The Origins of Frosty the Snowman

"Happy birthday!" If you guessed this is what Frosty the Snowman first said when he came to life in the 1969 Rankin-Bass film, you're right. But do you know where the story of Frosty began?

It began in 1950, when Jack Nelson and Steve Rollins wrote the song "Frosty the Snowman". The duo was inspired by the hit "Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer". Both songs were sung by the legendary Gene Autry.

The exact origin of the song is not known. Rollins and Nelson seemed to have been coming up with holiday icons they could ascribe human characteristics to. A snowfall in the winter of 1949 may have inspired them to select a snowman as the subject of their new song.

Some say Autry was eager to record "Frosty the Snowman". Other accounts say he was skeptical and songwriters Nelson and Rollins had to persuade him by offering the song as part of a package deal along with the song "Peter Cottontail".

Four years later, the UPA studio produced a 3 minute short about Frosty which aired on WGN-TV. The short became a perennial hit for the network. The short was aired as recently as last year, along with two other shorts, "Suzy Snowflake" and "Hardrock, Coco and Joe".

Frosty the Snowman returned in 1969 as a 30 minute special produced by the Rankin-Bass company, starring Jimmy Durante and Jackie Vernon. The project marked Rankin-Bass' first project using traditional cel animation. Artist Paul Coker, Jr. was brought on board as well, and he later went on to work for MAD Magazine. The company had also produced Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, and used the same writer, Romeo Muller, for both.

This film spawned many sequels and spin-offs, including Frosty's Winter Wonderland narrated by Andy Griffith, Frosty Returns, and the Legend of Frosty the Snowman. The 1979 Rankin-Bass sequel, Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July, was an ambitious spin-off. It was full feature length, 97 minutes, while most other Frosty specials were 30 minutes.