Say what you like but the Happy Hippo has at least raised a few smiles, giving us a welcome break from all the other depressing news. We've been treated to hippo songs, hippo dances, hippo poems ...

It was the Man of Steel's first appearance in the parade. (AP Photo/File) A novelty animal balloon known as "Happy Hippo" makes an appearance in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in the early 1940s.