If you haven't seen a male elephant seal, imagine a gigantic seal with a big balloon-like attachment on his nose that resembles an elephant's trunk. Northern elephant seals live in the Pacific Ocean.

Other early balloons included a 20-foot-long elephant, a 60-foot-long tiger and an enormous hummingbird. In 1928, the parade culminated with a release of the now-helium-filled balloons into the ...