Frosty the Snowman

Frosty the Snowman is an animated Christmas special that first aired on CBS on December 7, 1969. This special, written by Romeo Mueller and produced and directed by Arthur Rankin and Jules Bass, is based on the holiday song of the same name first performed by Gene Autry in the 1940s and originally written by Jack Rollins and Steve Nelson.

Synopsis
Jimmy Durante provided the narration, with Billy DeWolfe as Professor Hinkle, a frustrated magician who throws away his magic hat after performing in a school Christmas show. The children build a snowman, and Professor Hinkle's hat brings the snowman to life, voiced by Jackie Vernon. With the help of his friend Karen, tries to get to the North Pole before he melts.

Songs

 * Frosty the Snowman

Sequels
Frosty the Snowman was followed up by two Rankin/Bass-made Christmas specials, Frosty's Winter Wonderland (1976) and Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July. In 1992, CBS produced a sequel to the original, entitled Frosty Returns. Most Frosty the Snowman DVD releases contain Frosty Returns as a bonus feature. In 2005, Classic Media also created a sequel to Frosty the Snowman, titled The Legend of Frosty the Snowman, which airs annually on Cartoon Network.

Television Rights and Availability
CBS has broadcast this special in the USA since its' debut, even after the pre-1974 Rankin-Bass library was sold first to Broadway Media, then to Golden Books and currently with Classic Media, a successor of the British-owned Entertainment Rights company, which was purchased by Classic Media's own successor, Boomerang Media. In Canada, CBC holds broadcasting rights.