49 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 the special's song 'We're a Couple of Misfits' was replaced by 'Fame and Fortune' in broadcasts from 1965 until 1998.

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

Silver and gold drive Yukon Cornelius, who seems lost when he tumbles off a cliff with the Abominable Snow Monster, then returns with the beast tamed.

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

King Moonracer, a winged lion, shelters unloved toys on his island and asks Rudolph's group to win Santa's help in finding them homes.

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

Bumble is Yukon Cornelius's name for the Abominable Snow Monster, which, once tamed, helps trim the Christmas tree.

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

Vince Guaraldi first worked with the Peanuts team after producer Lee Mendelson heard his hit 'Cast Your Fate to the Wind' on the radio.

Whom did the producers of A Charlie Brown Christmas hire to voice the Peanuts gang?

Actual child actors voiced the gang, and Kathy Steinberg, who played Sally, was too young to read, so her lines had to be fed to her.

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

Luke 2:8-14 is Linus's reading, kept despite director Bill Melendez's concerns after Schulz reportedly asked, 'If we don't do it, who will?'

In A Charlie Brown Christmas, what does Lucy tell Charlie Brown to buy for the play?

A pink aluminum tree is Lucy's order, but Charlie Brown brings back a small sapling, the only real tree on the lot.

Which horror-film legend narrated and voiced the Grinch in the 1966 special How the Grinch Stole Christmas!?

Boris Karloff never returned as the Grinch: he died in 1969, so Hans Conried voiced the character in the later special Halloween Is Grinch Night.

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

Tony the Tiger's booming voice, Thurl Ravenscroft, went uncredited for the song, so Dr. Seuss wrote to columnists nationwide to say who had sung it.

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

Chuck Jones directed and co-produced the special after working with Dr. Seuss on the Private Snafu Army training cartoons during World War II.

Which voice of Rocky the Flying Squirrel played Cindy Lou Who in the 1966 special How the Grinch Stole Christmas!?

June Foray also voiced Karen in the first broadcast of Frosty the Snowman, but her dialogue was later re-dubbed by another actress.

By how many sizes does the Grinch's heart grow at the end of How the Grinch Stole Christmas!?

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, and at the end Santa sends the scheming magician home to write apologies in hope of a new hat.

What is the name of the magician's rabbit who befriends Frosty in the 1969 special Frosty the Snowman?

Hocus Pocus belongs to Professor Hinkle, whose discarded hat brings Frosty to life, and he rides the train north with Frosty and Karen.

Which Japanese studio, founded by Astro Boy creator Osamu Tezuka, animated the 1969 special Frosty the Snowman?

Mushi Production, which Tezuka founded as a rival to Toei Animation, went bankrupt in 1973, and its staff went on to found studios such as Madhouse.

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

Fred Astaire's mailman S.D. Kluger tells the story when his mail truck breaks down, reading children's letters to Santa; Mickey Rooney voices Kris Kringle.

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

Burgermeister Meisterburger bans every toy in Sombertown after tripping over one, and Kris Kringle hands out toys to the children anyway.

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

Topper is the lost penguin Kris befriends on the road to Sombertown, and he flees into the forest with Kris, straight into the Winter Warlock.

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 narrates as Mrs. Claus, and when children around the world send a sick Santa presents for his day off, their generosity changes his mind.

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

Jingle and Jangle fly south on the young reindeer Vixen, but a dog catcher hauls her off to the pound.

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

Raymond Briggs's book is wordless, and the 1982 film keeps it that way apart from its one song, while sending the boy off to meet Santa Claus.

Which song is the only one sung in the otherwise wordless 1982 film The Snowman?

Walking in the Air, written by composer Howard Blake, plays as the snowman flies the boy to the North Pole.

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.

Why did The Simpsons premiere with its Christmas special instead of the planned opener?

Botched animation sank the planned premiere, 'Some Enchanted Evening', which was pushed back to close the season so the Christmas special aired first.

Tim Burton produced The Nightmare Before Christmas, but who directed the 1993 stop-motion film?

Henry Selick directed it from a three-page poem Burton wrote as a Disney animator, and Selick later directed the stop-motion film Coraline.

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

Danny Elfman recorded Jack's songs first, and Chris Sarandon was cast afterward because his speaking voice matched Elfman's singing.

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 motion-capture film, in which Tom Hanks plays several roles and the Hero Boy pulls the emergency brake so lonely Billy can board.

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

Netflix released Klaus, in which a spoiled postman is banished to a far-north island town and must post 6,000 letters within a year.

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

J.K. Simmons voices Klaus, a widower who had made his toys for the children he and his late wife Lydia hoped to have.

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

Despicable Me grew from Sergio Pablos's pitch, and its supervillain Gru plots to shrink and steal the Moon until three orphan girls soften him.

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

Aardman made Arthur Christmas in computer animation, and in it Grandsanta takes Arthur out in his old wooden sleigh, Evie, to deliver a forgotten present.

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 is stringing up Christmas lights, which SpongeBob mistakes for a fire, before she explains the holiday he has never heard of.

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

Squidward, shamed by SpongeBob's homemade gift, plays Santa to cheer him up and ends up handing out his own belongings to the town.

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

The Vietnam War parted them when Mr. Hyunh gave baby Mai to US soldiers as Saigon fell, and twenty years later Helga's snow boots help get Mai found.

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

A cabin in the mountains is the families' getaway, where Chuckie dreads Santa and Chas wants to play Santa himself while Drew insists on hiring an actor.

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

Greer Garson narrates the story of orphaned Aaron, whose drum song for the newborn Jesus is followed by his injured lamb Baba recovering.

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 hoards January Junction's gold until Jack Frost gives up being human to whip up a blizzard that freezes the king and his iron knights in their castle.

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, and in the first story Donald's nephews wish for Christmas every day, only to find every day turning out the same.

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 novel by which author?

L. Frank Baum wrote the novel, in which the wood nymph Necile raises the foundling Claus in the Forest of Burzee, and he is later granted immortality.

Which animator made the first Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer cartoon, a 1948 short?

Max Fleischer made the short before the famous song was written, so a 1951 reissue swapped the song in for its opening and closing music.