History WesternAnimation / FrostyTheSnowman

* {{Namedar}}: Frosty somehow knows Karen's name despite her not introducing herself to him. Justified, as [[NoInfantileAmnesia he was probably aware of her when being built.]]

* LimitedAnimation: It's a TV special from the 1960s, after all.

* NotSoHarmlessVillain: Professor Hinkle may ''seem'' like an incompetent DastardlyWhiplash villain at first, but see MoralEventHorizon in the YMMV section.

* NiceHat: '''The''' Hat, of course. (Described as an "old silk hat".)

-->'''Narrator:''' Now, of course, the hat ''did'' belong to Frosty and the children. That part must be made ''very'' clear. Therefore, Hocus Pocus was entirely in the right, in what he was about to do. ''(Hocus runs off with the hat)'!

* MagiciansAreWizards: Averted. Not only in can Hinkle ''not'' work real magic, but is completely lousy even at the stage variety. His ''hat'', however...

''Frosty the Snowman'' is a ChristmasSpecial, produced by [[Creator/RankinBassProductions Rankin/Bass]] and first aired on Creator/{{CBS}} in 1969, telling the story of how a snowman was brought to life by a magic top hat. ''Frosty the Snowman'' is unusual among the Rankin/Bass ''œuvre'' in that it features hand-drawn animation (Courtesy of Creator/MushiProductions, under the [[UncredotedRole uncredited]] direction of Creator/OsamuDezaki) and designed by Paul Coker Jr. who is also well-known for his artwork in ''Magazine/{{Mad}} Magazine'', instead of Rankin/Bass's usual "Animagic" StopMotion puppet process.

''Frosty the Snowman'' is a ChristmasSpecial, produced by [[Creator/RankinBassProductions Rankin/Bass]] and first aired on Creator/{{CBS}} in 1969, telling the story of how a snowman was brought to life by a magic top hat. ''Frosty the Snowman'' is unusual among the Rankin/Bass ''œuvre'' in that it features hand-drawn animation (Courtesy of Creator/MushiProductions) and designed by Paul Coker Jr. who is also well-known for his artwork in ''Magazine/{{Mad}} Magazine'', instead of Rankin/Bass's usual "Animagic" StopMotion puppet process.

* {{Narrator}}: Jimmy Durante in the original, Andy Griffith in ''Winter Wonderland'', and Jonathan Winters in ''Frosty Returns''.

A sequel, ''WesternAnimation/FrostysWinterWonderland'' featuring [[Series/TheAndyGriffithShow Andy Griffith]] as the narrator, was produced in 1976 and the feature-length {{Crossover}} ''WesternAnimation/RudolphAndFrostysChristmasInJuly'' (which, unlike the previous installments, [[ArtShift utilized R/B's "Animagic" process]]) followed in 1979; Jackie Vernon reprised the part of Frosty in both, and over the course of them our hero acquires a snow-wife (Crystal, voiced by Shelley Winters) and even snow-kids (for ''everyone's'' sanity, don't ask how that works). A non-Rankin/Bass sequel, ''WesternAnimation/FrostyReturns'', with Creator/JohnGoodman as the title character, Creator/JonathanWinters as the narrator, and the animation made by Creator/BillMelendez of the ''Franchise/{{Peanuts}}'' animated specials fame, was made in 1992; it was [[{{Sequelitis}} not generally well-received]]. In this one, the plot focuses around a secular "Winter Carnival" holiday and features an evil businessman named Mr. Twitchell that goes around spraying "Summer Wheeze", an aerosol that gets rid of snow. Apparently, ''the entire town hates snow''. The entire film is about Frosty and [[{{Expy}} a new girl named Holly]] ''singing about how good snow is''. If you haven't guessed, it's a somewhat environmentally-themed short, one that would make [[WesternAnimation/CaptainPlanetAndThePlaneteers the Planeteers]] cringe at how unsubtle it is with its message if it could decide whether snow is environmentally necessary or just something pretty and fun to play in. Then in 2005, another special, ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfFrostyTheSnowman'', was released on video, with Creator/BillFagerbakke as the voice of Frosty.

* AnimateInanimateObject: Frosty himself, and later his snow-family and friends.

* AsideComment: After Frosty asks Karen if she's cold on the train, he turns to the audience and says, "[[AskAStupidQuestion Now, that's a silly question!]]"
** Also, right after coming alive he turns around to the audience and asks, "Could I really be alive?"

* AdaptationalSympathy: The original song didn't refer much to Frosty's plight other than his being threatened with melting in the heat. The special shows Frosty as being terrified of such a fate, his friends' efforts to help him get to the North Pole in time, and an evil magician who tries his damndest to steal Frosty's hat--the only thing keeping him alive--so he can enrich himself.

* FaintInShock: A random orange-haired woman faints when she sees Frosty and the kids marching to the North Pole.

* {{Fainting}}: Done by a random orange-haired woman upon her sight of Frosty and the kids marching to the North Pole.

* ParodyCommercial: In 2009 CBS made this [[https://myspace.com/judas.sleeper/video/frosty-the-inappropriate-snowman/101272670 mash-up ad]] combining Frosty with ''Series/HowIMetYourMother''.

The script is by Rankin/Bass' favorite writer, Romeo Muller, and as usual, is built around a classic holiday tune (although technically, [[BeamMeUpScotty the original song doesn't actually mention Christmas at all]]), though the usual additional original songs by Maury Laws and Jules Bass are conspicuously missing.

* InkSuitActor: Jimmy Durante as the narrator and Billy [=DeWolfe=] as Professor Hinkle in the original.

A sequel, ''WesternAnimation/FrostysWinterWonderland'' featuring [[Series/TheAndyGriffithShow Andy Griffith]] as the narrator, was produced in 1976 and the feature-length {{Crossover}} ''WesternAnimation/RudolphAndFrostysChristmasInJuly'' (which, unlike the previous installments, [[ArtShift utilized R/B's "Animagic" process]]) followed in 1979; Jackie Vernon reprised the part of Frosty in both, and over the course of them our hero acquires a snow-wife (Crystal, voiced by Shelley Winters) and even snow-kids (for ''everyone's'' sanity, don't ask how that works). A non-Rankin/Bass sequel, ''WesternAnimation/FrostyReturns'', with Creator/JohnGoodman as the title character, Creator/JonathanWinters as the narrator, and the animation made by Creator/BillMelendez of the ''Franchise/{{Peanuts}}'' animated specials fame, was made in 1992; it was [[{{Sequelitis}} not generally well-received]]. In this one, the plot focuses around a secular "Winter Carnival" holiday and features an evil businessman named Mr. Twitchell that goes around spraying "Summer Wheeze", an aerosol that gets rid of snow. Apparently, ''the entire town hates snow''. The entire film is about Frosty and [[{{Expy}} a new girl named Holly]] ''singing about how good snow is''. If you haven't guessed, it's an environmentally-themed short, one that would make [[WesternAnimation/CaptainPlanetAndThePlaneteers the Planeteers]] cringe at how unsubtle it is with its message. Then in 2005, another special, ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfFrostyTheSnowman'', was released on video, with Creator/BillFagerbakke as the voice of Frosty.