​​The oldest self-built float in the rose parade


Backyard Lunar Rover
Designer: Joel Gabik
Construction Chair: Greg Clanton
Decoration Chair: Kathryn Schmiedeberg

A young aspiring astronaut builds his own version of a rocket. His dog gets geared up for the adventure as well. House hold items such as brooms, TV antennas, funnels, pots, and others substitute for the real thing and fuel the child’s imagination.

1991



Star Struck
Designer: Charlie Meier
Construction Chair: Mike Mcelearney
Decoration Chair: Kathryn Schmiedeberg

Two space aliens play a friendly game of tug of war with a lost space explorer and his rocket ship. The aliens heads turned left to right and blew smoke out of their ears during this frivolity. The rocket ship also back and forth. So who was the space explorer in the rocket? None other than 14 year old designer Charlie Meier. Fifteen-year old Charlie Meier, already a float design veteran on the 1992 float “Star Struck.” Featuring two aliens fighting over a space ship piloted by Charlie himself designed the float “First Outing,” which featured a momma ladybug and her three children off on their first jaunt.  The drivers of the kinderbugs channeled their inner youth, entertaining the crowd with their curiosity and playfulness. The float won the admiration of the crowd, and won the city yet another Founder’s Trophy. 

Excerpt from The South Pas Float Story-2006 Official Souvenir “a History of Doing it Ourselves“ by Jim Taveres

1992



Magic in Reverse
Designer: Dex Regatz
Construction Chair: Bill Grahm
Decoration Chair: Kathryn Shmiedeberg
Dimensions: 40 feet long, 16 feet wide, 19 feet tall

The world of magic is turned upside down and backwards when the rabbit pulls the lovely magician out the hat. The magician pops out the hat complete with the magical bouquet of flowers. The magician’s face was carved out of a six foot block of foam. The true magic of this float is that the bulk of it was built in less than six weeks.

1993



First Outing
Designer: Charlie Meier
Construction Chair: Bill Grahm
Decoration Chair: Kathryn Schmiedeberg
Dimensions: 35 feet long, 17 feet tall, 14 feet wide, plus satellites

Mother ladybug takes her new brood of little ones out for their first trek through a garden. Three small atv-powered ladybugs played follow the leader around the main float throughout the entire parade. The small lady bugs heads moved as they turned. This main float and multiple satellite or smaller floats concept was revived and proved to be a huge hit with all parade goers. South Pasadena was the first to use this format in 1967 with its Sweepstakes winner Voyage to Atlantis. One of the small ladybugs was purchased by a former city resident and now resides in Paradise CA and adorns a  motel.

1994



Rodeo Dreamer
Designer: Chris Wright
Construction Chair: Bill Grahm

A young cowboy dons his dad’s cowboy hat and boots and climbs aboard his trustee rocking horse and becomes a real cowboy. Ever faithful the dog wags his head at this playroom rodeo. This cowboy and horse rocked its way down Colorado Blvd. The rockers rode in two rails, and were only attached to the float by its rocking mechanism. This float was so tall that the cowboy was hinged at the waist and folded back to avoid obstacles along the parade route. This float was the first parade for the new float chassis. The old chassis made it’s last run for the Festival of Balloons parade on the fourth of July. The following day the construction crew disassembled the old chassis, and had the new chassis built by September first.

1995



Hide 'n' Seek
Concept Design: Randy Wienke
Final Design: Dex Regatz
Construction Chair: Bill Grahm
Decoration Chair: Christie Rybus

The game of hide and seek has entertained children for hundreds of years. This particular game finds the back yard setting with plenty of hiding spots. Boys and girls try to hide away in the dog house, log, barrel, tree house and chicken coop. The children in the doghouse log, barrel and chicken coop all moved. The driver and animator of this float climbed up the ladder to the tree house and enjoyed the ride on New Years day fourteen feet up in the tree house. How did they see out? Through the front window of the tree house. Part of the tree had to be lowered near the end of the parade to make it under a bridge.

1996



A Honey of a Day
Designer: Charlie Meier
Construction Chair: Bill Grahm
Decoration Chair: Christie Rybus
Dimensions: 17 feet tall plus satellites

The beehive is home sweet home and is a buzz of activity as a group of bees go about their daily business of making honey. The two bees circled the hive in one direction and a third in the opposite direction missing each other by mere inches. Other bees flap their wings, as two other satellite bees buzzed around the main float. These two satellites were powered by four wheel all terrain vehicles. The satellite bee heads also turned as the bee changed  directions. One of the small bees now resides in Paradise CA joining a ladybug from 1994 entry, First outing. This float was dedicated to the memory
of Bill Edmundson.

1997



Off to the Moovies
Concept Design: David Andrews
Construction Chair: Bob Allen
Decoration Chair: Kathy Boliger

A family of cows jumps into the car in search of some Saturday night excitement. Dad is dressed up with a bow tie, Mother sports her pearls while baby cows confinement to the rumble seat is eased by a rather large baby bottle full of what else, but milk. The cow family is having fun as they are “Off to the Mooovies”. The wheels of the car turned as the float headed down Colorado Blvd.

1998


1990

Pals at Last

Designer: Dex Regatz


Former foes become pals at last. The dog cat and mice have buried the hatchet and have a good time on a speeding skateboard.

1999

Talk About Progress

Designer: Anthony Lycon

Construction Chair: Al Hope

Decoration Chair: Christie Grahm


Two bears enjoy the technical innovations of their day. The front bear listens to his Victorla and talks on a candlestick phone echoing back to the turn of the century. Meantime the bear in the back enjoys his boom box while e-mailing a buddy. The center of the float depicts the world spinning atop of a radio tower. Animation this year included a turning “phone bear”, rotating globe, and a typing rear bear. The entire tower and globe tilted forward to allow safe passage under the bridge at the end of the parade route. After the parade the globe was sold to a commercial float builder, and has been seen in several other parades and events.