Christmas Snowman: Free Printable PDF Sheet

Christmas Snowman: History & Fun Facts

Quick Facts

• The earliest known illustration of a snowman dates to 1380, found in the margins of a Book of Hours manuscript now held in the Royal Library of the Hague.
• The song "Frosty the Snowman" was written in 1950 by Walter "Jack" Rollins and Steve Nelson, inspired by the success of "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer."
• The 1969 animated special Frosty the Snowman has been broadcast every year since its premiere, becoming a beloved holiday classic.
• The world's tallest snowman was built in Bethel, Maine in 2008, standing 122 feet 1 inch — actually a snow-woman named "Olympia."
• Carrots became the standard nose for snowmen because they were a common winter vegetable stored in root cellars and easy to find in cold months.
• In Japan, snowmen (yukidaruma) are traditionally made with just two balls, not three, and are associated with the Daruma doll of good luck.

A Figure as Old as Winter

Snowmen are among the oldest forms of outdoor sculpture, built spontaneously by children and adults wherever snow falls in sufficient depth. The earliest known artistic depiction of a snowman appears in the margins of a manuscript Book of Hours created around 1380, now held in the Royal Library of the Hague. The tiny illustration shows a figure built from three stacked snowballs in almost exactly the form recognized today — suggesting that the three-ball construction method is centuries old. Medieval European town records occasionally mention the building of elaborate snow figures during winter festivals, some of them monumental in scale and commissioned by nobility as temporary public art.

The classic elements of the modern snowman — coal eyes, carrot nose, top hat, scarf, stick arms — emerged gradually over the 18th and 19th centuries as the tradition became more standardized in popular illustration and children's literature. Coal was a readily available household material used to heat homes, which is why it became associated with making eyes and a smile. Carrots were stored in root cellars through the winter months, making them one of the few vegetables easily accessible when snow was on the ground. The top hat and scarf gave the snowman a human personality and a whimsical sense of dignity. By the mid-1800s, illustrated Christmas cards and magazines were depicting snowmen that look essentially identical to the ones children build today.

Frosty and the Song That Defined a Character

Frosty the Snowman, the cheerful animated figure who comes to life when a magic hat is placed on his head, was created in 1950 by songwriters Walter Rollins and Steve Nelson. They wrote the song partly in response to the enormous success of "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" the year before, and it became a hit of comparable stature. Gene Autry, who had recorded "Rudolph," recorded "Frosty" as well. The 1969 Rankin/Bass animated television special gave Frosty a full backstory and a visual personality — the broad grin, the corn-cob pipe, the button eyes — and introduced the character's famous catchphrase, "Happy Birthday!" The special has aired every year since, cementing Frosty alongside Rudolph and Santa Claus as one of the most recognized figures in the American Christmas tradition.