Wry ‘Rabbit’ will float over Macy’s parade

Here come the giant inflatable balloons of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Snoopy? Check. SpongeBob? Check. Dora? Check.

A giant, silvery rabbit that looks like a massive, bunny-shaped UFO?

What?

The oddest new balloon in today’s 81st annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade will be a 53-foot-long adaptation of sculptor Jeff Koons’ 1986 work “Rabbit.”

The stainless-steel sculpture by Koons was itself a wry commentary on holiday inflation.

His version of a familiar blow-up Easter Bunny was both a playful commentary on the surface tension of a blow-up toy and a dark reflection on a culture’s prized artifacts – a cheapo bunny turned chromed object of desire.

Reflection, the artist has said, is what “Rabbit” is all about.

“One of the reasons why ‘Rabbit’ is an iconic work, a popular piece, is because it’s so reflective,” Koons says. “It reflects the needs of culture and society and can represent so many different things to the viewer.”

The 53- by 26-foot inflatable balloon version was created out of a new reflective material that the Macy’s Parade Studio commissioned to replicate Koons’ original 41-inch-high work, which can be seen just off the parade route at the Museum of Modern Art.

The journey from inflatable to sculptural steel back to inflatable is a mind-blowing trip for the work, one which perhaps subverts its original intent as a commentary on the blank consumerism of the 1980s.

In the past, Koons has said of “Rabbit,” “Polished objects have often been displayed by the church and by wealthy people to set a stage of both material security and enlightenment of spiritual nature; the stainless steel is a fake reflection of that stage.”

“Rabbit” is said to be part of Macy’s “Blue Sky Gallery” involving balloons derived from art, but there seems no evidence of examples in the series – no blow-up Venus de Milo or Mona Lisa half-smile in helium among the usual cartoon characters and commercial tie-ins.

The Thanksgiving showcase for Koons comes in a month when the artist has entered a new realm of success.

His similarly shiny “Hanging Heart” sculpture sold for $23.5 million last week – the most expensive piece by a living artist ever auctioned.

It was acquired by the same gallery that earlier in the week purchased Koons’ oversize sculpture “Diamond (Blue) ” for $11.8 million.

Will the Macy’s parade appearance open a new arena for modern sculptors? It’s tough to picture an airborne Richard Serra, although the balloon might be a good form for Henry Moore’s organic shapes.

Still, it might all be a puzzle for kids looking for new balloons they actually recognize, which this year include Abby Cadabby from “Sesame Street,” a “Supercute” variation of Hello Kitty and that star of movies and home DVD, Shrek.

Macy’s parade has succeeded by “sticking pretty close to childlike visions” for 81 years, says Matt Lauer, who will be co-hosting the coverage on NBC.

But he says there may be a place for Koons, too.

“It does seem a little unusual,” Lauer says. “I’m not sure the kids are going to quite understand the significance of it.

“But, you know, maybe that’s one of the good things. There’s a mix, and it gives a little bit of something for everyone.”