During the 1980s, specifically during the years 1981 to 1988, the traditional new years eve Times Square Ball, which drops during the countdown to a new year, was decorated in the form of an apple, with red bulbs and a green stem, to commemorate the city of New York, aka, "the Big Apple."
Here's a video, courtesy of Youtube, of New Years Eve 1985, as the new year 1986 was rung in, showing the "Big apple" drop.
In 1989, the ball returned to its traditional appearance, a plain white ball with white lightbulbs.