James' Snowman is an unnamed sentient snow person originally created by James in the 1982 film The Snowman (which is based on the 1978 book of the same name by Raymond Briggs). He also appears in the 1991 film Father Christmas and The Snowman and the Snowdog.
In his first appearance, he is created on a snowy Christmas Eve by a young boy named James. On the stroke of midnight, the snowman comes to life and befriends James, who shows him around his house. They then go outside and drive around a forest on James' father's motorbike. They then go into the house's garage where the snowman lies down in a large freezer there before coming across a box in there with a picture of a snowy scene on it. The snowman climbs out of the freezer and approaches the garage door and looks up to the sky before taking James' hand and taking off into the skies. They fly over other houses and Brighton pier before arriving in the North Pole where they attend a snowman party hosted by Father Christmas, who gives James a snowman scarf. The snowman and James then fly back home where they have a farewell hug before James goes to bed. The next morning, James (before he has breakfast) expects to see the snowman again. Indeed, he must see his snowman. So he gets on his snow clothes and races downstairs (unaware that his parents are having breakfast at the breakfast table). James heads out to the garden. But when he wakes up and goes outside to see the snowman, he sees that he (the snowman) is gone. The snowman is gone. And all what remains is a small pile of melted snow with the coal eyes and buttons (scattered everywhere), the tangerine nose, and the hat and scarf. James (as he looks at the last of the snowman) takes out his scarf, kneels down, and mourns the loss of the snowman. And the end credits roll afterwards.
The sad news is that the snowman is gone. He is gone, but for one story. But the good news is that James builds his snowman again. He (James) builds his snowman the next year's winter. And he takes him (the snowman) to the North Pole. That takes place in another story called Father Christmas.
In Father Christmas (which takes place roughly a year or so after the events of the previous film) the snowman and James are seen attending another snowman party where they reunite with Father Christmas who says to James "Glad you could make it again. The party I mean, not your snowman". Afterwards, the snowman and James go to the stable where Father Christmas keeps his reindeer. Another snowman notices this and alerts Father Christmas. Upon entering the stable, the snowman and James find two undelivered presents in Father Christmas's sleigh, resulting in Father Christmas having to leave the party to deliver them. The presents are later revealed to be for the British Royal Family.
In 2011, he appeared in a commercial for IRN-BRU.
In The Snowman and the Snowdog, the snowman is revived by a boy named Billy (who now lives in James's old house), who also makes a snowdog. The snowman later takes Billy and the snowdog to the North Pole and attends the snowman party where they take part in a skiing/sledge race with other snowpeople and a penguin. The snowman crashes out of the race, but is happy when Billy and the snowdog win the race. Afterwards, Father Christmas meets Billy and gives him a present. The snowman then takes Billy and the snowdog back home. Upon arriving back at the house, Billy starts to go into the house and is followed by the snowdog, but Billy tells him that he cannot come inside with him as he would melt. Reluctantly, the snowdog goes back to the snowman. However, Billy unwraps the present Father Christmas gave him and finds a collar, which he puts on the snowdog, who transforms into a actual dog (fulling Billy's Christmas wish to have a new dog to replace the one that died). The pair bid farewell to the snowman and head indoors. The next day, Billy and his dog go outside to see the snowman, only to find him melted.