Frosty the Snowman (TV special)

Frosty the Snowman
Title Card
Genre	Christmas special
Based on	"Frosty the Snowman" by Steve Nelson Jack Rollins
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	English
Production
Producers	Arthur Rankin Jr. Jules Bass
Editor	Irwin Goldress
Running time	25 minutes
Production company	Rankin/Bass Productions
Original release
Network	CBS
Release	December 7, 1969 (1969-12-07)
Related
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964)[a] Frosty the Snowman (1969)[b] Santa Claus is Comin' to Town (1970)[c] Here Comes Peter Cottontail (1971)[d] 'Twas the Night Before Christmas (1974)[e] The Year Without a Santa Claus (1974)[f] The First Easter Rabbit (1976)[g] Frosty's Winter Wonderland (1976)[h] Rudolph's Shiny New Year (1976)[i] The Easter Bunny is Comin' to Town (1977)[j] Nestor, the Long-Eared Christmas Donkey (1977)[k] The Stingiest Man in Town (1978)[l] Jack Frost (1979)[m] Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July (1979)[n] Pinocchio's Christmas (1980)[o] Frosty Returns (1992)[p] Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and the Island of Misfit Toys (2001)[q] The Legend of Frosty the Snowman (2005)[r] A Miser Brothers' Christmas (2008)[s]
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Frosty the Snowman is a 1969 American animated Christmas television special produced by Rankin/Bass Productions. It is the first television special featuring the character Frosty the Snowman. The special first aired on December 7, 1969, on the CBS television network in the United States, airing immediately after the fifth showing of A Charlie Brown Christmas;^[1] both scored high ratings.^[2] The special has aired annually for the network's Christmas and holiday season every year since.

The special was based on the Walter E. Rollins and Steve Nelson song of the same name. It featured the voices of comedians Jimmy Durante (in his final film role) as the film's narrator, Billy De Wolfe as Professor Hinkle, and Jackie Vernon as Frosty.^[3]

The special's story follows a group of school children, led by a girl named Karen, who build a snowman called Frosty and place a magician's hat on his head, which makes him come to life. Unfortunately, however after noticing the high temperature and fearing that he would melt, Frosty, along with Karen and a rabbit named Hocus Pocus, must go to the North Pole to be safe from melting.

Arthur Rankin Jr. and Jules Bass wanted to give the show and its characters the look of a Christmas card, so Paul Coker Jr., a greeting card and Mad magazine artist, was hired to do the character and background drawings. The animation was produced by Mushi Production in Tokyo, Japan, with Yusaku "Steve" Nakagawa and then-Mushi staffer Osamu Dezaki (who is uncredited) among the animation staff. Durante was one of the first people to record the song when it was released in 1950 (though at the time the song had slightly different lyrics); he re-recorded the song for the special.

Rankin/Bass veteran writer Romeo Muller adapted and expanded the story for television, as he had done with the "Animagic" stop-motion production of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.

TV Guide ranked the special number 9 on its 10 Best Family Holiday Specials list.^[4]

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