Frosty's History

It’s the most beloved Christmas character, appealing to all age ranges, and a figure all Americans know and love. But what’s the whole story, and who really is Frosty the Snowman?

The song “Frosty the Snowman” was released in winter of 1950 and was written by Jack Rollins and Steve Nelson. It was created for Gene Autry, an American actor and musician, after their successful collaboration on “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” with Autry in 1949. Steve Nelson spent much of his life in Armonk, New York, and that is where his jolly snowman story first originated. In fact, 2011 town board member Becky Kittredge stated in an interview that Nelson perhaps was thinking of former chief of police John Hergenhan when he wrote a loud “Stop!” for the policeman in the song. Frosty’s roots dig so deep in Armonk that they hold a parade for him every year — and I’m talking about a big one. The parade travels down Main Street and includes a town citizen dressed up as Frosty, floats, a marching band, and Armonk’s board members. It ends with a tree-lighting ceremony, starting off the Christmas season and emphasizing Frosty’s Christmas significance. But that’s not it! There’s more to this snowman’s connection to the cheerful winter holiday.

Although we tend to associate Frosty with Christmas, there is no mention of the December holiday in the original song. In fact, when Romeo Muller was writing his 1969 TV special for Frosty, he changed the last line of the song to include Christmas. Without that line, it might have been a New Year's song! Santa Claus was also added to this TV special, making Frosty a real symbol of Christmas. This connection and the song’s popularity has led many singers and musicians to cover this song and include it in their Christmas albums. Another TV special, Frosty’s Winter Wonderland, was released in 1976, where Frosty’s young friends build another snowman named Crystal. Crystal becomes Frosty’s wife, and they are featured as the happy parents of a snow-family in the 1979 episode Rudolph and Frosty’s Christmas in July. The well-known 1998 film Jack Frost was even partially based off of Frosty’s story, as Jack comes back to life as a snowman after his tragic death.

Although Frosty started his life as just a winter holiday character, he’s become a Christmas tradition and symbol recognized by all. Withstanding the test of time, he’s appeared in TV shows and books, at school concerts, in decorations, and even on holiday merch. Even though he melts every year, his story remains in our hearts through the comfy breeze of spring, the gentle days of summer, and the damp weather of fall, all the way back to the holiday season again.