Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade 2012: Google Doodle Shows Floats, Links To Holiday Guide

As it does with every major holiday or occasion, Google has created one of its famous Google Doodles. Today, Google's holiday Doodle celebrates Thanksgiving and the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

With each of the six letters in "Google" representing its own float, Google has linked the Thanksgiving Day parade doodle to a guide on how to take advantage of the search engine’s many services in an effort to have the best holiday possible.

The guide encourages you to set up a Google+ Hangout for your friends and family, search for recipes on Google or follow your favorite football teams on YouTube.

Celebrating its 86^th annual run, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is bigger then ever before as it follows its traditional 40 block route from 77th Street and Central Park West down to Macy's in Herald Square.

Hello Kitty, Kermit the Frog, "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" characters, Spongebob Squarepants, Julius, Spider-Man, Kung Fu Panda, Ronald McDonald, the Pillsbury Doughboy, Pikachu, Buzz Lightyear, Sailor Mickey Mouse and Sonic the Hedgehog are featured floats in this year's parade.

Clowns, marching bands, and performance groups will accompany the anticipated floats. Snoopy, who has been in 36 parades throughout the years, will not be present in the 2012 parade.

The first Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade was held in 1924, but it wasn't officially named as such until 1927. In 1924, a group of Macy's employees organized the first parade with floats pulled by horses. The first helium balloons were introduced to the parade in 1927 with Felix the Cat and the Toy Soldier.