The Man Behind Times Square's New Year's Eve Confetti Revealed in Documentary

A new documentary by filmmaker Joshua Charow uncovers the story of Treb Heining, the creator of the iconic confetti drop that has marked New Year's Eve in Times Square, New York, for over three decades. Heining, who started selling balloons at Disneyland at age 15, became a master balloon artist known for creating the famous "balloon inside a balloon" of Mickey Mouse and producing spectacular displays for events like the Super Bowl, political conventions, and the Oscars. In 1991, he was asked to devise an effect for the Times Square ball drop; instead of balloons, he conceived a blizzard of confetti. With 80 trusted volunteers, he realized the now-world-famous scene. Heining has continued to orchestrate the confetti drop ever since. The ten-minute documentary, directed by Charow, shows behind-the-scenes preparations and reveals that the confetti has been thrown by hand, a secret kept for years. Heining remarks that the emotion of the moment is part of the magic: "And if you get a tear in your eye or a lump in your throat, so much the better."