290:) started their version of the Doo Dah Parade (stylized Do-Dah). It was started by Lori Moore in reaction to the need for more fun, innovative, and silly family programming. The parade was a “spin off” from the Pasadena Parade. Similar to how the original Pasadena parade is an alternative to the traditional formality of the Rose Parade, the Kalamazoo Do-Dah parade is the opposite of the Kalamazoo Holiday parade. Additionally, it also filled a need to provide a “silly parade” for all those businesses that couldn't meet the guidelines of the Holiday Parade. On average, the Kalamazoo Do-Dah Parade attracts about 60 units including 1,500 participants and approximately 40,000 spectators.
71:
20:
263:, Bill Dana, Captain Noah and many others. After his grand marshal appearance, legendary kids' TV host Soupy Sales became a regular guest at DooDah and following the parade, was honored by presiding over the "Pieasco" in which participants are invited to toss shaving cream pies at each other, just like the ones Soupy got hit with on his classic show. All parade participants receive a free commemorative T-shirt and hot dog courtesy of sponsor Dietz & Watson.
195:
88:, which is also held in Pasadena. In 1978, January 1 fell on a Sunday, and the Rose Parade, which typically takes place on January 1, will not march on a Sunday. So, they decided it would be fun to have an alternative parade on January 1 that year. It was the first Doo Dah Parade. Peter Apanel became the Czar of Parade who organized and oversaw all the parades through Doo Dah 19. Some of the earliest parade participants were Corky Peterson as first
255:, is held every April (usually on the Saturday after Tax Day) on the New Jersey shore. The Ocean City DooDah Parade originally took place in Pitman, New Jersey, but migrated closer to the ocean a couple of years later. The route starts from 6th Street and goes down Asbury Avenue through downtown Ocean City, turns east on 12th Street and then proceeds up the boardwalk, ending at the historic Music Pier.
92:, Queen Dorothy Romani, the official band of the parade, Snotty Scotty & The Hankies, The Red Shoes Dance Team, The Loch Ness Bagpipe Band, the Pasadena Food Co-op Organic Vegetables Marching Band, Mimi Margo-go & the Marquis de Sod, The Wilson Brothers, Zeke The Shiek, The Espresso Bar, The Unknown Shoppers, belly dancer Narayana (who has participated in every Parade), and
271:"Double Doggy DooDah Glutton-For-Punishment Award" is given to anyone who appears in the Ocean City Parade after being in any other DooDah Parade elsewhere in the country. Rapid T. Rabbit was the first such award recipient in 1995 after having marched in the Pasadena parade in the early 90s, and has also since appeared in the parades at Columbus, Ohio, and Illion, New York.
332:
83:
Conceived in 1978 by several friends, including Peter Apanel, Ted Wright, Charles "Skip" Finnell, Corky
Peterson, and Richard Caputo, sitting in a bar called Chromos in Pasadena, with input from Alice McIntosh of The Red Shoes Dancewear store next door, as an irreverent alternative to the traditional
266:
Other parade regulars include "Trash Buster" (played by chief DooDah organizer Mark Soifer from Ocean City's
Community Affairs department), "Underdog Lady" Suzanne Muldowny, the "Wizard of Odd", the Pitman NJ Hobo Band, kids radio host Kathy O'Connell, and hundreds of dogs taking part in the annual
238:
who take siestas along the parade route and conscript bystanders into the Cuban army, dressing them in camouflage and "forcing" them to march in the parade. Also featured are the
Emperor of the Short North and the King and Queen of DooDah. In recent years, participants have included groups such as
99:
The first telecast of the Parade was Doo Dah 11 in 1987 with King John
Fischer, produced and directed by John Helmore, which played on Pasadena Community Access Corporation (PCAC) on Cable Channel 56. PCAC produced and cablecast the Parade through Doo Dah 14. The first live telecast of the Doo Dah
167:
In August 2012, the
Pasadena Museum of History opened an exhibit entitled, "What a Long, Strange Trip It's Been: 35 Years of the Pasadena Doo Dah Parade", containing donated items and photographs from the past 35 years of the parade and including a recreation of part of the original Chromo's bar.
258:
OC's parade is billed as a salute to humor and comedy, featuring impersonators of
Groucho Marx, Charlie Chaplin, Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley, Abbott & Costello and many other classic movie stars. Celebrity comedians and TV stars have served as grand marshal in this parade, including Joan
270:
The parade recognizes those who support humor and entertainment that appear in the DooDah Parade by giving out award plaques in a ceremony at the Music Pier immediately at the conclusion of the march. The "Golden Hot Dog" award is given to those entertainers from the extended local area. The
243:, and the Doo Dah Band. At one time, the parade featured a limosine: a stretched Yugo. Judging takes place along the route and participants bribe judges to vote for their entries. Prizes for Best and Worst Entries are rewarded with gift certificates to Short North businesses.
96:, among many others. The Doo Dah logo and all of the early parade posters were designed by Spike Loveland, a bartender at the Loch Ness Monster Pub. By about the 5th parade, the throwing of tortillas into and from the crowds became a signature event during the parade.
293:
In the mid-1990s WKFR took over the parade operation and in 2004 they approached DKI to partner with them to host the parade and eventually take over the operation and ownership of the parade. As of 2015, the
Kalamazoo Do-Dah Parade is now organized by the
401:
Many first-timers ... joined crowd favorites like The Army Of Toy
Soldiers, Mobile Cupcakes, The BBQ & Hibachi Marching Grill Team, Boo Boo Kitty, The Billionaires, the immortal Doo Dah house band Snotty Scotty & the Hankies, and many, many
239:
the
Fishnet Mafia, the Wilber Hills Country Club, Feature Creatures Haunted Acting Troupe of Central Ohio, Four Men Walking Abreast (four men carrying a pink balloon adorned with a brighter pink spot in the middle), Deri Air, the
267:
Bassett Hound Waddle as part of the weekend's festivities. Also appearing are the costume character host and friends of the New York City cable & Internet TV show "Rapid T. Rabbit and
Friends".
121:
186:, which was postponed to 2022, the 43rd Doo Dah Parade was deferred to later that year, as 2021 was also called off. The parade was held again on November 19, 2023 in Old Pasadena.
354:
599:
215:. The Columbus Doo Dah Parade was inspired by the Pasadena event and began in 1983 as a small, disorganized march down the sidewalks of High Street in
156:
arms. Snotty Scotty and the Hankies is still the official band (even though Scotty died early). Many groups participate in the Doo Dah Parade as a
436:
420:
129:
164:. In 2010 the parade was moved to May 1, and also moved from Old Pasadena to East Pasadena. This Parade has spawned many others like it.
461:
559:
584:
579:
594:
564:
574:
533:
589:
219:
district of the city by regulars of the Short North Tavern. The Columbus Doo Dah Parade takes place yearly on the
569:
364:
315:
543:
538:
149:
234:
One of the most popular and longest-running participant groups is the Marching Fidels, a group dressed like
415:
152:
and the Committee for the Right to Bear Arms, a group that marches in precise formations while carrying
385:
440:
339:
133:
252:
125:
51:
40:
8:
287:
55:
93:
120:
The Pasadena Doo Dah Parade today features absurd and unique participants such as the
70:
275:
240:
224:
179:
141:
59:
161:
359:
216:
105:
220:
212:
89:
47:
553:
295:
170:
145:
62:
has a Doo Dah Parade but its connection to the Pasadena parade is uncertain.
235:
228:
137:
168:
Over 400 people attended the opening reception, many in costume. In 2016,
19:
260:
183:
109:
85:
519:
194:
227:
neighborhoods of Columbus. The parade route begins on Park Street near
496:
157:
153:
355:"Carnival of Kooks (UPDATED): Setting the record straight … sort of"
475:
101:
462:"Doo Dah Parade Retrospective Fills Pasadena Museum of History"
36:
140:& the 20-Man Memorial Invisible Man Marching Drill Team,
32:
528:
333:"TORO!TORO!TORO!: PASADENA'S DOO DAH PARADE ROLLS AGAIN"
189:
386:"THE PASADENA DOO DAH PARADE – 35TH YEAR ANNIVERSARY!"
259:Rivers, Joe Franklin, Larry Storch, Mickey Rooney,
476:"Route 66 Magazine, Current Issue: Winter 2016/17"
551:
100:Parade was Doo Dah 15 on Los Angeles television
327:
325:
65:
413:
352:
346:
544:"The 34th Occasional Pasadena Doo Dah Parade"
322:
246:
128:, the Men of Leisure Synchronized Nap Team,
600:Tourist attractions in Pasadena, California
392:. Beacon Media News. 2012-04-19. p. 11
281:
223:(rain date, July 3) in the Short North and
342:. November 26, 1984. p. A2 Main News.
206:
529:Official Columbus Doo Dah Parade Website
211:A popular Doo Dah Parade takes place in
193:
69:
18:
539:Flickr Slideshow of 2008 Doo Dah Parade
534:Official Norfolk Doo Dah Parade Website
274:2020's parade was cancelled because of
115:
16:Humorous parade in Pasadena, California
552:
416:"Pasadena Doo Dah Parade TODAY, MAY 1"
296:Kalamazoo Experiential Learning Center
182:as grounds for cancellation. Like the
178:In mid-July 2020, officials cited the
122:BBQ & Hibachi Marching Grill Team
464:. Light Bringer Project. 2012-08-27.
434:
231:and ends at the Short North Tavern.
190:Parades inspired by Pasadena Doo Dah
439:. Hometown Pasadena. Archived from
407:
175:ran a story on the Doo Dah parade.
13:
278:concerns; it'll return come 2021.
78:
14:
611:
560:1978 establishments in California
513:
46:The event has been copied by the
124:, the Shopping Cart Drill Team,
585:History of Pasadena, California
580:Culture of Pasadena, California
489:
468:
454:
428:
414:Cheryl Johnson (May 1, 2010).
378:
308:
126:the Bastard Sons of Lee Marvin
1:
497:"The Pasadena Doo Dah Parade"
353:Carl Kozlowski (2010-04-29).
301:
150:The Radioactive Chicken Heads
74:Pasadena Doo Dah Parade, 2009
595:Culture of Norfolk, Virginia
565:Parades in the United States
66:The original Pasadena parade
23:2011 Pasadena Doo Dah parade
7:
575:Annual events in California
10:
616:
316:"CORRECTION/CLARIFICATION"
251:A long-running parade, in
590:Culture of Columbus, Ohio
247:Ocean City Doo Dah parade
282:Kalamazoo Doo Dah Parade
134:The Army of Toy Soldiers
130:The Marching Lumberjacks
522:Pasadena Doo Dah Parade
437:"Doo Dah Fun: Thx, PS!"
340:Lexington Herald-Leader
207:Columbus Doo Dah Parade
29:Pasadena Doo Dah Parade
570:Culture of Los Angeles
253:Ocean City, New Jersey
203:
104:Channel 56, hosted by
75:
52:Ocean City, New Jersey
24:
197:
73:
43:, about once a year.
22:
116:Contemporary Doo Dah
41:Pasadena, California
478:. Route 66 Magazine
390:Sierra Madre Weekly
288:Kalamazoo, Michigan
160:effort for various
56:Kalamazoo, Michigan
204:
202:in Columbus, Ohio.
94:General Hershy Bar
76:
25:
276:COVID-19 outbreak
241:Ohio Roller Derby
225:Victorian Village
180:COVID-19 pandemic
84:formality of the
60:Norfolk, Virginia
58:Doo Dah Parades.
607:
507:
506:
504:
503:
493:
487:
486:
484:
483:
472:
466:
465:
458:
452:
451:
449:
448:
432:
426:
425:
411:
405:
404:
398:
397:
382:
376:
375:
373:
372:
363:. Archived from
350:
344:
343:
337:
329:
320:
319:
312:
615:
614:
610:
609:
608:
606:
605:
604:
550:
549:
516:
511:
510:
501:
499:
495:
494:
490:
481:
479:
474:
473:
469:
460:
459:
455:
446:
444:
433:
429:
412:
408:
395:
393:
384:
383:
379:
370:
368:
360:Pasadena Weekly
351:
347:
335:
331:
330:
323:
314:
313:
309:
304:
286:In 1984, WKMI (
284:
249:
217:The Short North
209:
192:
118:
106:Richard Simmons
81:
79:Doo Dah history
68:
35:and flamboyant
17:
12:
11:
5:
613:
603:
602:
597:
592:
587:
582:
577:
572:
567:
562:
548:
547:
541:
536:
531:
526:
515:
514:External links
512:
509:
508:
488:
467:
453:
427:
406:
377:
345:
321:
306:
305:
303:
300:
283:
280:
248:
245:
221:Fourth of July
213:Columbus, Ohio
208:
205:
200:Doo Dah Parade
191:
188:
117:
114:
90:Grand Marshall
80:
77:
67:
64:
48:Columbus, Ohio
15:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
612:
601:
598:
596:
593:
591:
588:
586:
583:
581:
578:
576:
573:
571:
568:
566:
563:
561:
558:
557:
555:
545:
542:
540:
537:
535:
532:
530:
527:
525:
523:
518:
517:
498:
492:
477:
471:
463:
457:
443:on 2016-03-03
442:
438:
431:
423:
422:
417:
410:
403:
391:
387:
381:
367:on 2010-05-10
366:
362:
361:
356:
349:
341:
334:
328:
326:
317:
311:
307:
299:
297:
291:
289:
279:
277:
272:
268:
264:
262:
256:
254:
244:
242:
237:
232:
230:
226:
222:
218:
214:
201:
196:
187:
185:
181:
176:
174:
172:
165:
163:
159:
155:
151:
147:
146:Count Smokula
143:
139:
135:
131:
127:
123:
113:
111:
107:
103:
97:
95:
91:
87:
72:
63:
61:
57:
53:
49:
44:
42:
38:
34:
31:is a popular
30:
21:
521:
500:. Retrieved
491:
480:. Retrieved
470:
456:
445:. Retrieved
441:the original
430:
421:NELALive.net
419:
409:
400:
394:. Retrieved
389:
380:
369:. Retrieved
365:the original
358:
348:
336:(back issue)
310:
292:
285:
273:
269:
265:
257:
250:
236:Fidel Castro
233:
229:Goodale Park
210:
199:
177:
169:
166:
142:Uncle Fester
138:Claude Rains
119:
98:
82:
45:
28:
26:
261:Soupy Sales
184:Rose Parade
158:fundraising
110:Judy Tenuta
86:Rose Parade
554:Categories
502:2023-09-16
482:2016-12-02
447:2012-08-31
435:Kat Ward.
396:2012-11-28
371:2010-05-05
302:References
520:Official
198:The 2005
162:charities
154:mannequin
173:Magazine
171:Route 66
39:held in
33:farcical
524:Website
546:, 2011
54:, and
37:parade
402:more!
108:and
102:KDOC
27:The
556::
418:.
399:.
388:.
357:.
338:.
324:^
298:.
148:,
144:,
136:,
132:,
112:.
50:,
505:.
485:.
450:.
424:.
374:.
318:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.