Le bonhomme du neige – the good man of snow – is the french expression for snowman. And who does not like snowmen? Shoveling snow might not be our favorite pastime, but making snowmen is fun, creative and brings us outside. After the snowman has been adorned with a broom, stick arms, a carrot nose, a scarf and a hat, we dry our mittens and enjoy some hot cocoa or cider while we let our rosy cheeks fade away.
The best known snowman must be Frosty. The popular song, “Frosty the Snowman”, written by Walter “Jack” Rollins and Steve Nelson, was first recorded by Gene Autry in the early 50’s. In 1969, CBS launched the animated television special and has aired it every December since.
The song first describes a very typical snowman
“With a corn cop pipe and a button nose
And two eyes made out of coal”
Then, the magic begins when he gets a normal-looking hat that brings him to life. Common variations on snowman design are carrot for nose and stick arms. The only item Frosty misses when it comes to snowman fashion is a scarf, often colorful and striped!
Snowmen are surprisingly universal – for areas with snow that is. They have one or two large snowballs and a head on top. Some of the snowmen we came across, have been pinned on our pinterest board. Some are very real, others are not.
Cornelius Grätz has an amazing snowman collection (not made with snow though) that you can see in a couple of weeks somewhere in Germany. This years exhibition venue hasn’t been announced yet, so keep an eye on the website if you live in or are planning to visit Germany this winter!
In Japan, the Hakusan city has a yearly Yuki Daruma (snowmen) festival in early February. It sounds like quite an experience: “Approximately 3000 snowmen, handmade by the villagers in all shapes and sizes, line the streets of Shiramine and Kuwajima. In the evening, the insides of the snowman are illuminated with candles creating a magical atmosphere”. The most common shape is the snowman with only one big snowball that the head sits on.
As you can see to the right, funflector.com has it’s own snowman parade this year. They will soon be in our webshop, just waiting to be stuffed into Christmas stockings and dangling on bags and coats!
The funflector team
