Pictures In History

"Frosty the Snowman" first aired in 1969. (fandom.com)

One of the simple joys of the holiday season as a child of the 1970s and 1980s was waiting for the annual television broadcast of Christmas shows like “Frosty the Snowman.” Before VCR, YouTube, and Netflix, folks had only one opportunity per year to watch these classic shows, so it was a big deal when they aired. “Frosty the Snowman” first hit the airwaves on CBS on December 7, 1969, and was an immediate holiday favorite. Let’s look at seven things you didn’t know about the making of “Frosty the Snowman.”

The Song Is Nearly 20 Years Older Than the TV Show

The song from which the animated television special, “Frosty the Snowman”, was based was written nearly two decades before the special was made. The song was written by Walter “Jack” Rollins and Steve Nelson and was first recorded in 1950 by Gene Autry and the Cass County Boys. Jimmy Durante later recorded it. Rollins, who also wrote the song “Here Comes Peter Cottontail”, was inspired to write “Frosty the Snowman” after seeing the great success of “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” also recorded by Autry, the year before. Christmas, Rollins realized, offered a virtually untapped area for songs, as well as boundless story/lyric ideas. He was right. Upon its release, the song was an overnight sensation.

There Was a Previous Cartoon Before the 1969 TV Special

You probably think that the 1969 animated television special marked the first time that “Frosty the Snowman” was on TV, but you’d be wrong. The 1950 song version was so popular that UPA Studio created a three-minute-long cartoon short that ran frequently on WGN-TV. It was black-and-white, crudely made, and included an a cappella version of the song. In fact, it was more like an early music video. It was broadcast on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day beginning in 1955 and every year thereafter as part of WGN’s Christmas programming. It also ran on WGN’s children’s show, “The Bozo Show,” during the holiday season.

Still from the animated television Christmas special, "Frosty The Snowman," depicting Karen riding on Frosty's back, 1969. (Photo by CBS/Courtesy of Getty Images)

Making a Two-Minute Song into a 30-Minute Special

When creating the 1969 television special, we see once again that “Frosty the Snowman” was a follow-up to “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.” When “Rudolph” was adapted and made into a half-hour-long television special, it was so well-received that it was only nature to do the same thing with “Frosty” by turning this song into a cartoon. It was the Rankin-Bass Production Company, founded by Arthur Rankin, Jr. and Jules Bass, that took on the task of bringing “Frosty” to life on the small screen. This was the same production company that produced “Rudolph”.

The first step was to flesh out the story so the studio could turn a two-minute song into a 30-show. Rankin-Bass tapped one of their veteran writers, Romeo Muller, to expand the story, since he had done such a great job doing the same thing for “Rudolph.” Working with the original lyrics, Muller’s script further explained Frosty’s origin story. The lyrics merely state that “there must have been some magic” in the top hat that was found and placed on the snowman’s head. Muller used this to develop the story’s villain, the magician, Professor Hinkle, who pursues Frosty to get his magic hat back. The original lyrics mention a group of schoolchildren. Muller extracted out one child, a young girl named Karen, to be Frosty’s helper and friend, and to illustrate the snowman’s altruistic quality.

American comic actor and singer Jimmy Durante, circa 1960 (Photo by Weegee(Arthur Fellig)/International Center of Photography/Getty Images)

It Was Jimmy Durante’s Final Film

It was Jimmy Durante’s 1950 rendition of the song that made “Frosty the Snowman” a household name, so it was only fitting that Rankin-Bass bring the veteran actor on board for the animated TV special. Romeo Muller wrote Durante in as the show’s narrator, which served three purposes. First, it created a part of Durante to play, since it was deemed that his voice did not sound young and exuberant enough to voice the part of the snowman. He was 76 years old when he voiced the narrator. Second, a narrator was an easy way to move the story along and provide the background information needed to understand the action. Lastly, it brought Jimmy Durante’s star power to the project. “Frosty the Snowman” was Jimmy Durante’s final film role.

The Voices of Frosty and Karen

Jackie Vernon, a stand-up comedian and radio performer, was cast to voice Frosty in “Frosty the Snowman.” June Foray, who had a long and successful career as a voiceover actress, played the role of the schoolgirl, Karen, even though Foray was 52 years old at the time. If Foray’s voice sounded familiar to you, it could be because she was the voice of Rocky in “Rocky and Bullwinkle,” Betty Rubble in “The Flintstones”, and Cindy Lou Who in “How the Grinch Stole Christmas.” A few years after “Frosty the Snowman” debuted, however, Rankin-Bass re-edited it. Only Foray’s singing parts remain. The speaking role of Karen was re-dubbed using the voice of an uncredited child actress named Suzanne Davidson. But that’s still Foray’s voice as the Teacher in “Frosty the Snowman.”

"Frosty the Snowman" was meant to look like a moving Christmas card. (reelrundown.com)

The “Frosty” Illustrator Went on to Work for MAD Magazine

When making “Frosty the Snowman”, Rankin-Bass didn’t want to copy the stop-action style of “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.” They wanted something truly unique. They brought in a greeting card artist, Paul Coker, Jr., to help make the show feel like a ‘moving Christmas card.’ The Japanese-based Mushi Productions Studio, along with Yusaku “Steve” Nakagawa of Hanna-Barbera, was hired to hand-color the art in the cell animation. The goal of the project was for each screen grab of “Frosty the Snowman” to look like it could be a stand-alone Christmas card. Paul Coker, Jr. would later gain fame as an illustrator for MAD Magazine.

“Frosty the Snowman” Had Some Critics

After “Frosty the Snowman” first debuted, the animated special received some criticism and backlash from parents. Their chief beef? The schoolchildren in the show are all bare-legged, despite the fact that the story is set in winter. Karen wears a short skirt throughout the story, and the other children wear either shorts or skirts. Parents thought that “Frosty” dropped the ball by now showing cartoon kids wearing winter-appropriate attire. Despite this, “Frosty the Snowman” has remained a family favorite and is a classic holiday story.