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'KPop Demon Hunters' characters join Thanksgiving parade

Published: 28 Nov. 2025, 20:21 Updated: 28 Nov. 2025, 20:59

Volunteers work during the balloon inflation for the 99th Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on Nov. 27, in New York. [AP/YONHAP]

Duffy the tiger and Seo the magpie — characters from the hit Netflix animated series “KPop Demon Hunters” — made an appearance in the middle of Manhattan, New York.

The New York Times reported Thursday that the two characters joined the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on the same day. A massive balloon modeled after Duffy floated through the streets of midtown Manhattan alongside other large character balloons.

Duffy and Seo, supernatural beings in the series, deliver letters from the male lead Jinu to the female lead Rumi and have become popular as character merchandise thanks to their cute designs.

Korean American singers and producers Ejae, Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami — who performed songs for HUNTR/X, the fictional girl group in the series — also took part in the parade and performed the soundtrack hit “Golden.”

Thursday’s parade featured 34 giant balloons, including globally popular characters such as Labubu, Spider-Man, Pikachu, Luffy, Minions, SpongeBob and Super Mario.

The Friends-giving in Popcity float is prepared on the eve of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade 2025 on Manhattan's upper west side in New York City, Nov. 27. [REUTERS/YONHAP]

First held in 1924, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade marked its 99th edition this year and is widely considered a U.S. Thanksgiving tradition. A signature feature of the event is the procession of well-known character balloons traveling roughly 4 kilometers (2.48 miles) across Manhattan.

International media also took note of the new characters appearing in the parade. The New York Times wrote that “Gone is Popeye. Gone, too, his beloved Olive Oyl,” noting that new faces — including the animal characters from ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ and Labubu — are now replacing familiar scenes that once defined a generation’s childhood.

The Stuart the Minion balloon floats past Radio City Music Hall during the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, Nov. 27, in New York. [AP/YONHAP]

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY SHIN HYE-YEON [[email protected]]