Frosty the Snowman

From Christmas Specials Wiki

Directed by:	Jules Bass, Arthur Rankin, Jr.
Written by:	Romeo Muller
Release date:	December 7, 1969
Running time:	25 minutes
Characters:	Frosty, Karen, Professor Hinkle, Hocas Pocas, and Santa Claus

Frosty the Snowman is an animated Christmas special that first aired on CBS on December 7, 1969. This special, written by Romeo Mueller and produced and directed by Arthur Rankin and Jules Bass, is based on the holiday song of the same name first performed by Gene Autry in the 1940s originally written by Jack Rollins and Steve Nelson.

Contents 1 Synopsis 2 Songs 3 Cast 4 Sequels 5 Notes 6 Television Rights 7 External Links

Synopsis

Jimmy Durante provided the narration, with Billy DeWolfe as Professor Hinkle, a frustrated magician who loses his magic hat after performing in a school Christmas show. The children build a snowman, and Professor Hinkle's hat brings the snowman to life, voiced by Jackie Vernon. With the help of his friend Karen, tries to get to the North Pole before he melts.

Songs

• Frosty the Snowman

Cast

• Jimmy Durante: Narrator
• Billy De Wolfe: Professor Hinkle
• Jackie Vernon: Frosty the Snowman
• Paul Frees: Santa Claus, Traffic Cop
• June Foray: Teacher

Sequels

Frosty the Snowman was followed up by two Rankin/Bass-made Christmas specials, Frosty's Winter Wonderland (1976) and Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July. In 1992, CBS produced a sequel to the original, entitled Frosty Returns. Most Frosty the Snowman DVD releases contain Frosty Returns as a bonus feature. In 2004, Classic Media also created a sequel to Frosty the Snowman, titled The Legend of Frosty the Snowman. It airs annually on Cartoon Network.

Notes

• June Foray originally recorded the part of Karen, but was replaced by an unknown actress; Foray recalled her experiences in the book The Enchanted World of Rankin/Bass: "I was called in to voice the little girl Karen. I was disappointed to learn later that my work for the Karen character was replaced by another actress. To this day I am unsure of the reason, but I still enjoy the special."
• From 2002 through 2005, Nickelodeon ran a parody of Frosty the Snowman during the commercial breaks at Christmastime, titled Patrick the Snowman and featuring Patrick Star from Spongebob Squarepants in the title role. Coincidentally, Patrick's voice actor, Bill Fagerbakke, would voice Frosty himself a few years later in The Legend of Frosty the Snowman.
• In addition to narrating the special, Jimmy Durante sang the song "Frosty the Snowman", recording it for the second time. He is one of the few recording artists to release the song with both its classic and modern lyrics that are more familiar today.

Television Rights

CBS has broadcast this special in the USA since its' debut, even after the pre-1974 Rankin-Bass library was sold first to Broadway Media, then to Golden Books and currently with Classic Media, a successor of the British-owned Entertainment Rights company, which was purchased by Classic Media's own successor, Boomerang Media. In Canada, CBC holds broadcasting rights.

External Links

• Frosty the Snowman on CBS.com
• Frosty the Snowman on the Internet Movie Database

Rankin/Bass

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer Cricket on the Hearth The Little Drummer Boy Frosty the Snowman Santa Claus is Comin' to Town 'Twas the Night Before Christmas The Year Without a Santa Claus The First Christmas Frosty's Winter Wonderland The Little Drummer Boy, Book II   Rudolph's Shiny New Year Nestor, the Long-Eared Christmas Donkey The Stingiest Man in Town Jack Frost Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July Pinocchio's Christmas The Leprechauns' Christmas Gold The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus Santa Baby!