50 Fun Facts About Christmas Cartoon

In the 1964 stop-motion special, what does Hermey the elf dream of becoming instead of a toymaker?

Hermey wants to be a dentist rather than make toys. He gets his wish at the end, pulling every one of the Abominable Snow Monster's teeth so the beast is harmless.

Who voiced Sam the Snowman, the narrator of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964)?

Burl Ives voiced Sam the Snowman and sang 'A Holly Jolly Christmas' in the 1964 Rankin/Bass special; the song went on to become a Christmas standard.

In Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, what has prospector Yukon Cornelius spent his life seeking?

Yukon Cornelius is prospecting for silver and gold, chanting 'Silver and gold!' as he hurls his pickaxe and then licks it to test every strike.

Who rules the Island of Misfit Toys in Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer?

King Moonracer, a winged lion, rules the Island of Misfit Toys; he flies around the world each night gathering unwanted toys until homes can be found for them.

What does Yukon Cornelius nickname the Abominable Snow Monster in Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer?

Yukon Cornelius calls the Abominable Snow Monster 'Bumble'; after the beast is tamed he announces that Bumbles bounce, and it places the star on the tree at the end.

The jazz score for A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965) was written and performed by which pianist's trio?

Vince Guaraldi composed and performed the score with his trio, including 'Linus and Lucy', 'Christmas Time Is Here' and 'Skating'; 'Linus and Lucy' became the signature Peanuts theme.

Whom did the producers of A Charlie Brown Christmas hire to voice the Peanuts gang, an unusual choice then?

Actual child actors voiced the Peanuts gang, some so young their lines were fed to them a phrase at a time, because Charles Schulz wanted genuine children's voices instead of adults imitating kids.

When Linus explains what Christmas is all about, which book of the Bible does he recite from?

Linus recites the nativity passage from the Gospel of Luke (Luke 2:8-14), dropping his security blanket at the words 'fear not'.

What does Lucy tell Charlie Brown to go and buy for the play?

Lucy tells him to get 'the biggest aluminum tree you can find, maybe painted pink'; Charlie Brown instead brings back the lot's lone real tree, a scrawny sapling.

Which horror-film legend narrated and voiced the Grinch in the 1966 TV special?

Boris Karloff, best known as Frankenstein's monster, narrated the 1966 special and provided the Grinch's speaking voice, winning a Grammy in 1968 for the album version.

The uncredited bass singer of 'You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch' was better known as which cereal mascot's voice?

Thurl Ravenscroft, the uncredited singer, was the booming voice of Tony the Tiger, the Frosted Flakes mascot famous for 'They're gr-r-reat!'; the Grinch song was long misattributed to the narrator.

Which Looney Tunes director co-produced and directed the 1966 Grinch special?

Chuck Jones directed and co-produced the 1966 special; he and Dr. Seuss had first collaborated on the Private Snafu training cartoons for the US Army during World War II.

Who provided the voice of Cindy Lou Who in the 1966 Grinch special?

June Foray, the voice of Rocky the Flying Squirrel, played Cindy Lou Who uncredited; she later voiced the little girl Karen in the original 1969 broadcast of Frosty the Snowman.

By how many sizes does the Grinch's heart grow at the end of the story?

The Grinch's small heart grew three sizes that day; with his new strength he saves the sleigh from tumbling off Mount Crumpit and returns everything to Whoville.

Who narrates the 1969 Rankin/Bass special Frosty the Snowman?

Jimmy Durante narrates Frosty the Snowman and sings the title song; the 1969 special was hand-drawn, with character designs by Mad magazine artist Paul Coker Jr.

What is the name of the magician's rabbit who steals the hat and befriends Frosty?

Hocus Pocus is Professor Hinkle's rabbit; the failed magician's discarded hat brings Frosty to life, and Hocus sticks with Frosty and Karen on the trip to the North Pole.

Which Japanese studio animated the 1969 special Frosty the Snowman?

Mushi Production, the Tokyo studio Osamu Tezuka founded, drew the hand-drawn animation for Frosty the Snowman; Rankin/Bass outsourced nearly all of its specials to Japanese studios.

Which dancing legend narrates Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town (1970) as the mailman S.D. Kluger?

Fred Astaire narrates as mailman S.D. Kluger, answering children's letters about why Santa wears red, comes down chimneys and fills stockings; Mickey Rooney voiced Kris Kringle.

Which grouchy mayor outlaws all toys in Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town?

Burgermeister Meisterburger, the mayor of gloomy Sombertown, outlaws all toys after tripping over a toy duck on his front steps; Kris Kringle defies him by smuggling toys to the children.

What does young Kris name the lost penguin he befriends in Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town?

Kris names the lost penguin Topper; the bird, who was trying to reach the South Pole, becomes his companion and helps him deliver toys to Sombertown's children.

Which Disney regular voiced the Winter Warlock in Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town?

Keenan Wynn, a fixture of 1960s Disney comedies, voiced the Winter Warlock, whose icy heart melts when Kris gives him a toy train and who sings 'Put One Foot in Front of the Other'.

In The Year Without a Santa Claus (1974), Snow Miser and Heat Miser are the feuding sons of whom?

Mother Nature is the brothers' mother; she makes Snow Miser and Heat Miser compromise so that it can snow in Southtown, the Southern town where the story is set.

Which Oscar-winning actress narrated The Year Without a Santa Claus as Mrs. Claus?

Shirley Booth, Best Actress Oscar winner for the 1952 film Come Back, Little Sheba, narrated the special as Mrs. Claus; it was her final acting role.

Which two elves does Mrs. Claus send south for Christmas spirit in The Year Without a Santa Claus?

Mrs. Claus sends the elves Jingle and Jangle, riding the young reindeer Vixen, south to find proof that Christmas spirit survives; they end up in Southtown.

Mickey's Christmas Carol was released to theaters in 1983 in front of a re-issue of which Disney feature?

In the US, Mickey's Christmas Carol opened in December 1983 in front of a re-issue of The Rescuers; it was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Short but lost to Sundae in New York.

The 1982 film The Snowman is based on a wordless picture book by which author-illustrator?

Raymond Briggs published The Snowman as a wordless picture book in 1978; the film keeps that silence, with no dialogue apart from its one song.

Who sang 'Walking in the Air' in the original 1982 film The Snowman?

Peter Auty, then a St Paul's Cathedral choirboy, sang it for the 1982 film but was left off the credits; Aled Jones's 1985 cover reached number five in the UK and is often wrongly credited.

In the first Simpsons episode broadcast, a 1989 Christmas special, what job does Homer take?

Homer becomes a shopping mall Santa to pay for Christmas after Marge's savings go on removing Bart's tattoo; his tiny paycheck goes on a 99-to-1 greyhound, Santa's Little Helper.

'Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire' aired first, but where did it fall in production order?

It was the eighth episode produced (production code 7G08) but aired first, because the intended opener, 'Some Enchanted Evening', came back from the animators with serious problems and was pushed to the end of the season.

Who directed the 1993 stop-motion film The Nightmare Before Christmas?

Tim Burton wrote the original poem and produced, but Selick ran the shoot; he later directed Coraline.

Who provided Jack Skellington's singing voice in The Nightmare Before Christmas?

Elfman also wrote every song and the score, while Chris Sarandon handled Jack's spoken lines.

Under which Disney-owned label was The Nightmare Before Christmas originally released?

Disney released it under its Touchstone Pictures banner, judging the film too dark and scary for the Walt Disney Pictures name; later re-releases carried the Disney label.

Who directed the 2004 motion-capture film The Polar Express?

Robert Zemeckis directed The Polar Express, adapting Chris Van Allsburg's 1985 picture book and reuniting with his Forrest Gump star Tom Hanks, who played several roles through performance capture.

Which streaming service released the hand-drawn 2019 film Klaus?

Netflix released Klaus in November 2019; it was the streamer's first animated feature nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature and won the BAFTA for Best Animated Film.

Which Oscar-winning actor voices the reclusive toymaker Klaus in the 2019 film?

J.K. Simmons, Best Supporting Actor Oscar winner for Whiplash, voices the hulking woodsman Klaus; Jason Schwartzman plays the spoiled postman Jesper who discovers him.

Which animated franchise began as an original pitch by Klaus director Sergio Pablos?

Despicable Me grew from Sergio Pablos's original pitch, which Universal and Illumination developed into the 2010 film; Pablos, a former Disney animator who supervised Tantor in Tarzan, shares the story credit.

Which British studio made Arthur Christmas (2011) with Sony Pictures Animation?

Aardman, the Bristol studio behind Wallace & Gromit, co-produced Arthur Christmas in computer animation rather than its trademark clay; Bill Nighy voices Grandsanta, a 136-year-old former Santa.

What kind of animal is Olive, the title character of Olive, the Other Reindeer (1999)?

Olive is a Jack Russell terrier (voiced by Drew Barrymore) who mishears 'all of the other reindeer' as 'Olive, the other reindeer' and sets off to join Santa's team.

In the SpongeBob SquarePants episode 'Christmas Who?', who first explains Christmas to SpongeBob?

Sandy Cheeks, the squirrel from Texas, is the one who tells SpongeBob about Christmas, a holiday unknown in Bikini Bottom; the episode also introduced the live-action Patchy the Pirate.

Who dresses up as Santa Claus to make it up to SpongeBob in 'Christmas Who?'

Guilt over a homemade gift gets the better of him, and he ends up handing out everything he owns to Bikini Bottom.

In 'Arnold's Christmas', Arnold tries to reunite Mr. Hyunh with a daughter he lost during which conflict?

Mr. Hyunh handed baby Mai to a US helicopter crew during the Vietnam War evacuation of Saigon and never saw her again; Helga secretly trades her prized Nancy Spumoni snow boots to get the clerk to find her.

In Rugrats' 'The Santa Experience' (1992), where do the parents take the babies for Christmas?

The families rent a cabin in the mountains for Christmas; Chuckie spends the episode terrified of Santa, and the dads' attempts to play Santa go comically wrong.

Which Oscar-winning actress narrated the 1968 stop-motion special The Little Drummer Boy?

Greer Garson, Best Actress Oscar winner for Mrs. Miniver (1942), narrates the special about Aaron, the orphaned drummer boy who travels with his donkey Samson, lamb Baba and camel Joshua.

What homemade gift does Odie make for Garfield in A Garfield Christmas Special (1987)?

Odie secretly builds Garfield a back scratcher, the gift that finally moves the cat; Garfield in turn gives Grandma a bundle of love letters from her late husband that he found in the barn.

Who is the villainous Cossack king in the 1979 Rankin/Bass special Jack Frost?

Kubla Kraus, the Cossack king, lords it over the village of January Junction from his castle with an army of mechanical knights; Buddy Hackett narrates as the groundhog Pardon-Me-Pete.

Which chipmunk pair are hiding in the tree Mickey and Pluto cut down in Pluto's Christmas Tree?

Chip 'n' Dale are living in the tree Mickey fells, and they spend the short tormenting Pluto from inside the decorated branches; Jack Hannah directed the 1952 cartoon.

Who narrates the 1999 direct-to-video anthology Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas?

Kelsey Grammer narrates the 1999 video, whose segments include Donald's nephews reliving Christmas Day in a loop and a Mickey-and-Minnie retelling of 'The Gift of the Magi'.

Which animator directed the 1982 Christmas special Ziggy's Gift?

Richard Williams, later animation director of Who Framed Roger Rabbit, directed Ziggy's Gift, which won the Emmy for Outstanding Animated Program; Ziggy spends it as a street-corner Santa collecting for the poor.

Rankin/Bass's The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus (1985) adapts a 1902 novel by which author?

L. Frank Baum, creator of The Wizard of Oz, wrote the 1902 novel, in which Santa is raised in the Forest of Burzee by the wood nymph Necile.

Which animator made the first Rudolph cartoon in 1948, as a Montgomery Ward advertisement?

Max Fleischer, producer of the Betty Boop and Popeye cartoons, made the 1948 short for Montgomery Ward through the Jam Handy Organization; it predates Johnny Marks's famous 1949 song.