Takashi Murakami to Receive the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade Balloon Treatment

The French might not like Japanese pop artist Takashi Murakami (well, at least a very vocal portion of them don’t), but we Americans apparently like him so much that we’re giving him a spot in arguably our most famous national parade. The NY Times reports that the organizers of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade have commissioned Murakami to turn two of his creatures, Kaikai and Kiki, into massive balloons for this year’s event. This now puts the artist in the rarified club of other artists who have previously seen their work in balloon form, including Jeff Koons and Keith Haring.