Frosty the Snowman (television special)
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In 1969, the Rankin-Bass company produced a thirty-minute animated television special of Frosty the Snowman that featured the voices of comedians Jimmy Durante as narrator and Jackie Vernon as the title character. This special marked the first use of traditional cel animation for Rankin-Bass. Arthur Rankin, Jr. and Jules Bass wanted to give the show and its characters the look of a Christmas card, so Paul Coker, Jr., a greeting card artist who would later be known for his work in MAD Magazine, was hired to do the animation. Rankin-Bass veteran writer Romeo Muller adapted and expanded the story for television as he had done with Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer in 1964.
In the special, a young girl named Karen (credited to June Foray, but actually voiced by an unknown) brings a snowman to life with a top hat discarded by inept magician Professor Hinkle (voiced by Billy De Wolfe). The snowman's first words after coming to life are "Happy Birthday!" Karen's friends suggest names for their new friend including "Oatmeal", and Christopher Columbus, but Karen decides to call him "Frosty". When Hinkle learns of the magic power his hat actually possesses, he demands that Karen and Frosty return it immediately.
Frosty and the children elude Hinkle long enough to have some fun in town, including the confrontation with the traffic cop mentioned in the lyrics, but Frosty soon senses the temperature is rising and worries about melting.
With Hinkle in hot pursuit, Karen and Frosty flee together to the North Pole to get Frosty to a place where he will not melt. Helping them in their journey is Hocus Pocus, the professor's rabbit. When they can't afford a train ticket, the friends stow away aboard a refrigerated train car. Unbeknownst to them, Hinkle has also hitched a ride on the same train. Later Frosty, Hocus, and Karen jump off the train, leaving Hinkle behind once again.
Fearing that Karen can't survive the cold weather, Frosty asks Hocus Pocus who might be able to help them. Hocus suggests (and acts out) the President of the United States and the US Marines, before suggesting Santa Claus. Frosty agrees, and promptly takes credit for the idea himself. The forest animals build a campfire to keep Karen warm until they can locate Santa Claus. Hinkle again arrives and blows out the fire. Frosty and Karen are again forced to flee, this time with Karen riding on Frosty's back as he slid head-first down a hill. At the bottom of the slope, Karen and Frosty discover a greenhouse filled with poinsettias. Against Karen's advice Frosty steps inside the warm greenhouse, suggesting that he could afford to lose a little weight, but Hinkle again catches up to Frosty and locks him and Karen in the greenhouse.
Hocus brings Santa Claus (voiced by Paul Frees) to the greenhouse only to find Karen in tears and Frosty melted on the floor. Santa explains to Karen that Frosty is made from Christmas snow, and that he can never completely melt away. With a gust of cold wind through the open greenhouse door, Frosty is brought back to life and again exclaims "Happy Birthday!" Hinkle again arrives on the scene and demands the return of his hat. He relents only when threatened with being removed from Santa's Christmas list for the rest of his life. Santa returns Karen home and Frosty exclaims as he rides off in Santa's sleigh, "I'll be back again someday!"
