Snow Miser
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Snow Miser is a fictional character from the Rankin/Bass-produced 1974 stop-motion animated Christmas special The Year Without a Santa Claus. Snow Miser was voiced by actor/comedian Dick Shawn.
In the special, Snow Miser controlled cold weather all over Earth; his archnemesis is his stepbrother, Heat Miser. Mother Nature was Snow Miser's (and Heat Miser's) mother.
Snow Miser was a giant humanoid creature, with the supernatural power to freeze objects at will. Snow Miser lived in a large ice castle, and was attended to by a host of miniature versions of himself. He defended his domain fiercely, yet unlike Heat Miser, was a gregarious, friendly, jocular sort, given to gales of laughter and bad puns about snow and cold weather.
Both Snow and Heat Miser sing a memorable ragtime style song introducing themselves.
In the 2006 NBC live-action remake, he is played by actor Michael McKean. Also, rather than miniature versions of himself, his underlings are replaced by women in white swimsuits and scarves, warring with Heat Miser by firing giant icicles from crossbows.
[edit] Collectibles
Action figures based on The Year Without a Santa Claus were produced by Palisades Toys in 2002 and included the Snow Miser, the Heat Miser and their tiny clone-like assistants. The figures were re-released by NECA in late 2006.
[edit] Trivia
In the movie Batman and Robin, Mr. Freeze (played by Arnold Schwarzenegger) tries to get his henchmen to learn the Snow Miser's song. A clip from The Year Without a Santa Claus is shown, during the point in which Snow Miser sings his memorable ragtime song to introduce himself.
Snow Miser is allegedly based on Spiro Agnew while his nemesis brother Heat Miser is based on Richard Nixon.
