Thanks to the Christmas song ‘Frosty the Snowman’ and the classic Raymond Briggs story, snowmen have become associated with the festive season.
We all recognise their familiar shapes, but snowmen have not always looked this way.
Snowmen first appeared during the Middle Ages. At that time, they were seen as genuine artworks, with the likes of Michelangelo creating figures out of snow. These figures were not the plump and friendly snowmen of today though; they were more sombre and had a religious edge to them.
So, how did we get from them to the rotund white gentlemen who are as closely linked to the festive season as Christmas decorations and trees? Well, the commercial world had a lot to do with it.
From the start of the 20th century, snowmen became a feature of Christmas adverts in magazines as well as the first festive cards.
This was largely down to financial considerations. The idea of snowman was in the public domain and not owned by anyone, so advertisers and creators could use it without having to pay for the rights. This process also led to snowmen taking on a more fixed appearance, with round bodies, coal eyes and a pipe. This was to ensure they were instantly recognisable.
Many believe that this appearance was influenced by pop culture figures of the time such as WC Fields. Whether this is true or not is up for debate, but the 1950’s song Frosty the Snowman became a standard and set the image of the snowman that has remained ever since.
