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Nickelodeon’s Justice, Cosgrove, Dora and Spongebob at Thanksgiving parade

By April MacIntyre Nov 9, 2010, 4:35 GMT

11/01/2010 - Victoria Justice - 26th Annual Casting Society of America Artios Awards - Arrivals - Hyatt Regency Century Plaza Hotel - Los Angeles, CA, USA © Tatiana Beller / PR Photos

Nickelodeon’s most popular stars will participate in the 84th Annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on Thursday, Nov. 25. 

iCarly star Miranda Cosgrove, one of the voices featured in the animated blockbuster hit film, "Despicable Me," will make a special appearance on the Statue of Liberty Float with her co-stars the Minions. 

Big Time Rush, whose debut album entered the Billboard 200 at #3, will perform live at the Parade on Hess’s Bridge to the Future float. 

Victoria Justice, star of "Victorious", Nickelodeon’s newest rising teen star, will perform “Freak the Freak Out,” an original song from her hit comedy Victorious, on the Build-A-Bear Workshop®’s float. 

On the series, Justice plays the musically-talented “Tori Vega” who unexpectedly finds herself navigating life as a student at an elite performing arts high school.  Currently in production on its second season, Victorious—a co-production with Nickelodeon and Sony Music—is created and exec-produced by TV hitmaker Dan Schneider (iCarly, Drake & Josh, Zoey 101).  Justice first joined Nickelodeon in 2005 when she was cast as a series regular on the network’s Emmy-nominated hit Zoey 101.  A triple threat, Justice acted, sang and danced in the 2009 Nickelodeon movie-musical Spectacular! and most recently, headlined her first-ever television movie, The Boy Who Cried Werewolf.

An all-new Dora the Explorer float inspired by the Dora’s Christmas Carol Adventure television special, will be unveiled at the Parade and will feature a performance by India.Arie. 

SpongeBob SquarePants will make his sixth appearance as the only “square” balloon. 

The Samurai Power Rangers, whose new series is scheduled to air on Nickelodeon early next year, will make their first public appearance when they walk with the Planet Earth balloon. Additionally, Po the Panda, star of DreamWorks Animation SKG, Inc.’s (Nasdaq: DWA) hit feature film Kung Fu Panda, will make his balloon debut at the Parade.

“Nickelodeon has a long history of successful collaborations with Macy’s and we’re very excited to bring so many of our incredible characters and talent to the Parade this year,” said Pam Kaufman, Chief Marketing Officer, Nickelodeon/MTVN Kids and Family Group.  “Watching the Parade is a Thanksgiving Day tradition for millions of families across the country and it’s the perfect event for our iconic characters and young stars who appeal to the entire family – from preschoolers, to tweens and teens, to their parents who enjoy the Nickelodeon shows with them.”

In the fall of 2011, Nickelodeon will premiere Kung Fu Panda: The Series, based on DreamWorks Animation’s hit feature film, Kung Fu Panda.

The new TV series will chronicle the further adventures of Po, who is aided by his mentor Shifu and the Furious Five: Tigress, Mantis, Crane, Monkey and Viper. At more than 16,000 cubic feet of helium, Po the Panda is truly a larger-than-life master of the ancient Chinese art of Kung Fu.

DreamWorks Animation plans to release Kung Fu Panda 2 in theaters on May 27, 2011.