Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson’s infamous fanny pack look from the ‘90s has now become a Macy’s Parade balloon. Dwayne Johnson is undoubtedly one of Hollywood’s biggest stars, starring in various franchises like Jumanji and Fast and Furious, and he has been given plenty of accolades over the years, such as Forbes’ richest actor. Johnson also has the honor of being a popular meme as his infamous ‘90s photo where he poses in a fanny pack and black turtleneck is now an internet legend, and it was also a Halloween costume for Kevin Hart last year. The star’s willingness to discuss and highlight his younger years has led to the creation of the sitcom Young Rock, which will air on NBC, the very network that airs the annual Macy’s Parade.

The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade has been an annual holiday tradition since 1924, and it’s brought to households in the U.S. thanks to NBC airing the spectacle for viewers. One of the signature elements of Macy’s Parade is the giant balloons that hover high in the sky (or sometimes close to the ground), and often these are inspired by popular culture, as in the past there has been a Spider-Man balloon, Pikachu, and even the infamous Sonic the Hedgehog balloon from 1993. In 2020, the Macy’s Parade gave fans a new and highly amusing balloon, a giant ‘90s Rock in his fanny pack and turtle neck.

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NBC tweeted a snippet of the Macy’s Parade, which shows The Rock’s giant fanny pack balloon (with his signature Rock’s eyebrow intact) floating high in the air, and as mentioned in the video, the balloon showing a younger Johnson “celebrates NBC’s new comedy Young Rock.” Of course, the show will journey from Johnson’s childhood to his wrestling days, and thanks to the upcoming show’s partnership with NBC, it has now given the former WWE superstar the new accolade of becoming a Macy’s balloon. Impressively, according to the NBC video, the fanny pack part of the balloon alone “is filled with 50,000 cubic feet of helium.” Johnson himself responded to the giant helium version of himself by tweeting: “My plucked raised eyebrow is the stuff dreams (and nightmares) are made of.” Full tweets can be seen below:

Not only is the balloon quite impressive, as it captures all of Johnson’s signature looks from the iconic picture perfectly - from the necklace, fanny pack, turtleneck, and even the facial features, but it’s also an intelligent piece of marketing for Young Rock. Johnson has been doing a wonderful job promoting the show, sharing on-set photos from the shoot that is currently going on in Australia. NBC’s decision to capitalize on that momentum and have a balloon that shows Johnson in an internet favorite look, but also a much younger version of the star, has done a nice job promoting the show and grabbing the eyes of viewers.

The coronavirus pandemic has affected most events this year, and Macy’s Parade was no exception as this year, the parade was closed to the public, and it was pre-recorded. However, it still managed to get people talking, thanks to the highlight that was The Rock’s giant balloon. Young Rock is expected to premiere on NBC sometime in 2021, and clearly, the network is behind The Rock’s childhood story because not everyone gets to be a Macy’s balloon.

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Source: NBC, Dwayne Johnson