Frosty the Snowman (TV special) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Frosty the Snowman |
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| Genre | Christmas special |
| Written by | Romeo Muller |
| Directed by | Arthur Rankin Jr. Jules Bass |
| Voices of | Billy De Wolfe Jackie Vernon Paul Frees June Foray |
| Narrated by | Jimmy Durante |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | Arthur Rankin Jr. Jules Bass |
| Editor(s) | Irwin Goldress |
| Running time | 25 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Rankin/Bass Productions |
| Distributor | NBCUniversal Television Distribution |
| Release | |
| Original network | CBS |
| Picture format | 35mm film |
| Original release | December 7, 1969 |
| Chronology | |
| Followed by | Frosty's Winter Wonderland |
Frosty the Snowman is a beloved animated Christmas special that first aired on December 7, 1969. It was made by Rankin/Bass Productions and quickly became a holiday favorite. This special was the very first time the famous character Frosty the Snowman appeared on television.
The story of Frosty the Snowman is based on the popular song of the same name, written by Walter E. Rollins and Steve Nelson. The special features the voices of famous comedians like Jimmy Durante, who narrates the story, and Jackie Vernon as the voice of Frosty himself.
The show tells the exciting adventure of a snowman named Frosty. He magically comes to life when a special hat is placed on his head. But with warmer weather approaching, Frosty and his friends must find a way to reach the North Pole before he melts!
Contents
The Story of Frosty's Adventure
In a schoolhouse on Christmas Eve, a magician named Professor Hinkle tries to perform tricks, but he's not very good. After his show, the children go outside to play in the snow. They build a snowman and name him "Frosty."
Professor Hinkle's rabbit, Hocus Pocus, runs off with the magician's hat. The wind blows the hat onto Frosty's head, and something amazing happens: Frosty comes to life! Professor Hinkle tries to get his hat back, but Hocus Pocus cleverly switches it with a Christmas wreath. The children put the real hat back on Frosty, and he comes to life again, excited about being able to move and talk.
A Race Against the Sun
As the day gets warmer, Frosty realizes he might melt if he doesn't get to a colder place, like the North Pole. The children suggest putting him on a train. They all parade through town on their way to the train station, surprising everyone they meet.
Since they don't have money for tickets, Frosty, Karen (a young girl), and Hocus Pocus sneak onto a train's refrigerator car, which is nice and cold. Professor Hinkle, still wanting his hat back, secretly follows them.
Finding Santa Claus
As the train travels north, Karen starts to get very cold. When the train stops, they get off to find somewhere warm for her. Professor Hinkle is still chasing them. As night falls, Frosty, Karen, and Hocus Pocus are in a forest. Hocus Pocus gets the forest animals to build a campfire for Karen.
But Frosty worries the fire isn't enough. He decides to look for Santa Claus, hoping Santa can take Karen home and bring Frosty safely to the North Pole. While Hocus Pocus searches for Santa, Professor Hinkle catches up. Karen and Frosty run into a greenhouse to warm up, but Professor Hinkle traps them inside.
Christmas Magic and a Happy Ending
Hocus Pocus finds Santa Claus and leads him to the greenhouse. Sadly, by the time they arrive, Frosty has melted. Santa explains to Karen that Frosty is made of special Christmas snow, and he will come back every winter. Santa opens the greenhouse door, and the winter wind magically puts Frosty back together.
As they are about to put the hat back on Frosty, Professor Hinkle tries to grab it. Santa warns him that if he takes the hat, he won't get any Christmas presents ever again! Professor Hinkle quickly runs home to write apology letters, hoping for a new hat. Santa brings Frosty back to life, drops Karen off at her house, and takes Frosty to the North Pole. Frosty promises to return every year with the magical Christmas snow.
As the show ends, Frosty leads a happy parade with the children, Hocus Pocus, the narrator, and even Professor Hinkle, who now has a new hat. Frosty then flies off with Santa, promising to be back next Christmas.
Who Are the Voices?
Many talented people lent their voices to bring the characters to life:
- Jackie Vernon as Frosty
- Jimmy Durante as himself, the storyteller
- June Foray as Karen, Karen's friends, and Teacher
- Billy De Wolfe as Professor Hinkle
- Paul Frees as Traffic Cop, Ticket Man, and Santa Claus
How the Special Was Made
Arthur Rankin Jr. and Jules Bass, the producers and directors, wanted the show to look like a beautiful Christmas card. They hired Paul Coker Jr., an artist known for greeting cards and Mad magazine, to draw the characters and backgrounds.
The animation was done in Tokyo, Japan, by a company called Mushi Production. Romeo Muller, a writer who often worked with Rankin/Bass, wrote the story for television, expanding on the original song. Jimmy Durante, who narrated the special, had actually recorded the "Frosty the Snowman" song back in 1950, so he was a perfect fit!
TV Guide magazine even ranked Frosty the Snowman as number 9 on its list of the 10 Best Family Holiday Specials.
Frosty's Music
The full audio from the Frosty the Snowman special, including all the dialogue and songs, was released on CD in 2002. It was paired with the audio from another Rankin/Bass special, Santa Claus is Comin' to Town. This lets fans listen to the entire story and music whenever they want.
Watching Frosty at Home
Over the years, Frosty the Snowman has been released on many different home video formats.
- VHS and LaserDisc: In the 1980s and 1990s, you could find Frosty on VHS tapes. It was often sold in sets with other classic Rankin/Bass Christmas specials like Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and Santa Claus is Comin' to Town.
- DVD and Blu-ray: Later, the special became available on DVD and, for the first time, on Blu-ray in 2010. Many of these releases also include Frosty Returns, another special featuring Frosty. You can still find Frosty the Snowman on DVD and Blu-ray today, often bundled with other holiday favorites.
More Frosty Adventures
Frosty the Snowman has appeared in several other animated specials and movies:
- Frosty's Winter Wonderland (1976): This special is a standalone sequel by Rankin/Bass. It tells the story of Frosty looking for a wife and introduces a new character, Jack Frost.
- Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July (1979): This longer movie brings Frosty together with Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. It's filmed in a different animation style called "Animagic."
- Frosty Returns (1992): This special was made by CBS and has a different look and feel from the original Rankin/Bass shows. John Goodman voices Frosty in this one.
- The Legend of Frosty the Snowman (2005): This straight-to-video movie features a design similar to the original Frosty. Bill Fagerbakke, known as the voice of Patrick Star from SpongeBob SquarePants, voices Frosty.
Images for kids
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