SHOTLIST:AP TELEVISION - AP CLIENTS ONLYNew York, New York - November 21, 20121. Wide of new Papa Smurf balloon 2. Medium of crowd3. Wide of new Hello Kitty balloon 4. SOUNDBITE: Amy Kule/Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade "This year at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade we're going to fly sixteen enormous balloons, three of them brand new that nobody has ever seen before. We've got Hello Kitty, which is right behind me, it's going to be the first balloon in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade flying in her own plane. If you want to come down the parade route, flying in your own plane is the way to go. Papa Smurf the papa of all Smurfs will be new to the parade this year and we've got Elf on the Shelf who is the biggest elf that we've got looking down and making sure that everyone gets their Christmas wishes." 5. Medium of "The Elf on the Shelf" authors Carol Aebersold and Chanda Bell, along with her twin sister Christa Pitts. 6. Wide of The Elf on the Shelf balloon 7. SOUNDBITE: Chanda Bell/Co-Author of best-selling children's book "The Elf on the Shelf" "Well, I mentioned it to mom, the elf was sitting out on a shelf one day and I just said to her, mom we should write a book about the elf and our own family tradition, and that's what we did and now here we are eight years later with a balloon in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and I think just what we do really resonates with people, special family moments and family traditions, and what better fit than the Macy's Parade, cause that is an American tradition." 8. Wide time lapse on the inflation of the Spider Man balloon 9. Medium of workers inflating balloon 10. Wide of balloon Chloe the Holiday Clown11. Wide of balloon Kaws's Companion 12.Tight of mother and son watching balloon inflation 13. SOUNDBITE: JJ Caro/New York resident "I'm excited for this parade, everybody say New York, New York! It's going to be awesome it's going to be like the best parade ever. It's for Thanksgiving. 14. Wide of Kermit the Frog balloon 15. Wide of Santa Clause balloon STORYLINE:One man's Elf on the Shelf is another's Kermit the Frog, but at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, there is room for both.The parade has to be a multigenerational crowd-pleaser for the more than 3 million people who typically attend the event and the TV audience of 50 million. There are 86 years of history to honor while making a pitch to first-time fans.For many families, the parade characters are like the cousins that float around grandma's house: They're familiar, but not everyone at the table knows the backstoryNew giant balloons this year are Papa Smurf, a new version of Hello Kitty and The Elf on the Shelf. The Elf on the Shelf is an old holiday decoration. Mother and Daughter writing team Carol Aebersold and Chanda Bell wrote a childrens' book featuring the character back in 2005. It's become a best seller and debuts this year as a balloon in the parade. (****END****)