When it comes to Christmas classics, Frosty the Snowman is always on the yearly rotation.
After all, it’s got magic just like in that old top hat they found. It’s also got some random things you probably didn’t know about the beloved classic.
Things like how the voice actors were switched mysteriously and how there are more parallels to Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer than you’d think.
1. The song was inspired by “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.”
Songwriters, Jack Rollins and Steve Nelson, wanted to capitalize on the success that Rudolph’s song created.
While both songs featured the same singer, Gene Autry, the Frosty one failed the reach the same level of success.
One major thing the song did do, though, was inspire Rankin/Bass Productions to create the TV special.
Thank goodness for that!
But before this, it was first transformed into a story via Little Golden Books and Dell Comics .
2. It was made by the same animation company that created *Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.*
If you noticed some similarities, that isn’t a coincidence.
Rankin/Bass Productions created other classic holiday classics, such as Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town and The Year without a Santa Claus .
3. The voice actor behind Frosty had a risqué reputation.
The voice actor behind Frosty had quite a risqué reputation.
That jolly snowman was voiced by comedian, Jackie Vernon . The comic was known for doing what’s called “slideshow” routines.
4. It was the final film narrator Jimmy Durante ever worked on.
Jimmy had a long career as a singer, jazz pianist, and comedian.
He was also known for being such a kind guy. Since he loved kids so much, he once famously turned down a performance fee at the Eagles International Convention in 1961
When the organizers asked what they could do instead, he replied “Help da kids.”
Sadly, the narrator of Frosty the Snowman passed away in 1972 after suffering a stroke.
His memory — and voice — carry on each year with the annual viewing of the Christmas film.
5. Voice actors June Foray and Paul Frees were replaced in later versions for unknown reasons.
Foray initially voiced young Karen and the school teacher, while Frees was the traffic cop and Santa Claus.
Both also voiced some of the children.
While their voices are in the original debut version, they were changed after that by identified child actors.
You can only find the original on the Rhino Records soundtrack.
To this day, it’s still a mystery as to why they were replaced
But it is something that the late voice actress was disappointed about.
“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,” Foray recalled in the book The Enchanted World of Rankin/Bass .
“To this day I am unsure of the reason, but I still enjoy the special.”
5. The number of fingers Frosty has changes in one scene.
This happens after Frosty becomes alive.
He has five fingers while he was counting to 10, but then in the next shot, he’s down to four fingers.
6. They modeled Durante after Jimmy Durante.
They did the same thing with the narrator in Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and then Fred Astaire in Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town .
It helps add a personal touch.
7. The producers wanted *Frosty* to have a Christmas card feel.
In order to achieve it, they hired Paul Coker, Jr., a greeting card illustrator and Mad magazine artist, to create the look of the characters and backgrounds.
8. Rankin/Bass weren’t the first production company to bring Frosty to life.
It was the United Productions of America that brought Frosty to life in a short cartoon in 1954.
It’s in black and white and seems more like a music video for the movie’s song.
9. It was partially made in Japan.
Instead of using stop-motion animation like the other Christmas specials, traditional animation was done by Mushi Studio.
This was the same company that produced Astro Boy and Kimba the White Lion cartoons.
10. Before voicing Santa in *Frosty*, Paul Frees had done a lot of cartoon work.
He was Boris Badenov in The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show and provided voice work for several Rankin/Bass productions.
This included the Three Wise Men in The Little Drummer Boy and Father Winter and Kubla Kraus in Jack Frost .
11. There have been parodies of the TV special.
Nickelodeon’s SpongeBob SquarePants ran a parody of Frosty called Patrick the Snowman from 2002 to 2005. It featured Patrick Star from SpongeBob SquarePants.
Anyone else think he should have been the Christmas star?
12. Frosty’s hometown is Armonk, New York.
It was the songwriter, Steve Nelson, who included this in the lyrics since he loved to visit Armonk when he was young.
The town has taken this as a badge of honor, as they host an annual Frosty Day parade and celebration.
The Village Square that is mentioned in the lyrics has been renamed as the Armonk Historic District in the town of North Castle.
There are even some people who claim that the traffic cop who hollers “Stop!” is based on former chief of police John Hergenhan.
