Secrets of the Snoopy balloon at Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade: 'You said we weren't going to talk about that'

Justice for Beagle Scout Snoopy and his partially deflated hat.

If there's one star of the annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade it's Snoopy, the beloved beagle from Charles Schulz's Peanuts. But with any star, there's bound to be issues getting them to the main stage.

On its inaugural episode, the You Don't Know Peanuts podcast dives into last year's Droopy debacle and why the balloon's handlers look "three to five times" their actual size.

Hosts Melissa Menta, senior vice president of marketing and communications for Peanuts Worldwide LLC, and David Templeton, community editor of the Petaluma Argus-Courier newspaper, welcome Will Cross, vice president, executive producer of Branded Entertainment at Macy's for some inflatable Snoopy love.

Bur Menta apparently throws Cross a curveball when she broaches the subject of the debut of Beagle Scout Snoopy in last year's Thanksgiving Parade.

"You said we weren't going to talk about that," Cross says with a laugh.

Related: See photos of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade through the years, from 1924 to now

In case you missed it or your parade memory needs jogging, Beagle Scout's poor little hat got the wind knocked out of it, which, Cross goes on to explain, was the handiwork of an errant tree branch.

"Throughout our entire process, from sketch to modeling to engineering to fabrication to test flying — we test fly all of our final balloons indoors, outdoors — we do our best to account for every condition," Cross explained. "But in the case of Beagle Scout Snoopy last year, one of the most unforeseen things happened where we're on a balloon block."

There are two blocks on the Upper East SIde of Manhattan where the balloons are set up and prepared for flight.

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"Along those beautiful blocks, which are near the Museum of Natural History, are these beautiful trees," Cross continued. "We do our best to work with our friends across all of our city agencies and our partners to try to safely prune and trim [them] and ensure that we have enough space. There was an unforeseen gust that tipped Beagle Scout Snoopy a little further than we anticipated and a slight puncture hit and unfortunately, we had a portion — what we call a chamber — a chamber began to deflate."

Cross acknowledged the "slight issue" but insisted that "we've re-adjusted" for Beagle Scout Snoopy's flight this year. As for Snoopy's larger-than-life handlers, Menta explains why they're dressed the way they are.

"I don't think people know as a balloon handler you have to wear something called a tabard," Menta said. "The tabard is designed by Macy's as well, and we approve the design, so now you'll know that those outfits that everybody's wearing have been specifically designed as well. And they're designed big enough so that you can wear your winter clothes underneath them. So most of the balloon handlers look three to five times larger than they actually are in real life."

And if you want to be a balloon handler, all you have to do is volunteer, though it helps if you know someone on the inside, with Cross adding, "There's a lot of interest in being on the Snoopy balloon, I'll just say that,"