“When folks come up to me and tell me that I’ve been part of their Thanksgiving for as long as they can remember, I’m so very honored,” the jovial weatherman told People.

Like the parade, NBC is celebrating its centennial this year. Roker calls the confluence of those events “whipped cream on the pumpkin pie.”

More than 3 million people will line the streets to watch 100 balloons of various sizes float over the 2.5-mile parade route leading to Macy’s Herald Square flagship store. One of the more intriguing inflatables is something old, something new and something blue.

A 40-foot blue hippopotamus balloon featured in the 1931 parade was set free and appeared to have been lost to history. Macy’s will reportedly introduce a new version of that character on Nov. 26.

The hippo will be joined by more familiar faces including Peanuts star Snoopy, who made his parade debut in 1968 and holds the record for the most appearances by a single character. Hello Kitty and Bob the Minion will join him in the unparalleled aerial display watched by more than 34 million television viewers.

On the ground, fans of the advertising world will be excited to see Geico’s float unite its Gecko mascot with its predecessors including Caveman and Caleb the Camel. The insurance company announced in a press release that the float’s appearance marks the start of a three-year deal with Macy’s.

Macy’s moving festival also includes marching bands and other performers who take to the street at 8:30 a.m. and keep things lively until noon.

The parade has taken place every year since 1924 with the exception of a short break in the 1940s that coincided with World War 2. The show triumphantly returned in 1945 with a patriotic theme. A scaled-down version of the event was held during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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