Doo Dah Parade
Encyclopedia
Farce
In theatre, a farce is a comedy which aims at entertaining the audience by means of unlikely, extravagant, and improbable situations, disguise and mistaken identity, verbal humour of varying degrees of sophistication, which may include word play, and a fast-paced plot whose speed usually increases,...
and flamboyant parade
Parade
A parade is a procession of people, usually organized along a street, often in costume, and often accompanied by marching bands, floats or sometimes large balloons. Parades are held for a wide range of reasons, but are usually celebrations of some kind...
held in Pasadena, California
Pasadena, California
Pasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Although famous for hosting the annual Rose Bowl football game and Tournament of Roses Parade, Pasadena is the home to many scientific and cultural institutions, including the California Institute of Technology , the Jet...
about once a year, usually in the fall or winter. Reverence by imitation, now occurs with irreverence in Columbus, Ohio
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
and Ocean City, New Jersey
Ocean City, New Jersey
Ocean City is a city in Cape May County, New Jersey, United States. It is the principal city of the Ocean City Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Cape May County. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city population was 11,701...
Doo Dah Parades.
The original Pasadena parade
The Pasadena Doo Dah Parade contains a wide variety of music and acts, with charity spreading out.Doo Dah history
Conceived in 1978 by several friends, including Peter Apanel, Ted Wright, Charles "Skip" Finnell, among others, sitting in a bar called "Chromo's" (which no longer exists) in Pasadena, as an irreverent alternative to the traditional formality of the Rose Parade, 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 alternate parade on January 1 that year. Some of the early participants were Wright as first Grand MarshalGrand Marshal
Grand Marshal is a ceremonial, military, or political office of very high rank. The term has its origins with the word "Marshal" with the first usage of the term "Grand Marshal" as a ceremonial title for certain religious orders...
, Snotty Scotty and the Hankies, the Lawn Mower Drill Team, the Briefcase Drill Team and General Hershey Bar, among many others. It was the first Pasadena Doo Dah Parade.
Contemporary Doo Dah
The Pasadena Doo Dah Parade today features absurd and unique participants such as the BBQ & Hibachi Marching Grill Team, the Shopping Cart Drill Team, the Bastard Sons of Lee MarvinLee Marvin
Lee Marvin was an American film actor. Known for his gravelly voice, white hair and 6' 2" stature, Marvin at first did supporting roles, mostly villains, soldiers and other hardboiled characters, but after winning an Academy Award for Best Actor for his dual roles in Cat Ballou , he landed more...
, the Men of Leisure Synchronized Nap Team, the Marching Lumberjacks, Dr. Steel's Army of Toy Soldiers
Doctor Steel
Doctor Steel , is a self-published American musician located in Southern California, prominent in the Steampunk, Goth, and Rivethead scenes. He has performed on rare occasions with a "backup band", claiming that a fictitious robot band had malfunctioned...
, Claude Rains
Claude Rains
Claude Rains was an English stage and film actor whose career spanned 66 years. He was known for many roles in Hollywood films, among them the title role in The Invisible Man , a corrupt senator in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington , Mr...
& the 20-Man Memorial Invisible Man Marching Drill Team, Count Smokula
Count Smokula
Count Smokula is a comedic fictional character created and portrayed by Robert "Smokey" Miles. He has made numerous live appearances, roles in movies, TV shows and internet videos.-Count Smokula and Smokesylvania:...
, and the Committee for the Right to Bear Arms, a group that marches in precise formations while carrying mannequin
Mannequin
A mannequin is an often articulated doll used by artists, tailors, dressmakers, and others especially to display or fit clothing...
arms. Snotty Scotty and the Hankies is still the official band. Many groups participate in the Doo Dah Parade as a fundraising effort for various charities. 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.
Parades inspired by Pasadena Doo Dah
Columbus Doo Dah Parade
A popular Doo Dah Parade takes Place in Columbus, OhioColumbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
. 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 The Short North
The Short North
The Short North is a neighborhood in Columbus, Ohio, United States, centered on the main strip of High Street immediately north of downtown and extending until just south of the Ohio State University campus area. It is an easy walk from the convention center or Nationwide Arena district to the north...
by regulars of the Short North Tavern. The Columbus Doo Dah Parade takes place yearly on the Fourth of July (rain date, July 3) in the Short North and Victorian Village
Victorian Village
Victorian Village is a neighborhood located north and near west of downtown Columbus. It is an older area with a fair number of established trees for an urban setting...
neighborhoods of Columbus. The parade route begins on Park Street near Goodale Park
Goodale Park
Goodale Park is a public park in the Victorian Village area of Columbus, Ohio. It was donated to the city in 1851 by Lincoln Goodale. During the Civil War, it was a staging area for Union troops...
and ends at the Short North Tavern.
One of the most popular and longest-running participant groups is the Marching Fidels, a group dressed like Fidel Castro
Fidel Castro
Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz is a Cuban revolutionary and politician, having held the position of Prime Minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976, and then President from 1976 to 2008. He also served as the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba from the party's foundation in 1961 until 2011...
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 the Fishnet Mafia, the Wilber Hills Country Club, Feature Creatures Haunted Acting Troupe of Central Ohio, Deri Air, the Ohio Roller Girls
Ohio Roller Girls
The Ohio Roller Girls is a WFTDA member women's flat track roller derby League based in Columbus, Ohio. The league, which was founded in March 2004 by Melissa Wallace, aka Scarlette Fury held their first bout in Battelle Hall at the Greater Columbus Convention Center on April 23, 2006...
, and the Doo Dah Band. 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.
Ocean City Doo Dah parade
A long-running parade, in Ocean City, New JerseyOcean City, New Jersey
Ocean City is a city in Cape May County, New Jersey, United States. It is the principal city of the Ocean City Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Cape May County. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city population was 11,701...
, 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.
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 Marshall in this parade, including Joan Rivers, Joe Franklin, Larry Storch, Mickey Rooney, Soupy Sales, Bill Dana, Captain Noah and many others. After his grand marshall 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.
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 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".
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 NJ/PA/NY area. The "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 NY.