Frosty the Snowman has entertained American children during the winter holidays since his creation in 1950. Frosty originated in the song, "Frosty the Snowman," by Steve Nelson and Jack Rollins which then inspired the Golden Book of 1951 adapted by Annie North Bedford and illustrated by Corine Malverne. The song and book tell of a snowman that comes alive and takes the children who created it on sledding and ice-skating adventures. But Frosty melts when he and the children go to the village to see the shop windows. Golden Books kept Frosty popular for later generations with an animated video narrated by Jimmy Durante (1969). For half a century, the song has been included on Christmas albums by popular performers. The concept was also used in Jack Frost (1998), a motion picture starring Michael Keaton as a deceased father who comes back to life in the snowman built by his children.

Further Reading:

Bedford, Annie North, and Corinne Malverne. Frosty the Snowman. New York, Simon and Schuster, 1951.