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KPop Demon Hunters: Invited to Thanksgiving Parade, Denied in UK Religious School

The folks behind the hit film Kpop Demon Hunters confirmed on Monday that balloons based on Kpop Demon Hunters characters Derpy and Sussie will appear at the 99th Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. They posted a video of the Derpy and Sussie balloons being blown up and a practice run for the parade. The video is set to HUNTR/X song “What It Sounds Like."

Along with the balloons, HUNTR/X's real-life singers Ejae, Audrey Nuna, and Rei Ami will perform their Grammy-nominated song “Golden” during the parade.

Kpop Demon Hunters is not the only property to debut at the annual event, as video game icon Pac-Man will also make its grand entrance as a balloon this year to celebrate its 45th anniversary:

Kpop Demon Hunters and Pac-Man join the Mario, Goku, Luffy, and Pikachu & Eevee balloons for the annual parade. Mario is also making his debut at the event in celebration of the Super Mario Bros. game's 40th anniversary. The joint Pikachu & Eevee balloon debuted in 2021 and feature the iconic Pokémon riding a sleigh together. (Pikachu had been a solo balloon on and off in the previous two decades.) The Luffy balloon debuted in 2023 following the release of the live-action One Piece series on Netflix. The current Goku balloon saw its debut in 2024. A Super Saian Blue version of Goku was used in the parade between 2018 and 2023.

Kpop Demon Hunters Disinvited From British Religious School

Kpop Demon Hunters is not without its detractors. BBC also reported on Monday that the Lilliput Church of England Infant School in Poole, Dorset sent a message to parents on Friday, asking children to refrain from singing Kpop Demon Hunters songs at the school “out of respect for those who find the themes at odds with their faith.” Lloyd Allington, the school's acting head teacher, told the BBC, “While we fully respect your right to make choices about the content your child engages with at home, we also want to be mindful of the diversity of beliefs within our school community.”

After receiving feedback from parents about the film's positive themes, the school sent a followup message to parents on Monday, which read in part, “We are not asking parents to tell their children that there is anything wrong with enjoying the film or its songs if it aligns with your own views and beliefs. Our role will simply be to help children understand that some of their peers may hold different views and to explore how we can respect and support those peers in upholding their faith.”

Sources: Press release, Kpop Demon Hunters' Instagram account (link 2), Pac-Man's Facebook page, BBC