Frosty the Snowman Frosty the Snowman "Frosty the Snowman" (or "Frosty the Snow Man") is a popular Christmas song written by Walter "Jack" Rollins and Steve Nelson, and first recorded by Gene Autry and the Cass County Boys in 1950 and later recorded by Jimmy Durante, releasing it as a single. It was written after the success of Autry's recording of "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" the previous year; Rollins and Nelson shipped the new song to Autry, who recorded "Frosty" in search of another seasonal hit. Like "Rudolph", "Frosty" was subsequently adapted to other media including a popular television special by Rankin/Bass Productions,
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer Gillen, to draw "cute reindeer", using zoo deer as models. The alert, bouncy character Gillen developed convinced management to support the idea. Maxton Books published the first mass-market edition of "Rudolph" in 1947 and a sequel, "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer Shines Again", in 1954. In 1992, Applewood Books published "Rudolph's Second Christmas", an unpublished sequel that Robert May wrote in 1947. In 2003, Penguin Books issued a reprint version of the original "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" with new artwork by Lisa Papp. Penguin also reprinted May's sequels, "Rudolph Shines Again" and "Rudolph's Second Christmas" (now retitled "Rudolph to the Rescue").