Universal's Superstar Parade was a
parade
A parade is a procession of people, usually organized along a street, often in costume, and often accompanied by marching bands, floats, or sometimes large balloons. Parades are held for a wide range of reasons, but are usually some variety ...
at
Universal Studios Florida
Universal Studios Florida is a theme park located in Orlando, Florida, that opened on June 7, 1990. Owned and operated by NBCUniversal, it features numerous rides, attractions, and live shows that are primarily themed to movies, television, and ...
. It was first announced at a live webcast on January 25, 2012. The parade included characters, floats, and themed-vehicles based on
Universal Pictures
Universal City Studios LLC, doing business as Universal Pictures (also known as Universal Studios or simply Universal), is an American filmmaking, film production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered at the 10 Universal Ci ...
and
Illumination Entertainment's ''
Despicable Me'' and ''
Hop'' films, as well as
Paramount
Paramount (from the word ''paramount'' meaning "above all others") may refer to:
Entertainment and music companies
* Paramount Global, also known simply as Paramount, an American mass media company formerly known as ViacomCBS.
**Paramount Picture ...
and
Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon (nicknamed Nick) is an American pay television channel and the flagship property of the Nickelodeon Group, a sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on April 1, 1979, as the first ca ...
's ''
SpongeBob SquarePants
''SpongeBob SquarePants'' is an American animated television series, animated comedy television series created by marine science educator and animator Stephen Hillenburg for Nickelodeon. It first aired as a sneak peek after the 1999 Kids' C ...
'', ''
Dora the Explorer'', and ''
Go, Diego, Go!
''Go, Diego, Go!'' is an American animated children's television series that aired on Nickelodeon from September 6, 2005 to September 16, 2011, with 80 episodes across five seasons. Created and executive produced by Chris Gifford (writer), Chri ...
'' television series. Each section of the parade had a unique mix of performers, from aerialists to drummers to acrobatics. The parade was notable for having “show stops” in the New York and Hollywood sections of the park where an elaborate choreographed dance routine would take place. Leading up to the parade, each individual unit would make appearances throughout the day for smaller street shows and meet-n-greets. The parade debuted on May 8, 2012, as part of Universal Orlando's "Year To Be Here".
In November 2016, Universal announced that the ''
Hop'' unit would be replaced by Illumination Entertainment's ''
The Secret Life of Pets
''The Secret Life of Pets'' is a 2016 American animated comedy film produced by Universal Pictures and Illumination Entertainment, and distributed by Universal. It was directed by Chris Renaud, co-directed by Yarrow Cheney, and produced by Chr ...
''-themed floats. This unit introduced break dancers performing stunts, bicyclists, and puppets of the film’s main characters.
Characters featured in the parade
Despicable Me (2012-2022)
*Gru
*Margo
*Edith
*Agnes
*Vector
*The Minions
SpongeBob SquarePants
''SpongeBob SquarePants'' is an American animated television series, animated comedy television series created by marine science educator and animator Stephen Hillenburg for Nickelodeon. It first aired as a sneak peek after the 1999 Kids' C ...
(2012-2022)
*SpongeBob SquarePants
*Patrick Star
*Squidward Tentacles
*The Bikini Bottomites
Hop (2012-2016)
*E.B.
*Mr. Bunny
*Carlos
*Phil
*The Pink Berets
The Secret Life of Pets
''The Secret Life of Pets'' is a 2016 American animated comedy film produced by Universal Pictures and Illumination Entertainment, and distributed by Universal. It was directed by Chris Renaud, co-directed by Yarrow Cheney, and produced by Chr ...
(2016-2022)
*Max
*Duke
*Gidget
*Snowball
Dora the Explorer (2012-2022)
*Dora the Explorer
*Boots
*Diego
*Baby Jaguar
Closure
Following a week of rumors, Universal officially announced the parade's ending date on May 18, 2022. The parade ended its 10-year run with its last performance on June 4, 2022. The final performance utilized an additional float from the theme park's Mardi Gras parade, to allow additional Universal team-members to participate in the festivities.
The individual parade units continued to do meet-n-greets and street shows in the park after the parade's closure, with The Secret Life of Pets’ last appearance on August 13, 2022, and Dora the Explorer, SpongeBob SquarePants and Despicable Me units closing on September 10, 2022.
Universal's Superstar Parade's replacement, Universal Mega Movie Parade, debuted on July 3, 2024. This parade features characters, floats, and performers based on ''
Back to the Future
''Back to the Future'' is a 1985 American science fiction film directed by Robert Zemeckis and written by Zemeckis and Bob Gale. It stars Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, Crispin Glover, and Thomas F. Wilson. Set in 1985 ...
'', ''
Sing
Singing is the art of creating music with the voice. It is the oldest form of musical expression, and the human voice can be considered the first musical instrument. The definition of singing varies across sources. Some sources define singi ...
'', ''
Minions'', ''
Kung Fu Panda
''Kung Fu Panda'' is an American martial arts comedy media franchise that started in 2008 with the release of the animated film '' Kung Fu Panda'' produced by DreamWorks Animation. Following the adventures of the titular Po Ping (primarily v ...
'', ''
Trolls
A troll is a being in Nordic folklore, including Norse mythology. In Old Norse sources, beings described as trolls dwell in isolated areas of rocks, mountains, or caves, live together in small family units, and are rarely helpful to human be ...
'', ''
Ghostbusters
''Ghostbusters'' is a 1984 American supernatural comedy film directed by Ivan Reitman and written by Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis. It stars Bill Murray, Aykroyd, and Ramis as Peter Venkman, Ray Stantz, and Egon Spengler, three eccentric ...
'', ''
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
''E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial'' (or simply ''E.T.'') is a 1982 American science fiction film, science fiction film produced and directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Melissa Mathison. It tells the story of Elliott Taylor, Elliott, a boy w ...
'', ''
Jaws'', and ''
Jurassic World
''Jurassic World'' is a 2015 American science fiction action film directed by Colin Trevorrow, who co-wrote the screenplay with Rick Jaffa, Amanda Silver, and Derek Connolly from a story by Jaffa and Silver. It is the first installment in the ...
''.
Legacy
A performance of this parade in January 2016 led to the "Dabbing Squidward"
meme
A meme (; ) is an idea, behavior, or style that Mimesis, spreads by means of imitation from person to person within a culture and often carries symbolic meaning representing a particular phenomenon or theme. A meme acts as a unit for carrying c ...
. The original
Vine
A vine is any plant with a growth habit of trailing or scandent (that is, climbing) stems, lianas, or runners. The word ''vine'' can also refer to such stems or runners themselves, for instance, when used in wicker work.Jackson; Benjamin; Da ...
video of a Universal team-member
dabbing inside a
Squidward Tentacles mascot costume garnered 22 million views within a week. The video led to widespread virality, and even officially-licensed merchandise of the meme by Nickelodeon.
See also
*
2012 in amusement parks
*
2022 in amusement parks
References
External links
Press Release
{{SpongeBob SquarePants
Parades in the United States
Universal Destinations & Experiences attractions by name
Universal Studios Florida
Amusement rides introduced in 2012
SpongeBob SquarePants in amusement parks
Nickelodeon in amusement parks
Licensed properties at Universal Destinations & Experiences
2012 establishments in Florida
Former Universal Studios Florida attractions