Sonic the Hedgehog returns to Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

For the second year in a row, Sonic the Hedgehog will make an appearance as a balloon at the 86th annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, publisher Sega announced today.

The iconic blue hedgehog made his first Thanksgiving parade appearance in 1993, becoming the first ever video game character to be represented in the parade line-up. He returned to the event in 2011 to commemorate the Sonic franchise's 20th anniversary.

This year Sonic will appear in the parade to promote the release of Sega's new racing game Sonic and All-Stars Racing Transformed. Sonic will be one of 16 giant balloons that will be floated down 6th Avenue in New York City, joining fellow video game icon Pikachu and other familiar characters including Hello Kitty and the Pillsbury Doughboy.

The parade will be televised on NBC from 9 a.m. to noon ET tomorrow, Nov. 22.